I have an unfortunate habit at home of calling out to my husband when we are in different rooms. To make this matter worse, I may be standing next to the washing machine or the television. As if he could possibly hear me. And yet, I call out to him! Calling out is different from speaking. I must first get his attention.

Vayikra. “God called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting …” The last Hebrew letter of “And God called” is an aleph. According to tradition, this aleph is smaller than the other letters. The rabbinic interpretation is that even though Moses attained the highest level (he spoke panim el panim) with God, he never became impressed with himself. He was humble in his own eyes. God raised up his stature, and Moses remained modest.

Moses is not the first one to be called by the Eternal One. In Genesis, God called out to Adam, “Where are you?” In the Akeda, an Angel of God called to Abraham, twice, so he does not sacrifice his son Isaac. An angel of God called out to Hagar. God beckoned Moses from a burning bush that was not consumed. “Moses! Moses!” Samuel heard a voice three times in the night. He thought it was Eli, until he understood it was God. God addressed Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Hosea and Jonah.

Vayikra is a way of communicating. In the ancient Israelite world, sacrifices were a way of making one’s life whole again. They united the individual with the Divine. They were an act of prayer or thanksgiving. It was a ceremony filled with awe. Sacrifices were an expression of faith. The Hebrew word for offering is Korban. It means “to bring close.” The act of a sacrifice was intended to bring the one who offers it closer to God.

As I understand Vayikra, the first book of Leviticus, it is more than a guide to sacrifices. It is a Torah portion that begs us to speak to the holiness within ourselves. To the holiness within another human soul. It is a call from the Divine. It is reaching out to another with intention and meaning. The rabbi said that Vayikra indicates “lashon havah” — the language of endearment. When called by God, or called with the intention of holiness, it is a form of attachment or affection.

After the destruction of the Second Temple, our ancestors turned solely to prayers from the innermost sanctum of their hearts, minds and souls to communicate with the Eternal One. Rabbi Louis Finkelstein famously wrote, “When I pray, I talk to God. When I study, God speaks to me.”

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When we pray or study we offer the best that is within ourselves. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel believed that “prayer is sacrifice.” Prayer is being present. It is Heneni — I am here, both for you and for myself.

Prayer is the opportunity to bring forth honesty and wholeness. In prayer we are humble, releasing vanity, and embracing chesed and mercy. Prayer may be offered at any place or time. We pray with words, music and dance. We become the small aleph, humbled before the Eternal One as well as our faith community.

Just as Moses was summoned by God, so are we. It is our sacred responsibility. Be the small aleph. Know who is calling to you and know to whom you turn your attention. Pause. Reflect. Pray.

Rabbi Morris Adler wrote, “What is Prayer?”:

Prayer is the heart…of significant living…

Prayer is a step on which we rise from the self we are to the self we wish to be.

Prayer affirms the hope that no reality can crush, the aspiration that can never acknowledge defeat…

Prayer seeks the power to do wisely, to act generously, to live helpfully…

Prayer is the search for silence amidst noise…

Prayer takes us beyond the self…our prayers are answered…when we are challenged to be what we can be.

Vayikra. Hear the call. Respond to the summons. Reach outward and upward to one another and to your God. Respond with humility and heart.

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