Parshas Vayikra: Mercy is the Greatest Attribute of Heaven

Our Torah reading this week, Parshas Vayikra: (Leviticus) 1:1 - 5:26, begins the third book of the Torah, Leviticus, known for its enumerated laws of daily living. These opening chapters cover the five types of sacrifices offered to Almighty God in the temple. The rules get complicated quickly, so it's easy to get distracted by the details and forget their meaning.

God creates human beings with a capacity to feel and express gratitude for His gifts and mercies. He also builds into us a tendency for error and ignorance, so providing for atonement and forgiveness before listing all the laws shows our Heavenly Father's merciful nature and deep love for His children.

Our Haftarah portion this week is Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 43:21 - 44:23. During his lifetime, Isaiah witnesses an evolution within Judah, starting as a nation outwardly respectful of God's law but allowing the growth of paganism. Next, a shift to the madness of outright national defiance of God's law. Finally, an attempt to return to a God centered nation to save the country from total collapse and invasion. In our portion this week, Isaiah remonstrates against King Ahaz, who builds false idols inside the temple and replaces animal sacrifice with child sacrifice. An extremely dire situation, Isaiah pleads with the Jews to recognize their folly and to sincerely seek God's atonement for their wayward choices. In those times, forgiveness is just an animal sacrifice away.

Torah imposes guilt when a person or community knows of their offense or, if ignorant of their mistake, upon learning of their offense. Guilt is also imposed upon a person who fails to point out the offense. During times in Jewish history when a temple stands, after the offense is acknowledged or proven, animal sacrifices are offered as a way to atone. These animal sacrifices represent offerings to God of our 'animal soul,' that part of our instinctive nature that exceeds its intended use and so causes harm to others and ourselves and offends the Creator. Today, we sacrifice our 'animal soul' to God through sincere prayers of repentance.

We live in a time when we have neither a temple in which to offer animal sacrifices to atone for the personal and community madness of idol worship, nor consensus about what is madness. Many people are confused, defensive and wounded. They are not open to learning about moral objectivity or personal and community responsibility when it comes to child sacrifice and other offenses against man and God.

No matter these challenges, people who understand the reality and consequences of madness are obligated to enlighten others through persuasion, education, information, morally centered religion, and example. These activities have two important results. One, they absolve the educator from a guilt imposed for remaining silent. Two, they provide other people chances for restoring understanding and sanity so they can atone for their guilt and receive forgiveness from others and from God. On a personal level, this transformation brings much peace to troubled souls. At a national level, a return to a God centered nation brings sure peace, protection, and prosperity from Heaven. In these times, forgiveness is just a sincere prayer for repentance away.

Please share this post on your social media to amplify our message in this troubled world. Thank you.

Cecily Routman

May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and good life upon us and upon all Israel. Amen.

Cecily Routman is the founder and president of the Jewish Pro-Life Foundation. She opposes abortion homicide in general and among Jews in particular and laments secular policy making in Israel that results in loss of Jewish life and delays the messianic redemption. She envisions a Torah based holy Land of Israel and a world that respects the life of every human being from conception.

The Greatest Attribute of Heaven is Mercy. Francis Beaumont.