Parsha Talk Vayikra 5786 2026

We begin a new book this Shabbat, Va-yiqra [Leviticus], which is also the name of the parashah [Leviticus 1:1-5:26]. The rabbis call the book torat kohanim. In his JPS Commentary, Baruch Levine discusses the double meaning of the phrase: it is both the teaching for the priests and the teaching of or by the priests. The book is at once an instruction manual for priests and a distillation of priestly teaching. While many people find this book inaccessible, I love it! In particular, our parashah deals with the principal sacrifices brought by the individual: the olah [burnt offering], minhah [grain offering], zevah sh’lamim [sacred gift of greeting], hatta’t [sin offering], and asham [guilt offering]. The welter of details can be offputting, but they also remind us of the need for proper performance of rituals. There is a prescribed order; they do not happen by chance. And it is these rituals, I would argue, that make Judaism distinctive from other religions. Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers of the US Armed Forces and Israel Defense Forces, may they be removed from harm’s way. Shabbat Shalom.

You can listen to Parsha Talk Vayikra 5786 2026 online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Parsha Talk Vayikra 5786 2026 is an episode from Kol Ramah by Kol Ramah Studios.

This episode is 00:34:41 long.

This episode was published on Apr 1, 2026.

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