Vayikra (Leviticus 1:1–5:26) (וַיִּקְרָא ‎ — Hebrew for “and He called,”) is the first word in this week’s Torah Portion.

When you look out from within, the world in a very real sense revolves around you.

You see it, feel it, experience it, though your senses and your perspective. You can heighten specific senses to then perhaps experience something a little different, a little more enhanced or deeper, and you can significantly change your perspective and this can bring about huge and life-changing epiphanies. Yet it is still you and it is still a world that surrounds you.

But if you try to fly out (in your mind’s eye) beyond the atmosphere, beyond the moon, past the sun and the solar system, out of the Milky Way galaxy to view a trillion+ other galaxies, then from this perspective, you are now less than a dot, less than a grain of sand and less significant than a moon or planet or star. From this perspective, you may seem to be pointless and valueless.

Yet, the Creator of this vast Universe, created you.

He choose you, a totally unique person and placed you into this world at a specific time and place for a purpose. He wanted you here as He has a task for you. A task or tasks that you are uniquely qualified for. While it may be true that if you reject His purpose for your life, He is more than capable of finding another way to achieve His purposes.

But His hope really is in You!

Yehovah has called you. He has a task, a vocation for you. It could be a gift to give the world; a kindness to ease someone’s pain, a love to share that heals a broken life, or a smile to light a dark corner.

Discerning that task, hearing Vayikra, God’s call, is one of the great spiritual challenges for each of us.

For example, being a care-giver for a partner or parent or even parent-in-law with Alzheimer’s Disease is a modern day example of a sacrifice almost beyond reason, beyond rationale foresight. Yet many willingly take on this sacrifice.

Rabbi Sacks argues that “We are willing to make sacrifices when we feel they are part of the task we are called on to do.”

Obviously, if the family member with Alzheimers for example is very much loved, then it may seem very natural to take up the challenge of being a care-giver and sacrifice much of your own life for a season.

Whether the care-giver would see this as the task or role that Yehovah has called them to is another matter. Perhaps though, the lessons learned though this great challenge and sacrifice may prove crucial in future situations where the call may even be more vital.

The very nature of spiritual challenges and the natural changes over time in a persons life journey would seem to me to suggest that discernment and clarity of purpose is never easy and even when attained it may prove only temporary and fleeting.

 Rabbi Sacks also argues that “Where what we want to do meets what needs to be done, that is where God wants us to be.”. This certainly has a synergy about it and perhaps may resonate with your soul.

I think we all need to stop and take stock at times (this is actually one of the reasons that the Almighty gave us the gift of Shabbat!). So to seek this synergy and find our unique task and purpose, we may also need to refresh and replenish our soul.

And it also seems timely that once again Passover (Pesach) approaches, as this too is an ideal time for some soul-searching and seeking of your higher-calling.

Please see my article ‘Searching for the Soul’ for more on this: https://globaltruthinternational.com/2018/03/31/searching-for-the-soul/

This week’s Torah Portion, Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11–34:35) introduces an interesting question about anger, and about sin. Is anger always bad? Is it wrong and unhelpful or is it good when properly directed? 

Firstly, here is part of the Chabad’s ‘Torah Portion in a Nutshell’ summary:  

“When Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai, the people make a golden calf and worship it. G‑d proposes to destroy the errant nation, but Moses intercedes on their behalf. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the tablets of testimony engraved with the Ten Commandments; seeing the people dancing about their idol, he breaks the tablets, destroys the golden calf, and has the primary culprits put to death. He then returns to G‑d to say: “If You do not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” G‑d forgives, but says that the effect of their sin will be felt for many generations. At first G‑d proposes to send His angel along with them, but Moses insists that G‑d Himself accompany His people to the promised land. Moses prepares a new set of tablets and once more ascends the mountain, where G‑d reinscribes the covenant on these second tablets …” – from https://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2833/jewish/Ki-Tisa-in-a-Nutshell.htm  

As in every Portion, there is so much great insight and wisdom that can be drawn from these narratives. I would argue that the most significant event here is the giving (twice) of the Ten Commandments (the Ten Words). I have already addressed this a little in an earlier blog post, so for now I wish to consider Moshe’s anger. 

