Shabbat Vayikra
The term for rabbinic ordination is Semicha. It means laying hands on someone, which implies confidence, identification with the person, and the expectation of continuity in passing on the tradition. The word comes from the law mentioned here in the context of sacrifices, where one was commanded to place one’s hands on the head of the sacrifice before it was offered.
“And if a person brings a sacrifice to the Tabernacle…he should place his hand on the head of the sacrifice, and it will be accepted as an atonement” (Vayikra1:4). According to the Oral Law, this means placing both hands firmly on the animal’s head.
Placing one’s hands on the animal was meant to create a bond between the human and the animal and to respect the sacrifice the animal was making. The animal represented one’s failure to rise above the norms expected of humans. Therefore, there was a need to atone. The sacrifice of the animal was giving the human a second chance, and for this, he had to be grateful to the animal and God. To put one’s hands on the animal’s head was a sign of empathy. Ironically, we are, in a way, blessing them.
When one blesses one’s children, one also places one’s hands on their heads. This goes back to Yaakov’s blessing, Efraim and Menashe. When we bless our children, we are showing that we care, praying and hoping that they will be protected, succeed in life, and carry on our traditions.
So, it is when a rabbi is appointed. Those who give him Semicha hope he will continue their traditions and work to keep them and the community alive, and follow the spirit of the Torah as well as the law. This too can be a kind of sacrifice, of oneself for the greater good. Sadly, as will be parents and rabbis, not everyone succeeds.
Sacrifices had another important function: community and eating together. There were, of course, sacrifices burnt completely as devotion, and others shared with priests. But the majority were voluntary, which were shared with family, friends and the poor.
Although the sacrificial system has fallen into disuse for the past two thousand years, there are still lessons to be learned from the procedures and laws mentioned here in the Book of Vayikra, that merit analysis. But the issue of sacrifices is controversial. The majority of the Charedi world express the hope that the Temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices will one day be returned. Though I very much doubt the rival Chassidic and other communities would be able to agree on who should be the High Priest.
But other voices in the Talmud suggest that at some point in the future, someone such as Eliyahu or the Mashiach will come and teach us about a new order. Some suggest there will only be voluntary and possibly non-animal sacrifices. And the thought of eating meat, let alone killing animals, does not appeal to me. I happen to be of the opinion that things will not be replaced exactly as they were before. Besides, I cannot imagine the different sects and communities in Judaism today ever agreeing on who should be the High Priest.
But the voice on this issue that resonates with me is that of the great Maimonides who seems to have two different points of view. In his great work, the Mishneh Torah, which covers the whole area of biblical, Talmudic and later law, he includes in great detail those areas that have fallen into disuse, such as sacrifices and many of the laws of purity. But on the other hand, in his philosophical work the Guide to the Perplexed (Section 3.32) he says quite clearly that sacrifices were introduced because that’s what everybody did at that time, and it would have seemed abnormal to start a religion without including sacrifices. His implication is that they were a temporary feature that would be replaced. As in fact they were by devotional prayer after the Second Temple was destroyed.
I could suggest that whereas nowadays nobody would think of starting a new religion without prayer, it’s possible that at some stage in the future we may substitute prayer in the way we recite it today by Artificial Intelligence or pure meditation. Who knows? But in the meantime, as I said above, there are important lessons we can learn from the past from traditions that are applicable today.
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen lives in New York. He was born in Manchester. His writings are concerned with religion, culture, history and current affairs – anything he finds interesting or relevant. They are designed to entertain and to stimulate. Disagreement is always welcome.
