Here it is,
the 10th of Nisan, we all have Passover preparation on our minds and
in this week’s Torah portion, we’re completely engrossed with the rituals of
Yom Kippur, exactly 6 months away on the Hebrew calendar. While some schools Bible curricula avoid
dealing with VaYikra (Leviticus) and some movements have removed or modified
the description of the first Yom Kippur from their liturgy, I love the
descriptions of Yom Kippur in the Torah, in part as a prime example of how much Judaism has been able to adapt and
change.
I am also a
bit of an Aaron apologist. Our portion
describes Aaron’s first Yom Kippur, and I can only imagine, as someone with 20
years of leading High Holiday services for a congregation, how literally
awesome (in the sense of fear and trembling) that first Yom Kippur was for
Aaron, brother of Moses and Kohain Gadol (High Priest).
Aaron was
dressed to impress, an aspect of the priesthood well-described in these pages
several weeks ago by my friend and colleague, Rabbi Rachel Ackerman. Frequently (5 times) throughout the day,
between offerings and rituals, Aaron has to change his clothing, bathing or
immersing himself between each event.
Aaron alone enters the Holy of Holies; Aaron alone places his hands on
the head of the scapegoat, transferring to it all the transgressions of the
People of Israel.
For me, the
most significant verse and the most important lesson of this portion is
contained in Chapter 16, verse 17: “When
he goes in to make expiation in the Shrine, noblod else shall be in the Tent of
Meeting until he comes out. When he has made expiation for himself and
his household, and for the whole congregation of Israel. . . . “Aaron, and
the Children of Israel have had a rough 6 months since the Exodus. There have been challenges to their physical
well-being, they were brought to Sinai, and they miss the comforts of home
(even such as they were in a condition of slavery). Aaron, in kind has also had a rough
year. The requirement for Aaron, to
atone first for himself, then for his household and then for the rest of the
People of Israel is an amazing, sensitive and realistic requirement, given the
state of ritual in the ancient world at that time.
As Kohain
Gadol, High Priest, Aaron was still far from perfect, as the Torah has related
to us earlier. Aaron has to atone for
himself; he was complicit in the sin of the Golden Calf. He has to ask forgiveness for his household;
his sons Nadav and Avihu were killed after bringing an unauthorized offering
upon the dedication of the Tent of Meeting.
Only then, after making sure his has taken care of his personal business
with God and his family’s business with God, can Aaron intervene on our behalf
and do the job he was selected to do, to seek forgiveness for us, the People of
Israel.
For me, this
is the primary directive of our whole system of prayer, our entire theology of
belief. Each of us has direct access to
God and each of us has personal accountability. We have to take care of
righting our own affairs, a metaphorical putting on of our own oxygen masks,
before doing so for our children traveling with us. Then, once we have made things right for
ourselves and at home, then we can address the issues of our communal
responsibility and our resolve to work together to make things better. Don’t skip VaYikra – there is a lot of good
stuff here. Hang on for more in the
coming weeks about the Holiness Code.
Questions to
Think and Talk About.
1. Would you want Aaron’s job? Great wardrobe but awesome responsibility?
2. Can you think about a time when you
needed to fix something for yourself before you could help someone else fix
something?
3. Even a job that comes with perks, a
great dining plan and a snappy uniform may also come with really hard personal
responsibilities. What are the pros and
cons of taking on such a position?
Steve Kerbel is the Director of
Education at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Maryland and a national vice
president of the Jewish Educators Assembly.
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