Journey into the Soul of the Weekly Torah Portion
The Book of Leviticus: A 7 Part Journey
Fulfillment does not come by finding ourselves.
The Torah teaches that, counterintuitively,
we achieve completeness by losing ourselves
in the process of living a purpose-driven life.
The Book of Leviticus seems full of arcane instructions
about the construction and service of the Temple.
But hidden within the ancient verses are poignant lessons
for the life-long task of building one’s personal temple. |
| Vayikra: Perfect Closeness |
| It’s a given fact of life that the exhilaration and joy of success and victory is always the product of strenuous effort, steady determination, and no small amount of discomfort, even pain. Whether one is seeking success in one’s studies, in one’s career or in one’s relationships, it is inevitable that there are going to be painful struggles in order to enjoy the sweetness of a reward that has been honestly earned. This is as true for spiritual goals as it is for material ones. In this week’s class we will show how the sacrifices commanded in this week’s parsha required the most painful struggles of all — the surrender of the ego, the admission of guilt, the acknowledgment of our shortcomings, and the mindfulness that our self-centeredness has distanced us from our loving Creator and from our own true happiness. But like all other struggles, the more perfectly broken the spirit is, the more perfect will be our closeness to HaShem and the feelings of earned joy and inner peace that follows. |
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| Tzav: The Perfect Thanksgiving |
| To many, Thanksgiving is a traditional North American holiday, celebrated annually on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Judaism, Thanksgiving is observed every day of the year. It’s something we live with continuously, and celebrate daily, weekly and on special occasions through specific prayers, commandments and customs that emphasize our gratitude to HaShem for all that we have been blessed with. In this week’s parsha we learn that one important means by which we offered our thanks to HaShem was the Todah (thanks) offering, which was brought to mark one’s survivial from a life-threatening situation. In today’s class we will examine the details of the Todah offering to gain insight into the process and actions through which we continuously experience and express our gratitude to G-d. |
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| Shemini: The Kindest Cut of All |
| A fundamental principle of Chassidic thought is that every element of creation has its own unique soul— which is to say that every being and creature has its unique Divine purpose in life. By learning Torah and following its commands, the Jewish people has the unique opportunity and responsibility to enable every species to fulfill its own individual purpose. While much of this week’s parshah defines the animals, fish and fowl that are permitted or forbidden to eat; our parshah also touches upon the important and complex laws of Shechita, the Torah-mandated method for slaughtering animals and fowl. In this week’s class we’ll take an in-depth look into Shechita, and see how its observance enables us to both elevate the animal itself, as well as to refine the animal soul that exists within each of us. |
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| Tazria-Metzora: Brit Milah-The Essence of Judaism |
| One of the most celebrated and universally observed mitzvot in Judaism is the brit milah, the circumcision. It results in the entry of the soul into the body of the infant boy, and symbolizes the entry of the child into the Jewish nation. Yet it is somewhat of a paradox that this greatest of mitzvot is done to a child who is simply too young to appreciate it. This baby boy only feels the pain, but experiences none of the gain. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to celebrate the brit at his Bar Mitzvah when he has the ability to begin to understand this amazing connection? In today’s class we will study the mitzvah of brit milah in depth, and see how the very lack of intention and awareness on the part of the infant creates a truly unbreakable bond between the soul and its Creator. |
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| Acharei-Kedoshim: Looking Upward, Downward & Forward |
| There is one day a year that practically every Jew is aware of: Yom Kippur. Most Jews make the effort to be in synagogue for at least part of the day, and fast, pray and reinvigorate their spiritual energy for the coming year. Much of the prayer service on Yom Kippur recalls the Temple service on this day, and many of the day’s instructions for the High Priest appear in this week’s Torah portion. But the parsha concludes with a seemingly unrelated topic — the dos and don’ts of our most intimate relationships, and refers to some of mankind’s lowliest behaviors. In this week’s class we will learn how these subjects are not contradictory, but compliment each other. Their juxtaposition is fully in keeping with the Torah’s objective of having us be mindful every day of the year of the spiritual heights that we should aspire to, the aspects of the material world that we can elevate, as well as the mundane depths of human behavior that we must avoid descending to. |
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| Emor: The Ultimate Sacrifice |
| We often hear or read about extraordinary acts of Kiddush Hashem, which are usually connected with martyrdom in times of trouble and persecution—the many, many times throughout our history when our people have given up their lives to rather than desecrate their faith, or have died to defend the lives or the faith of their fellow Jews. But Judaism’s primary focus is on life, not on death. Thus we will see in this week’s lesson that the Torah provides a broad definition of Kiddush Hashem to include life-affirming, extraordinary acts that demonstrate HaShem’s sovereignty over the world and over the individual Jew. By reaching into the deepest point of our souls, each of us can draw fresh, daily inspiration that will take us through hard times and keep us growing even in best of times through everyday acts of Kiddush HaShem. |
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| Behar-Bechukotai: Tough Love |
| To many people, the admonitions and curses from HaShem that appear in the Torah are downright frightening. Others are perplexed by how a loving G-d could be involved in curses and punishment. But the truth of the matter is that they are nothing other than an expression of HaShem’s fatherly love, caring and compassion. While most children despise punishment, they eventually come to understand and value parental discipline. HaShem’s discipline also takes maturity and wisdom to fully appreciate. Today’s class will focus on three aspects of HaShem’s caring that are conveyed through His blessings and curses, and show how they are there to help us to make conscious and correct choices, and how they clearly mark the best and only true pathway through life. |
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