Vayikra (parsha)

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Vayikra, VaYikra, Va-yikra, or Vayyiqra (ויקרא – Hebrew for "and He called,” the first word in the parshah) is the 24th weekly parshah or portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 1.1–5:26. Jews in the Diaspora read it the 23rd or 24th Sabbath after Simchat Torah, generally in March or early April.

1 Summary
2 Commandments
3 Haftarah
4 Further reading
5 External links

[edit] Summary

God called to Moses from the Tabernacle and told him the laws of the sacrifices (korbanot). (Lev. 1:1.)

Burnt offerings ('olah) could be bulls, rams or male goats, or turtle doves or pigeons, which the priest burned completely on wood on the altar. (Lev. 1:3–17.)
Meal offerings (minchah) were of choice flour with oil, from which priest would remove a token portion to burn on the altar, and the remainder the priests could eat. (Lev. 2:1–10.) Meal offerings could not contain leaven or honey, and had to be seasoned with salt. (Lev. 2:11–13.) Meal offerings of first fruits had to be new ears parched with fire, grits of the fresh grain. (Lev. 2:14.)
Sacrifices of well-being (shelamim) could be male or a female cattle, sheep, or goats, from which the priest would dash the blood on the sides of the altar and burn the fat around the entrails, the kidneys, and the protuberance on the liver on the altar. (Lev. 3:1–16.)
Sin offerings (chattat) for unwitting sin by the High Priest or the community required sacrificing a bull, sprinkling its blood in the Tent of Meeting, burning on the altar the fat around the entrails, the kidneys, and the protuberance on the liver, and burning the rest of the bull on an ash heap outside the camp. (Lev. 4:1–21.) Guilt offerings for unwitting sin by a chieftain required sacrificing a male goat, putting some of its blood on the horns of the altar, and burning its fat. (Lev. 4:22–26.) Guilt offerings for unwitting sin by a lay person required sacrificing a female goat, putting some of its blood on the horns of the altar, and burning its fat. (Lev. 4:27–31.)
Sin offerings were required for cases when a person:
- was able to testify but did not give information,
- touched any unclean thing,
- touched human uncleanness, or
- uttered an oath and forgot. (Lev. 5:1–4.)

In such cases, the person had to confess and sacrifice a female sheep or goat; or if he could not afford a sheep, two turtledoves or two pigeons; or if he could not afford the birds, choice flour without oil. (Lev. 5:5–13.)

Guilt offerings ('asham) were required when a person was unwittingly remiss about any sacred thing. (Lev. 5:14–15.) In such cases, the person had to sacrifice a ram and make restitution plus 20 percent to the priest. (Lev. 5:16.) Similarly, guilt offerings were required when a person dealt deceitfully in the matter of a deposit or a pledge, through robbery, by fraud, or by finding something lost and lying about it. (Lev. 5:20–22.) In such cases, the person had to sacrifice a ram and make restitution plus 20 percent to the victim. (Lev. 5:22–26.)

[edit] Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are 11 positive and 5 negative commandments in the parshah:

To carry out the procedure of the burnt offering as prescribed in the Torah Lev. 1:3
To bring meal offerings as prescribed in the Torah Lev. 2:1
Not to burn honey or yeast on the altar Lev. 2:11
Not to omit the salt from sacrifices Lev. 2:13
To salt all sacrifices Lev. 2:13
The Sanhedrin must bring an offering when it rules in error Lev. 4:13
To bring a sin offering for transgression Lev. 4:27
Anybody who knows evidence must testify in court Lev. 5:1
To bring an offering of greater or lesser value (if the person is wealthy, an animal; if poor, a bird or meal offering) Lev. 5:7-11
Not to decapitate a fowl brought as a sin offering Lev. 5:8
Not to put oil on the meal offerings of wrongdoers Lev. 5:11
Not to put frankincense on meal offerings Num. 5:15
One who profaned property must repay what he profaned plus a fifth and bring a sacrifice Lev. 5:16
Bring an offering when uncertain of guilt Lev. 5:17-18
Return the robbed object or its value Lev. 5:23
Bring an offering when guilt is certain Lev. 5:25

[edit] Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is Isaiah 43:21–44:23.

When the parshah coincides with Shabbat Zachor (as it does in 2008), the haftarah is 1 Samuel 15:2–34

[edit] Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these classical sources:

Mishnah: Berakhot 1:1; Shekalim 6:6; Sanhedrin 4:5; Shevuot 2:5, 3:5–11, 4:13, 5:1; Horayot 1:1–2:7, 3:3; Zevachim 4:3–4, 6:5, 9:5, 10:4, 12:5; Menachot 5:1–6:1, 9:7, 10:4, 13:11; Chullin 1:4, 7:1; Arakhin 5:6; Keritot 1:2, 2:4, 4:3, 6:6–9; Parah 1:4.
Sifra 1:1–69:1.
Leviticus Rabbah 1:1–6:6.
Zohar 3:2a–26a.