For the Week of March 2nd – March 8th I Adar 30– II Adar 6; parasha VaYikra

We would like people to be aware of some of the Jewish things and thoughts taking place in Harrison NY.

In two weeks Purim will be here.  It starts after the Sabbath on March 15th and continues until dark on Sunday March 16th.  The Young Israel of Harrison will be reading the Megillah, the Book of Esther on Saturday Night and Sunday morning.  Sunday morning after the Megillah reading, there will be a Purim carnival for children and refreshments for adults.  All are welcome and there is no charge.  For more information visit www.YIOH.org.

At Noon on Sunday March 30th there will be a demonstration of how matzo is made.  It is a hands on activity for children (but adults are also welcome).  There is no charge for attending the event but registration is necessary.  To do so please send an e-mail with the number of people who wish to attend to WM1066@hotmail.com with the subject line “Matzo Factory Event.”

Those are some of the Jewish things taking place in Harrison, here is a Jewish thought.

This week we read the Tora portion (“parasha”) known as “VaYikra” (Leviticus 1:1–5:26.).  With this reading we begin the third book of the Five Books of Moshe.  There are several valuable lessons we can learn from this week’s parasha. 

The name of this week’s parasha is its first word, VaYikra.  It means:  “And He (G-d) called.”  One fundamental aspect of parasha VaYikra is humility.  We are taught that the letter “aleph” in the word VaYikra is small because of Moshe's modesty.  The word "Yikra," means "to call.”  It has a connotation of endearment.  The speaker is calling to a close friend or beloved.  Moshe did not want his closeness to G-d publicized.  Moshe therefore asked to use the word "Vaykar," "to happen upon," to record how G-d spoke to him.  G-d, HaShem, however rejected the proposal.  HaShem explained that the "Vayikar," relates to how He speaks to prophets of the other nations.  Rashi (Rabbi Solomon the son of Issac (1040-1105)), the great medieval commentator, gives the example of Bilam in particular, (Numbers 23:4).  That word, "Vayikar," does not reflect the direct and intimate communication Moshe experienced.  As a compromise, G-d allowed Moshe to write the aleph that ends the word "VaYikra" smaller than the rest of its letters.  Why begin the Third book of the Tora this way?  In this Book we learn about the sacrifices that could be offered in the times the Temple existed.  In Hebrew the word for sacrifice is Korban.  That word has a root meaning of “to come close.”  The purpose of the korbanot is to help us come closer to HaShem.  But we cannot get closer to HaShem, we cannot obtain greatness similar to Moshe’s, unless we remain humble. 

We see the aspect of humility in other places in the parasha.  For example, it is hard for an arrogant person to admit they made a mistake.  It is very hard for leaders to admit making a mistake.  Yet, in this parasha we see there are special korbanot for the High Priest (Cohen HaGadol) when he has committed a sin and for the Sanhedrin, the 70 greatest Rabbis who sat as the highest court and legislative body, when they made a mistake.  If G-d tells us through the Tora that such great people make mistakes and must make amends for those mistakes we should not be embarrassed to admit our own mistakes.

The Young Israel of Harrison, New York (YIOH) is a Modern Orthodox synagogue offering an intimate religious and communal experience.  Sabbath morning services begin at 9 am, mincha/maariv services on Friday and Saturday vary with sundown, and services on Sunday morning are held at 8 am.  For those who would like more information or would like to spend Shabbos in the area, visit the Young Israel of Harrison’s website at www.yioh.org or email Yiohnews@aol.com

Rabbi Bienenfeld gives weekly Talmud and Chumash classes at 7:00 pm on Monday and Tuesday evenings, respectively.  Please check the calendar posted on YIOH.org to confirm the schedule.

© W. Fraenkel 2014