Vayikra: The  Called

This week we start the third, the central, book of the Torah. This book starts with some details about the sacrificial rite: Which animals can be offered; where the blood is sprinkled, dabbed and spilled; which parts are burned where. This elaboration of the sacrificial rite is addressed to 

אָדָ֗ם כִּֽי־יַקְרִ֥יב מִכֶּ֛ם קׇרְבָּ֖ן. A human ( adam) who brings an offering. 

The is a reference to the Adam, the first person ( who never brought a recorded sacrifice) . The ritual is primitive, perhaps instinctual . It brings us back to the first pair of offerings and the tragic consequence:

וַֽיְהִ֖י מִקֵּ֣ץ יָמִ֑ים וַיָּבֵ֨א קַ֜יִן מִפְּרִ֧י הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה מִנְחָ֖ה 

In the course of time, Cain brought an offering

Cain's rejected sacrifice and Abel's  fatal,  envy-generating, accepted offering is associated with the first murder.  Is the the sacrificial rite the source of Cain's murderous envy?  Or is the role of the sacrifice, in that story, just to demonstrate the emptiness of envy.  Any   perception of relative failure, no matter how  irrelevant or correctable, is enough to justify violent domination, murder, and war. Gd told Cain that he could win acceptance with effort and improvement. Cain chose to win by murdering the competitor. The basis of the battle did not matter. Cain had decided on the solution, any problem would suffice. 

This trajectory of sacrificial rite leading to tragic death is the arc of the book of Vayikra ( Leviticus). After outlining some details ,  the climax of Vayikra  is the death of Nadav and Avihu. The Gd-prescribed sacrificial rite is dangerous. Deviation from the prescription can be fatal. The mortal risk associated with error in the performance adds to the significance  of these mysteries. The stakes are high. Proper performance can win Divine approval and the benefits that brings. Malpractice can be fatal. 

This week we recite a special hatorah: Zachor - remember.  After reading the passage  in  that commands us to  recall the Amalek sneak attack, the haftorah discusses Saul's distorted attempt  to carry out the commandment to wipe out Amalek, including their (boycotted) sheep and cattle . When he returns, victorious, from battle, the prophet Samuel asks: 

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁמוּאֵ֔ל וּמֶ֛ה קֽוֹל־הַצֹּ֥אן הַזֶּ֖ה בְּאׇזְנָ֑י וְק֣וֹל הַבָּקָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י שֹׁמֵֽעַ׃ 

“Then what,”  said Samuel, “is this bleating of sheep in my ears, and the lowing of oxen that I hear?”

Why were the assets spared? 

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שָׁא֜וּל מֵעֲמָלֵקִ֣י הֱבִיא֗וּם אֲשֶׁ֨ר חָמַ֤ל הָעָם֙ עַל־מֵיטַ֤ב הַצֹּאן֙ וְהַבָּקָ֔ר לְמַ֥עַן זְבֹ֖חַ לַי

Saul answered, “They were brought from the Amalekites, for the troops spared the choicest of the sheep and oxen for sacrificing to the LORD your God. And we proscribed the rest.”

 Those troops wanted the booty for an offering. The sheep and oxen would not be taken for personal gain, they would not be shorn and or worked or eaten; they would be presented to the glory of Gd and the sanctuary. This was a violation of the instructions. Gd had not commanded that the cattle be offered, the utilization of the loot in this way could, perhaps should, be construed as deriving a benefit from it, and thus forbidden. The troops had  made it up, and king Saul validated it.  That was a mistake that required regime change. 

The second half of the parsha deals with offerings brought for error and sin. Remembering  a forgotten sin or error  is mentioned as an occasion for the offering.  The repressed memory emerges. Study reveals that an action taken long ago was forbidden. A decision has played out, and the consequences now cause regret. The past cannot be undone, but the remorse can be marked as part of  a change in direction. 

הֲל֤וֹא אִם־תֵּיטִיב֙ שְׂאֵ֔ת וְאִם֙ לֹ֣א תֵיטִ֔יב לַפֶּ֖תַח חַטָּ֣את רֹבֵ֑ץ וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּמְשׇׁל־בּֽוֹ׃ 

^*Meaning of verse uncertain.

Surely, if you do right,
There is uplift.
But if you do not do right
Sin couches at the door;
Its urge is toward you,
Yet you can be its master.”

The sacrificial rite was dangerous, easily abused and misdirected. Now we must find new ways to redirect, understanding that even the prescribed methods often contained error.