Shabbat Sheet

A Tidbit of Torah Parshat Vayikra 5783

If any person from among the populace unwittingly incurs guilt…
                                                                                                      Vayikra/Leviticus 4:27

Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi of Aleksander in his commentary to the Torah, Tiferet Shmuel al HaTorah, takes note of the fact that the verse is phrased in the singular; that the individual is acting apart from the community. In reflecting further, he notes that in matters of ritual impurity (a popular topic in the Book of Leviticus) that which remains attached to its source cannot become ritually impure. Thus, fruit that is still attached to the tree cannot become ritually impure. Similarly, water cannot become ritually impure until after it is drawn from its natural source.

Applying this idea back to the individual, our teacher Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi suggests that the underlying message of the verse is the ultimate importance of the individual remaining rooted in and attached to the Jewish community as a source of strength and inspiration. While Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi could never have envisioned the transformation of society we are experiencing today. Geographic mobility, by young people pursuing education or career opportunities, is now increasingly matched by retirees relocating to warmer climates or closer to one of their children and their family.

Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi’s teaching speaks to the great challenge we are facing.  Preserving our relationships within the concentric circles of important people in our lives requires increased diligence and availing ourselves of technological advances. This is especially true as we approach the festival of Pesach, a time when our circle of family gathers to celebrate, a time when our circle of friends joins us at the Seder. Today, setting the Seder table will often include a laptop computer that brings those who cannot be physically present to be with us.

B’vracha –

Rabbi David M. Eligberg