Parsha Points

In this week’s parsha the letter alef in the word vayikra וַיִּקְרָ֖א is written much smaller than the rest. Our sages have explained that the letter alef represents God’s love for Moses. Later in the Torah when God speaks to the prophet Bilam, the word vayikar is used without the alef (Numbers 23:4). Even though God spoke to Bilam, he was not loved. If the alef represents God’s love, why isn’t it written much larger than the others? Moses, one of the humblest people of all time, chose to write the Alef smaller than the others as a sign of humility. He didn’t want to inflate the alef and chose to make it smaller.

The parsha continues with God communicating to Moses the laws of the korbanot, the animal sacrifices brought to the temple. In today’s modern world it’s hard to conceive of bringing a live animal as a sacrifice to God. In the time of our temple, to bring a sacrifice was a very humbling experience. The basic idea behind a sacrifice is the awareness and acknowledgment of God. Whether you were bringing a sacrifice as atonement for a sin or as a gift for God and the temple, you were acknowledging God’s presence in the world. This too is a sign of humility. To believe in God is to believe in something greater than yourself. It’s one of the of the reasons we wear a kippah. Our physical presence extends to the top of our heads, God’s presence permeates everywhere.

Shabbat Shalom!

Cantor Adam Stotland