If you read Exodus Chapter 32 from the start you will note that God informed Moses that the people had made a golden calf. So Moses descends the mountain already knowing this and yet when he sees it with his own eyes he gets angry and throws down and smashes the Ten Commandments, the Instructions of God!

The most important instructions ever given to mankind are destroyed!!   

But Moses already knew about the sin of the golden calf, so why did he bring the Tablets down the mountain at all, and why did he still lose it and smash them in anger? 

Well notice that the verse states: “It happened as he drew near the camp, he saw the calf and the dances, and Moses became angry, he threw the tablets down from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain” (Ex 32:19). 

The new information here is that the people were dancing. Not only had they sinned in creating this idol to worship, but they were so lost in their sin that they were celebrating it, dancing around it and fully embracing it, perhaps to the point of not even noticing Moses.  So perhaps his anger and smashing of the very words of Yehovah was needed to open their eyes; for them to see him; to hear him and to have any chance of recognizing and repenting of their error.   

Moses anger was righteous anger, and his anger and corresponding actions (read on with horror) would have clearly stopped many in their tracks and lead them to recognize the gravity of their actions.  So we read: ^“The next day Moshe said to the people, “You have committed a terrible sin. Now I will go up to Yehovahi ; maybe I will be able to atone for your sin. …” – Exodus 32:30 

If many or most of the people had not recognized and repented of their sins, then it is most unlikely that Moses would have make this statement of intent and shared some hope that Yehovah might accept their repentance and have their sin atoned. (It seems that this concept is not well understood – please see my blog post on what atonement really means – https://globaltruthinternational.com/2020/06/20/atonement-covering-our-sins-from-ourselves/). 

So on reflection we should see that Moshe’s anger and consequent actions ultimately lead to a positive outcome. His righteous anger has a positive effect. It did not mitigate the sin of the people nor in any way reduce the reality of their sin, but it does appear to have lead to much repentance from the children of Israel, and a consequent return to fellowship with Yehovah.   

Now consider as well the anger of Yeshua: 

13 “It was almost time for the festival of Pesach in Judah, so Yeshua went up to Jerusalem. 
14 In the Temple grounds he found those who were selling cattle, sheep and pigeons, and others who were sitting at tables exchanging money. 
15 He made a whip from cords and drove them all out of the Temple grounds, the sheep and cattle as well. He knocked over the money-changers’ tables, scattering their coins; 
16 and to the pigeon-sellers he said, “Get these things out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market?” 
17 His disciples later recalled that the Tanakh says, “Zeal for your house will devour me.”
– John 2:13-17 

Yeshua also displayed righteous anger here. It was not a total spur of the moment thing either. He saw a serious lack of respect for the Temple and went and made a whip from three or more chords before using it to angrily usher these sacrilegious business people out of the Temple of Yehovah. 

Did Yeshua’s anger bring a positive benefit (apart from its immediate, though probably very temporary, restoration of the sacred and holy)? 

Yes, because it helped confirm to his disciples that they could trust in the Tanakh and in the words of Yeshua as well: 
22 “Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they trusted in the Tanakh and in what Yeshua had said.”  – John 2:22

These are just two examples of righteous anger. Mussar (a form of Jewish ethics which has now been around for 600+ years), argues that all attributes of our characters and personality can be used for good if controlled and directly in the correct and godly way.  

Anger can be bad, yet anger at injustice helps motivate us to try to correct that injustice.  

I discuss this important Mussar approach in my article ‘You Shall Be Holy’:  https://globaltruthinternational.com/2015/03/21/you-shall-be-holy-introduction/      

May you seek to see injustice in the world that also drives you to righteous anger and further helps motivate you to do ‘tikkun haolam’. It is a sin not to serve – we all have talents; we are all are called to use those talents to help repair or better the world. – https://globaltruthinternational.com/2012/12/21/the-rarity-of-repentance/