You Stopped Calling

Shabbat Shalom, beloved.

Today we are learning from Parashat Vayikra. And He called. Leviticus chapter one.

We just finished the Book of Identity — Shemot, where Hashem revealed Himself, redeemed Israel, and formed them as His people. Now we are entering Vayikra, which teaches what it means to be called. To live a life of holiness.

The Little Aleph

In a Torah scroll, the first word of Vayikra contains a textual anomaly that has been passed down for thousands of years. The aleph at the end of Vayikra is written smaller than the rest of the letters. These scribal traditions call us to pause and dig deeper.

Balaam encountered G-d — but Balaam never let G-d define his identity. Moses was called. That one small letter is the difference between a chance encounter and a personal, relational calling.

In 1 Samuel 3:4, little Samuel is asleep near the ark and Vayikra — Adonai called to Samuel and he replied Hineni, here I am. The same intentional calling. And Isaiah 43:1: "I have called you by your name. You are mine."

That little aleph tells us Moses's identity comes from G-d. When we are called, our identity too must come from G-d. That small letter turns encounters into relationship.

The Prophet's Voice

I recently had a conversation with someone who expressed the idea that what we need — the solution to the drifting, to the difficulty the community has with committing to prayer, to walking in holiness, to the general lack of interest in pursuing G-d — would be solved if watchmen would stand up. If there were prophets here today, maybe Israel could do better.

My response: what good would it do? We don't listen to the prophets we already have. Israel's issues now are the same issues Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Amos wrote about.

If we expect prophets in our midst, we need to begin training ourselves to listen to their words. To set aside doctrine. To train our ears to hear the heart of G-d spoken through them.

That is not the calling of prophets alone. It is what all of Israel is called to be.

Isaiah 43 — The Indictment

The haftarah portions came into existence because there was a time when speaking words of Torah was outlawed under penalty of death. These divinely inspired passages were studied instead, because they teach the heart of the Torah portion. The haftarah for Vayikra is Isaiah 43:21–44:23. But let us start at the beginning of chapter 43, and listen for G-d's heart.

Stop there. G-d just said: I formed this people to proclaim my praise. Now watch what He says they actually did.

Full stop. Everything before this was promise and identity. Now comes the indictment. Do not rush past this verse.

G-d is inviting Israel to make their defense. The tone is not rage. It is almost compassionate — He is giving them room to respond. Then chapter 44 turns back toward restoration:

Who are the ones in verse 5 claiming Jacob's name and writing Adonai's name on their hand? Sit with that question.

Korban — Not Sacrifice

After all that — the golden calf, the idolatry, the rebellion, the growing weary of G-d — He calls again. And says: tell the people, when you bring your offering to Me, this is how you do it. This is the order. This is the structure. This is how you draw near to Me without dying.

That is what Israel seems to be afraid of. The fear that being too close to G-d is dangerous. That if we let Him close, without an intermediary between us and Him, something will go wrong.

But notice what Vayikra 1:2 actually says:

Speak to the Israelites and say to them: when a person from among you brings near a korban to Adonai…

Leviticus 1:2

Not a sacrifice. A korban.

In English, sacrifice is a loss — giving something up to gain a better position. Often thought of as appeasement. But korban comes from the root karav: to come near, to draw close, to approach, to bring near. It is the same root used when Judah draws near to Joseph in Egypt.

A korban is not a payment. It is the process of drawing near. The entire book of Vayikra is a blueprint for holiness, for being in relationship with the Creator of the universe. The korbanot are not there to appease an angry deity or feed a hungry god — that is what the pagans thought. They are a pathway for drawing near, in relationship.

There is no korban for intentional rebellion. G-d makes that clear through Isaiah: the only way back from deliberate sin is teshuvah — complete return, putting away the rebellion, and coming home.

This is also why Passover matters so much. The seder and the haggadah are not merely traditions. They are witness work. We tell the story of how Adonai redeemed us from Egypt so that our children know who He is, what He has done, and who they are called to be. Israel was formed to proclaim His praise. When we stop telling, stop calling, stop witnessing, we forget why we were formed.

How Do I Draw Near Without a Temple?

One question remains. The Temple is gone. There is no altar to bring a korban. How does a person draw near today?

We have Daniel as our example. In exile, with the Temple destroyed, he prayed three times a day toward the place where G-d placed His name. He prayed in a liturgical, structured manner — in relationship to the daily offerings. He followed the word of Hosea:

O Israel, return to Adonai your Elohim, for you have fallen because of your rebellion. Take with you words and return to Adonai; say to Him: Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, so will we sacrifice the bulls of our lips… for in You the fatherless find mercy.

Hosea 14:1–3

The bulls of our lips. In exile, the korban becomes the words of our mouth. Confession. Praise. Honest prayer. Structured, intentional drawing near.

And G-d answers Hosea directly:

I will heal their backsliding. I will love them freely, for my anger is turned away from him.

Hosea 14:4

Even after our personal golden calves. Even after we grow weary and stop calling. He still calls. He still says: draw near. Return. There is still a path to come close.

We have taken quite a journey: from the little aleph of Vayikra, to the prophet's voice, to Isaiah's indictment, to the korbanot, to Daniel in exile. But the message is simple. G-d called. Israel grew weary. And still He made a way to draw near.

What will you do to draw near to G-d this week?