Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism

Member Login
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Get To Know Us
    • HCRJ Photo Gallery
    • Our Rabbi
    • Our Staff
    • Our Board Of Trustees
  • Worship with us
    • High Holy Days
    • Shabbat Services
    • Shabbat Shelanu
    • Special Shabbats
    • Havdalah
  • Connect with Us
    • Contact HCRJ
    • Find Us
    • Media
    • Connect with Our Friends
    • All Rabbi’s Messages
      • Monthly Messages
      • Weekly Reflections
  • Learning
    • Religious School
      • Philosophy
      • Registration
      • Calendar
      • Special Programs
      • Pictures
    • Youth Learning
      • HOUSTY
      • URJ Greene Family Camp
      • Prayer Library
    • Adult Learning
      • Jews around the World
      • Film Screenings
      • Tacos and Torah
      • Lunch with the Rabbi
      • Book Discussions
      • Jewish/Muslim Christmas
      • Basic Judaism
      • Marriage and Merlot
  • Social
    • Groups
      • Social Action
      • Senior Chai
      • Boomers and Friends
    • Events
      • Bingo
      • Mah Jongg Game Day
      • New and Prospective Member Shabbat
      • HCRJ Open Golf Tournament
      • Cars, Coffee & Conversation
      • Bark Mitzvah
      • Interest Group
      • HCRJ at the Astros
  • Calendar/Events
  • Membership

March 25, 2020

March 25, 2020 by Justin Deutsch

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Torah Portion, we begin the Book of Leviticus. This book of the Torah is basically a dense corpus of commandments, many of which are designed to guide our daily behaviors. When reading this book from an actual Torah scroll, the eye is immediately drawn to the fact that the final letter in this first word of Leviticus (Vayikra) is a tiny ALEF (See image above). This tiny ALEF happens to be the smallest letter in the entire Torah, and the custom invites interpretation.

While there are many explanations regarding this textual anomaly, the miniature ALEF seems to suggest that ancient scribes were trying to teach us a lesson regarding the ego. ALEF happens to be the first letter in the Hebrew word for “I” – “ANI,” and  so the sages suggest that this may be the Torah’s way of suggesting that we should posture ourselves with humility and respect before the law as we begin to read the section of the Torah that is focused on a corpus of commandments.

During this week, when strict measures have been asked of us by the government to help curb the spread of COVID-19, our Torah portion provides us with an extremely important message. There are times when we need to shrink the ego for a greater good.

In his book, Man’s Quest for God, the great Jewish thinker Abraham Joshua Heschel teaches a powerful lesson regarding sacrifice. He argues that even though our spiritual practices today may differ greatly from those of our ancestors who brought offerings to God at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it is incumbent upon us to continue to understand what we do today through a lens of personal sacrifice. According to Heschel, as we engage in modern day sacrificial acts such as prayer and self-denial, our efforts represent a concrete attempt to “. . . try to surrender our vanities, to burn our insolence, to abandon our bias, dishonesty and envy.”

In light of the what is being asked of us by our government today, the Shrunken ALEF found in the Torah and Heschel’s teachings regarding sacrifice can serve to broaden the meaning of the inconveniences we are currently experiencing. Our personal sacrifices in the days and weeks to come may demand a shift in our ego-centric worlds, but they can serve to remind us of the value and importance of giving, sharing and living together in a society that cares for each other.

L’Shalom,
Steve

Filed Under: All Rabbi's Messages, Weekly Reflections

Rabbi’s Message Categories

  • All Rabbi’s Messages
  • Weekly Reflections
  • Monthly Messages
  • Sermons
  • Religious School
  • Events
  • Monthly Bulletins
  • Find Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Membership
  • Member Login

801 Bering Drive | Houston, Texas 77057 | Phone: 713-782-4162| Fax: 713-782-4167| hcrj@hcrj.org

Copyright © 2023 Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism All Rights Reserved

Website Development by Levy Marketing Group