Our Torah portion begins with the following words:
“God spoke to Moses, saying: Command Aaron and his sons thus: This is the ritual of the burnt offering…” (Leviticus 6:1-2a.) In Hebrew the final phrase is, “Zot Torat HaOlah.” Is there a word in this phrase that sounds familiar to you? “Torat?” What does the word “Torat” sound like? Torah! Yes, “Torat” is a different grammatical form for the word Torah, and both of them have the same root letters of Yod-Resh-Hey, which means, simultaneously “‘to cast, shoot’ (as in, an arrow) or ‘to aim, direct toward’ or ‘to show the way, instruct.[1]’” That is why the word “Torat” in Lev 6:2 can be translated as, “these are the instructions of how to perform a burnt offering…” and why we call the first five books of our sacred writings, the Torah, “The Instructions” or “The Aim.”
May of us have probably never thought about how we should translate the word “Torah.” Torah means Torah! But today’s parasha gives us an excellent opportunity to delve a little deeper and understand that Torah means “to aim” or “to show the way” or “instruct.” This week we see quite clearly the instructions of exactly how the sacrifices in the Temple were to be performed, in the imagination of the writers of the book of Leviticus.
This section of the book of Leviticus contains the following phrases over and over again: “This is the ritual of the burnt offering,” “this is the ritual of the grain offering,” and the words “this is the ritual…” can also be translated as “these are the instructions (on how to perform) the burnt offering…” “Burnt offering, grain offering, purification offering, reparation offering, the offering of ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being.[2]” What does all of this talk of sacrifices have to do with us today? We do not believe in animal sacrifice!
The Rabbis of the Talmud also asked this question. Living a few hundred years after the destruction of The Temple in Jerusalem and thus the destruction of the ancient Israelite way of life, they honed in on the word “Torat.” In the Babylonian Talmud[3], the Rabbis explain, “In our day, the study of Torah takes the place of bringing animal offerings.” In this way, and in many other creative interpretations of the words of Torah, the Rabbis enshrined the study of Torah, or the study of holy texts, in our religious and cultural imagination. I grew up with an understanding that getting a good education, studying hard, and doing well in school was my central responsibility as a child in my family. I imagine that many of you received the same messages in your families of origin. And, I dearly love my identity as “smart.”
However, over my six-year journey in rabbinical school, I have come to understand that the Hebrew words of Leviticus 6:2 can also be translated as, “the aim of the offering is to get us to a higher place, spiritually.” Verse 6 can be translated as, “Fire always shall be kept burning on the altar; it shall not go out.[4]” Contained within all of the instructions in this week’s parasha is an injunction to do the spiritual work in life to “keep the flame burning that is inside of our hearts.[5]” What does this devotional practice look like? Perhaps you love singing, swimming, or yoga? Perhaps you take a moment each morning to drink a warm cup of coffee and watch the birds outside of your kitchen window? Perhaps you read a novel before you go to sleep each night. These practice help center us, and keep our flames burning, so that we can not only “face” each day but see beauty and meaning in our own lives and help create sparkling interactions with those around us. My blessing for you this Shabbat is that you remember, and do, those practices that help you keep your flame alive. Shabbat Shalom.
[1] Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary. The Rabbinical Assembly, The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism: 2001, p613.
[2] Leviticus 7:37
[3] Babylonian Talmud, Masecht Menachot 110a.
[4] Chant and translation by Rabbi Shefa Gold http://www.rabbishefagold.com/fire-on-altar-aish-tamid/
[5] Rabbi Shefa Gold, The Magic of Hebrew Chant, p172.