Book of Vayikra
By the famed Kabbalist, Rabbi Haim Cohen, of blessed memory, and Rabbi Reuven Sasson. {Image by The Temple Institute, Jerusalem]
The Elevation of the Whole
We stand before a new book, Vayikra, the service of the offerings, the work in the Holy Temple. A book whose essence is contained in its first word: “And He called,” telling us that the Holy One, blessed be He, calls to us and awakens us to draw near and to cleave to Him (from the Hebrew term for “korban” which has the root word “karev” which means to bring close). The foundation of all our cleaving to Hashem is that the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the offerings (korbanot) – the work of getting close to Him (hitk’ravut) – via the offerings we bring before Him, drawing near and uniting ourselves with Him. By this wondrous and transcendental service the unique power of the Israelite Nation is revealed, in our combining within us all facets of existence. This is not a type of worship where the worshipper seeks to separate from the world. Rather, the opposite. We incorporate and unify all parts of our being with all spheres of existence in our desire to cleave to our beloved Father in Heaven, the Creator of all things.
“If any man of you bring an offering to the Lord, of the cattle you shall bring your offering, of the herd, and of the flock” (Vayikra 1:2). The coming close to Hashem is so lofty and uplifting, yet the person arises to this supremely elevated state with his beast, with the baser animal powers of life, with all aspects of the Creation, with the inanimate world of water used in libations, species of the plant world used in the mincha sacrifice, and animal offerings. All of these together unify in the spirit of the man who brings his sacrifice, together with his inner essence, as it says: “If any of you bring an offering to the Lord,” the offering is himself (“mechem”) – “of you” – his spirit, and his soul, in order to unify his innermost self with the Divine, to cancel, amidst a passionate love, all of his personal being before the Creator, may He be blessed. And behold, with this spiritual ascension the worshipper of Hashem succeeds to attain the true purpose and task of his life – to upraise all aspects of his being and all of the fragmented elements of existence to their exalted Source, to the Creator, Blessed be He. “Of the cattle you shall bring your offering, of the herd, and of the flock.”
The goal of the unification with the exalted levels of the Divine is not given only to a person – it doesn’t come to ignore all other elements of existence and separate man from the world. Rather the Jew’s drawing-near (hitk’ravut) to Hashem includes a recognition of the deep responsibility he bears for all aspects of Creation, and for all the creations of the Holy One Blessed be He, to uplift everything. The spirit of Israel does not resemble the lowliness and degradation of Christianity which separated from the world and abandoned its rectification. The spirit of Israel understands the true depth of existence; it knows the mighty elevation of Hashem and that nothing else has eternal existence and sovereignty but Him. It knows that every detail of all the worlds – everything is attached to His light, and that in the future, everything, the spiritual and the material, will be sanctified, radiating with an exalted level of holiness. The spirit of Israel gazes upon the inner dimensions of life and recognizes and fully knows that everything in the world must be drawn close to the ultimate Source, for the light of Hashem is the soul of existence, and all of the worlds are like one complete body which houses within it the awesome soul of the universe, the holy Shechinah. There is nothing in the world that is not bound and belonging to the Divine Presence, and everything must ascend.
The spiritual vision of Israel is mighty, not only its returning in repentance and the drawing-near of all Israel to Hashem, may He be blessed, and not only the rectification of the peoples and the nations – all of them in attaching to the holiness of Hashem, along with the rectification of their characters and their deeds – but also the rectification of the animal world, the beasts of the field, the plant domain, and the inanimate. This is the mighty tidings of the Holy of Holies of Israel, the inner sanctuary that expresses and embodies the vision and the mighty dream of Am Yisrael, the dream of a rectified world without evil and without immorality, without falsehood and without war, without injustice and corruption. “They shall not do evil and they shall not destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of knowledge of Hashem as waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
Thus, we open a new book, a book full of longing, a book of yearning and prayer to Hashem: “When I remember these things I pour out my soul within me, for I would pass on with the throng leading them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a multitude keeping holiday. Why are you bowed down, O my soul, and why do you moan within me? Hope to God, for I shall yet praise Him for the salvations of His countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me because I remember You from the land of Jordan and the hills of Hermon from Mount Mitzar. Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your rushing streams” (Tehillim 42:5–8). These are the verses of longing of King David, in his yearning for the Holy Temples, for the rejoicing of the Water-Drawing, for the libation of the water and the wine in the house of Hashem with the voice of song and thanksgiving, a multitude celebrating.
This exalted book of Vayikra opens with a mighty tidings, the tidings of the rectification of all the worlds altogether. Not only the rectification of Israel and their return in repentance, and not only the rectification of all humanity, but even the rectification of all lower creatures and creations. Everything shall be elevated, everything shall be rectified, everything shall be unified. No more broken vessels, no more sparks separated from their source, no more shell covering over the broken pieces of existence, shattered and darkened, but rather light and joy and gladness and honor, eternal blessing, abundance of generosity from Above, the treasure of the good oil, the effulgence of the Holy of Holies illuminating its ancient light from the height of the upper dew, it shall open and overflow upon all the worlds. Everyone and everything together shall sing a new song to our God, in the house of our life and our glory which shall be built speedily in our days, amen and amen.
The Arizal on the Offerings.
This matter of the offerings is clarified by the holy Ari who wrote that there are two aspects of the service of the sacrifices. Firstly the person bringing his offering literally unites with the animal or other offering he brings, literally merging with the Creation. When bringing an offering from the cattle it is as if the animal soul of the person represents the entire animal world. In effect, the korbon (from the root word “karev” meaning bringing closer) works to rectify the root all aspects of animal life and animal-like characteristics in mankind, along with his own animal soul. For they all share the same source. The same is true for all the various type of korbonot, such as the inanimate and the vegetable which also contain the negative elements of the realms of evil and corruption which resulted from the man’s fall in the Garden of Eden. Thus an offering is needed to rectify them as well, such as the water libations and mincha (grain) offerings and sprinkling of salt. Thusly, all of the powers and elements in the world are included together in the offering, and all are rectified in their Heavenly source (Ta’amei HaMitzvot, Torah portion Vayikra).
[Excerpted from the series of books “Talilei Chaim,” volume on the Book of Vayikra, based on the Hebrew shiurim of Rabbi Chaim Cohen (“HaHalban) and recorded and written by Rabbi Reuven Sasson. Translation by Tzvi Fishman.]
