Tracie's Torah Takeaway: Parsha Va-yikra (Lev 1:1 - 5:26)

Several years ago, I decided to move to a fully vegetarian (actually ovo-pescatarian) diet because of my empathy for animals. I saw too much of humans (and dogs) in the cattle and even the chickens whose bodies had formed my meals to continue to consume them. That backdrop of my life choices makes this week’s parsha particularly unpleasant for me to read. The Adonai of Va-Yikra is a big fan of barbeque. The scent of burning animal flesh is pleasing to this Adonai. Indeed, in Lev 3:16 we read “All the fat is Adonai’s.” The phrase “dash the blood against all sides of the altar,” or versions of it is repeated again and again in parsha Va-Yikra.

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Tracie's Torah Takeaway: Parsha Ki Tisa

“In that golden calf I see today’s hustle for worthiness. The things that are separate from us that seem precious are productivity, perfection, and pleasing. Instead of earrings melted into a calf, today we meld job titles and salaries into worth and worthiness. We bow down to our idol and serve it, even though the Divine is right here.”

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