Camille DeBaere [April 30, 2022]Leviticus 16:1-8
Shabbat Shalom
Thank you all for being here in person and on zoom as Tristan and I are called to the torah as B’nai Mitzvah. My speech today is called a Drash, and it is my interpretation of my Torah portion which is from the book of Leviticus, chapter 16, verses 1-8, which you will be hearing me chant in Hebrew in just a few minutes. Part of what I will focus on is interpreting how my portion applies to the world today.
In the past few months as I have been learning and studying my Torah portion in Hebrew and English, I have learned what it means to work hard and sacrifice time and work on something that is so important, this rite of passage. In fact, my Torah portion is about sacrifice. What stands out for me and interests me about this portion is how different the idea of sacrifice is in the Torah and how we think about it today. My Torah portion really opens up the understanding of sacrifice and I think we can all learn a lot from an ancient scripture that is still meaningful and important today.
My Torah portion is the story of when the Eternal One spoke to Moses after his brother Aaron’s two sons died after they drew too close to the Eternal One. Then the Eternal One told Moses to tell Aaron not to come behind the curtain, in front of the ark, and if he does he will die. This is because Aaron should not draw too close to the Eternal One. The Eternal One said that he may only enter the Shrine with a bull and two male goats from the herd, for the purification offering and a ram for a burnt offering. This is where sacrifice comes into the story. Then Aaron shall be dressed in a linen tunic and he shall bathe in water before he puts it on. Then he shall sacrifice the two male goats and the rams in front of the Israelites.
The direct translation of the Hebrew word for sacrifice is kuf- resh-bet, which literally means sacrifice, or to draw or bring close or closer to, Korban. The word for sacrifice can also mean relatives or family, krovim. Those you are close to, and also is used to say when something is close to you, kah-rohv. When I reflect on these translations, I think sacrifices are not about focusing on what you give up, but instead focusing on what you are actually getting closer to. In the Torah, sacrifice brings you closer to God. ** But what does it mean today?
I used to think of sacrificing as a negative thing. I thought about it as doing something I didn’t want to do for another’s benefit, or completely giving up myself and not getting anything in return, apart from knowing I made someone happy. But now I understand that sacrifice can actually be a good thing that can draw us closer to ourselves, to the people around us, and to God. As part of my Bat Mitzvah process, I am doing a Mitzvah Project. A Mitzvot is a good deed or a commandment, it’s something we do in the Jewish religion to help and feel more connected to the community and to make the world a better place. Every time I do a mitzvah, it makes me happy and I feel good when I see others happy and know that I’ve helped. I don’t feel like I’ve given up something, or that it is a sacrifice, but instead, I’m getting closer to the community. Today, giving selflessly can bring us closer to God as well. But we can only draw ourselves closer to all these things when we give up or sacrifice something that is meaningful to us, not something that we don't care about. We give of our time, we can give food and clothes or money, we can give our compassion and share our joy with others who are in need. It’s also important when we give of ourselves to always remain humble and not focus on ourselves and maintain the dignity of the person we are helping.
One person who worked so hard and made a big difference was Martin Luther King Jr. He sacrificed his life for his beliefs to create equality and fight racism. He had a vision of creating a world where people could live in peace and freedom together. If he had not sacrificed his life for his beliefs in equality, I believe that we would live in a world where there would be more racism and less peace. We sure have a long way to go, but MLK helped paved the path towards equality.
Rabbi Ah-key-vah, a leading Jewish scholar, believed that God wants us to give freely of ourselves to others in need. He believed that God said, "I desire nothing else but the sacrifices. Their sweetness of sacrifices brings delight to Me." But the prophet Hosea said that when we give we need to give with a compassionate heart. Hosea said, “For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, and getting close to God is more important than burnt-offerings.” What really matters is not really the physical things we are giving up, but the feeling that remains in our hearts afterwards.
Over the past couple of years, I feel like all the time preparing for my Bat Mitzvah has been a perfect example of sacrificing time that could have been spent doing other things I thought were more enjoyable at the time. But I’ve gotten a lot from this experience; I am proud of myself, and ultimately, this will mean more to me than something I will forget about in a year! And I will remember this day for the rest of my life!
During Covid we gave up time with friends, canceled events which made us realize how important it is to give up time with others in order to keep ourselves and others healthy and safe. And as covid slows down, it has made it even more special to be with friends and family. This global effort has brought us a better understanding of our own humanity. The pandemic is not just about keeping ourselves healthy, it is about taking precautions so that we can keep others safe as well. This is also a form of sacrifice because you are taking time to keep your community safe and healthy.
What am I asking you today to do or consider in your lives, is think about when you give things up, take yourself out of the equation and realize you don’t need to give to get. The good things you do should not be because you want something in return, but because you really believe in them, and care about them. If you are to take anything else from my Torah portion, it would be to take a moment to be grateful, to cherish what we already have, and focus on making other people happy, as well as ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom