Vayikra: Din Meets Rachamim

People confuse Vayikra as just a fly-over book in the Pentateuch, whereas in truth it is part of the story that began at Bereishit. It is the course of man to come across everything in this section more frequently than what is found in all other books of Moses combined. The others have many lessons for growth, and a tremendous amount of parables from collective to personal exile and redemption, to the foundations of belief and will. Vayikra though is the core to our practicable application.

As with any life, we all have time that we need to spend. And as the nature of creation goes, we were created to be creators. We see it clearly with the fact that our bodies always ask us to do something, and if we are not being creative with our actions we will be destructive. The simple reason is because our souls cannot do even the slightest desire of its will without the body, and now that it grabs onto a beating heart and a functioning brain it catapults the body into action.

The soul initiates interest in certain subjects and topics so that the mind can form conclusions and develop direction to bring it to fruition. My soul and yours are driven to like other things and to perform other tasks, only because the purpose of our being here on earth differs. The uniqueness of each individual is seldom recognized in systematic societies, and it is a sad reality for many who have, and are, putting in a fraction of their talents into this world. But the good news is that we have access to the knowledge from the outside which allows us to see beyond our state of being so that we can be pulled into fields that make our hearts happy.

The state of being can be understood from a simple lens. Someone working a dead-end job is currently in a “state of being,” and although the job requires their full attention and determines their bedtime, they still have the opportunity to see the rest of the world and notice their heart’s attractions. Someone who is depressed is in a “state of being” that blurs the rest of the world from their vision as they are stuck in a deep void inside their heart, but by allowing the heart to bring in some joy they will find that that miserable place can be left behind.

It is the action that is asked of man to move forward. The soul’s will is to accomplish the purpose it so desired before it was bequeathed this opportunity of life, and it would not want anything but to do just that. So if the person finds themselves stuck in a spiritual, mental, emotional, or even physical situation, it will still produce thought-provoking desires so that the body gets up and does them. It is unfortunate that our worldly situations distract us from those pure thoughts with doubts which lead to procrastination. At the same time, as those doubts are being entertained, the soul still drives our body to action, and we resort to sinful and regretful actions instead.

The soul knows that the greatest pleasure will be found when the will is accomplished, and as long as we have not gotten there it will keep sending the brain messages. But as doubt is given time those great thoughts get shoved aside by them and the feeling that reaches our heart is one of sadness and loss. Now the soul has to try and reawaken the heart, but without the inner ear hearing its cry, all we hear is the intrinsic call to action and we go and do terrible things just to comfort the heart. Those unspeakable actions may bring some relief, but in essence only deepen our pain as we add layers of shame on top of this melted sundae.

Hashem has given the people a way out. Imagine going over to a deeply depressed person and convincingly promise them that if they take a drink from a cup of water it will heal their heart. Would they drink it? And if they did and the doubts came back, will they ask for another sip or write it off as a hoax? From a certain perspective it may seem that the gift of bringing sacrifices for atonement and as an opportunity for closeness carries the same properties as a magic glass of water, so it has to be that there is something deeper lying beneath the surface.

Belief! The same belief that keeps the person stuck in their state of being and repeats the same old words to the inner ear is what Hashem asks us to change. Knowing wholeheartedly that a new man with a clean slate stands before him in the mirror, once the action of bringing this offering is complete, is the most practicable way forward. This belief does not end here, it is also the resurrection of the soul’s will and the new beginning toward its achievement.

The will becomes clear once more and as the thoughts of promise run through the mind the thoughts of doubts have no more room or board. The actions catapulted by the heart’s emotions lead to closing the gap between the will and reality, and so add meaning to the words, “Adam Ki Yakriv, Man that will bring himself closer.” Closer to what? You ask. Closer to the truest reality, his purpose for life itself.

This is the greatest mercy Hashem could have ever given us. Stopping the tracks of the inevitable cycles and opening the roadblocks that diverted our lives forever. Din and Rachamim are the two who sit before Hashem’s chariot, as we sing so beautifully in “El Adon,” “Zechut Umishor Lifnei Kiso, Merit and Straightforwardness are before His chair.” Hashem removes the Din as He spreads His light through “Chesed V’Rachamim Maleh Kevodo, Kindness and Mercy fill His honor.”

He does not just teach us stories of the greats without handing over the tools they used to get them there. The sacrifices Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses brought were not just services, they were recognition of chapters in life and completion of stories. They all signified through their actions that they saw the Din ascribed and how Hashem’s mercy cleared the paths. And as we emulate Hashem through our acts of Chesed, we open the paths of Din in others and divert them to Rachamim, just as He does to us.

Now that we understand a little bit more about Rachamim we must go a bit further in its explanation. Figure a person who sets out opening a business. Din would dictate that if you invest money into something it should produce fruits, just like pulling a string dictates that the other end comes closer. But in reality we see how in many cases the investment goes bust. Many would rush to say that that too is Din, but in essence, when the calculated result is averted it is Rachamim at the helm.

This is why we are taught in Brachot 54a that “Man is obligated to praise on the bad just as he praises on the good.” We are constantly told that all Hashem does is for the best, but we have trouble changing our hearts with these words. But as we have just learned, the mercy we were given through the gift of sacrifices is the ability to change the dreadful belief into a delightful one. So as we live on in the footsteps of our forefathers we are obligated to see mercy in every situation.

Leviticus 1:1-2: “Vayikra, and He called to Moshe and Hashem spoke to Him from the “tent of time” to say the following:” This is the call of our souls to our inner ear as we live here on earth in the tent of time. “Man who wishes to bring himself closer, should bring his belief closer to Hashem!”

Shabbat Shalom

David Lemmer

LemmerHypnotherapy.com