Parashat Vayikra — And He called

וַיִּקְרָא

Torah portion 24 of 54 · Book of Leviticus · pronounced vah-yeek-RAH

Vayikra (וַיִּקְרָא) means "and He called" — taken, as every parashah name is, from the portion's opening words in the Hebrew.

Next read: March 20, 2027 · then April 1, 2028

The Readings

What Happens in Vayikra

Vayikra el Moshe — and He called to Moshe. The glory that filled the mishkan at the end of Exodus now speaks from within it, and the first word is a call, not a command; tradition notes the small alef in vayikra and hears in it the humility of the one called. YHVH speaks from the tent of meeting the torah of the korbanot — the offerings whose very name comes from karov, to draw near. Leviticus is not a manual for appeasing an angry deity; it is the protocol of approach for a people with God dwelling in their midst: when any man of you brings an offering to YHVH.

The freewill offerings come first. The olah, the ascent or burnt offering, is wholly consumed on the altar — nothing eaten, everything ascending in smoke as a soothing aroma — and it may be brought from the herd, from the flock, or, for the poor, from turtledoves or pigeons: the door of drawing near is priced for every hand. The worshiper lays his hand on the head of the offering, and it is accepted for him to make atonement for him — identification and substitution in a single gesture. The minchah, the grain offering of fine flour with oil and frankincense, may come baked, griddled, or pan-fried; never with leaven or honey on the altar, and never without salt — the salt of the covenant of your God, incorruptible and preserving. The shelamim, the peace or fellowship offering, is shared: the fat to the altar, portions to the priests, and the rest eaten by the worshiper — a covenant meal in the presence of God, with the standing rule that all fat and all blood belong to YHVH alone.

Then the offerings for failure. The chatat, the sin offering, deals with unintentional sin — sin committed in error, through wandering — and it is carefully graded by office and means: a bull for the anointed priest, a bull for the whole congregation, a male goat for a ruler, a female goat or lamb for a commoner, and for the poor, two birds or even a measure of fine flour. Sin's weight does not depend on knowing better at the time: when his sin is made known to him, he shall bring his offering. Blood is applied to the horns of the altar, and it shall be forgiven him. The asham, the guilt offering, covers trespass in the holy things and wrongs against a neighbor — deposits denied, things stolen or extorted, lost property lied about — and here the Torah welds worship to ethics: before the sacrifice comes restitution in full plus a fifth, paid to the wronged party. The pattern beneath it all is fixed: sin costs a life, the blood of a substitute makes atonement, and the honest and repentant — of every rank and any income — can draw near again.

Main Themes

Korban — drawing near to a holy God Atonement through the blood of a substitute Offerings scaled so no one is too poor to come Sin's weight even when unintentional Restitution joined to repentance

Key Events

· YHVH calls from the tent of meeting

· The olah — the whole burnt offering

· The minchah — the grain offering

· The shelamim — the peace offering

· The chatat — sin offerings for every rank

· The asham — guilt offerings and restitution

Key People

Moshe Aharon and his sons The one who draws near

Key Verses

← Parashat Pekudei  ·  Parashat Tzav →

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