Making sense of the sedra: Vayikra
The word that defines Jewish character
We’ve all had that experience: you meet someone, and in a split second, a look in their eye, a way they hold the door, a subtle tone of voice, you feel you’ve seen their entire soul. While people are infinitely complex, these small micro-moments often reveal the truth of who they are.
This phenomenon is exactly how the Torah works. Sometimes, a single, seemingly redundant word opens a doorway into an entire philosophy of life. In the opening of the book of Vayikra, the text says: “And he [God] called to Moses, and God spoke to him…”
To a modern reader (or a sharp editor), this looks like a mistake. Why say God called him and then spoke to him? If I’m calling you on the phone, I don’t need to announce that I’m calling before I start talking. The “calling” seems like a waste of ink.
However, the Midrash uncovers a life-changing lesson in that extra word. It explains that even though Moses was the greatest leader in history, the man who took the Jews out of Egypt and split the sea, he didn’t just barge into the Tabernacle (the divine space). He waited to be invited.
The sages use this moment to make a jarring, almost radical claim: “Any scholar who lacks da’at (refinement/social sensitivity) is less than a carcass of an animal.”
That sounds harsh, but the message is profound. In Jewish thought, derech eretz – literally the way of the land but meaning basic decency, manners, and respect – must precede the Torah.
The great Rabbi Aharon Kotler explained that without basic character, a person’s intellect and spirituality aren’t just incomplete, they are effectively void. Why? Because when a person is brilliant but lacks humility and sensitivity, their ego hijacks their intelligence. They use their knowledge as a weapon to look down on others or to serve their own pride.
Moses knew he had ‘permission’ to enter the Tabernacle. He had the ‘clearance’. But his humility dictated that he wait for a personal call. He understood that being right or qualified doesn’t give one the right to be intrusive or arrogant.
This is the message of Vayikra: knowledge is the palace, but character is the foundation. If you build a palace on quicksand, it doesn’t matter how beautiful the gold leaf is, the whole structure will eventually swallow you whole.
Our history and our daily news are littered with ‘brilliant’ people who lack this basic da’at. We see leaders, experts and influencers who are geniuses in their fields but carcasses in their character, leaving a trail of hurt and ego in their wake.
The Torah begins this new chapter by reminding us that before we try to be holy or learned we must first be a mensch. We must learn the art of the pause, the sensitivity to wait for the call and the humility to remember that no matter how much we know, we are here to serve, not to be served.
Rabbi Yoni Golker is at Magen Avot United Synagogue
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