The Onion of Vayikra and Lessons From Torah Doodles

Leann Shamash
Mar 17
3 min read

#vayikra #parshatvayikra #leviticus #thelawsofthekohanim #sacrifice #ididntnotice #didntpayattention #whatwedontnotice #easiertoignore

Hello Everyone,

No poem this week; just a few observations. I hope they resonate with you as we begin the middle book of the Torah, Sefer Vayikra.

OBSERVATION ONE

Each week for the past 2 1/2 years, a small group of us have studied the parsha together online. I present themes from the parsha and things that I am curious about, and the participants create quick sketches. We learn, we sketch and we discuss, which is a great way to learn Torah and create community.

This week, when preparing for our class, I realized that in all that time we have met to learn, draw and discuss (this is our third time around!) we have never once spoken about the topic of sacrifices (Korbanot). We have waltzed around it, created art around its concepts, but we have spent zero time discussing this topic, which encompasses the important middle book of the Torah, Torat Kohanim, the Torah of the Priests.

It was so easy to skip, especially when there are so many other topics to address. The topic of sacrifice appears frequently in the text, beginning with the sacrifices of Cain and Abel. Noach sacrifices, as do the Avot, and now there is an entire book devoted to it.

So why have I completely avoided talking about sacrifice? Because it is an ancient and bloody rite which makes me uncomfortable? Because it is no longer practiced? Or maybe because it is a book that is outwardly (not inwardly) boring? Maybe one of these, or maybe none of these reasons would be enough of an answer.

In our class we try to live the theme of the parsha each week. Korbanot are not the only things that we avoid thinking about and just pass by without paying much attention. Perhaps it is the long laundry list of things to get done in the yard or the house. Perhaps it is the news cycle which swirls around us like a bad storm. Perhaps there are issues regarding community affairs or family affairs that bring us discomfort so we walk around them, rather than confronting them.

Perhaps this is the week to pay attention to one of those issues. Tiptoe a little closer. Pay attention. Take some small action, all in the spirit of Parshat Vayikra.

OBSERVATION TWO- THE ONION OF PARSHAT VAYIKRA

This one is a little different. I've used the onion as my example, but I'm sure that you can think of something better.

What is the Onion of Parshat Vayikra? Well, picture making a soup or a stew. What do we always start with? Onions, of course. We peel them and they make us cry, we chop them up, saute' them and add them to the soup. Slowly, as we cook the soup, the onions are no longer prominent, but their essence remains. The onions give flavor to the soup. Their richness is evident in the savory smell of the soup and its hearty taste.

Yeah onions!!!!! Your essence is found in so many remarkable dishes.

So it is with sacrifice. We no longer are involved with the many detailed sacrifices. Long ago they disappeared from Judaism, to be replaced with prayer. If you look, however, you will find the essence of the idea of sacrifice throughout the siddur. You'll find the essence of sacrifice in the Amida, in the Shacharit service, in Musaf and in the Mincha service. The essence of the most ancient form our religion still lives on in the words that we recite on a daily basis.

And that, my friends, is the onion of Parshat Vayikra.

The essence lives on.

Perhaps you can leave this page thinking about another essence that lives on long after it loses its original form. I am sure that you can do better than an onion!

What's your idea?

Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom.

With a smile and a tear because I have been cutting onions,

Leann