Vayikra
Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26
God calls to Moses from the Tent of Meeting and lays out the laws of the voluntary offerings: the burnt offering (olah), the meal offering (minchah), the peace offering (shelamim), the sin offering (chatat), and the guilt offering (asham). Each offering addresses a different dimension of the human relationship with God — from total devotion to atonement for inadvertent wrongs. The parasha establishes that approaching God requires intentionality, humility, and the willingness to give of oneself.
Key figures
- Moses — Receives the laws of offerings from God in the Tent of Meeting
- God — Calls to Moses and instructs him in the sacrificial system
- Aaron and his sons — Designated priests who will perform the offerings on the altar
Famous verses
- 1:1 And Hashem called to Moses, and spoke to him out of the tent of meeting, saying:
- 2:13 And every meal-offering of yours you shall season with salt; neither shall you cause the salt of the covenant of your God to cease from your meal-offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
- 5:1 And if any one sin, in that he hears the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he has seen or known, if he does not utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity;
Haftarah: {'ref': 'Isaiah 43:21-44:23', 'connection': "Isaiah rebukes Israel for failing to bring offerings to God, contrasting the sacrificial devotion outlined in Vayikra with Israel's neglect of worship."}
Total gematria: 406,022.