Parashat Vayikra: Being like the Little Alef
Glen Rock Jewish Center, Conservative
We all know what it feels like to engage in a heated conversation. Such “discussions” are quite common these days. Whether in a work meeting, at the dinner table, or during a class, we become frustrated by what someone else says. We wish they would see it our way and we try — with gusto — to convince them why they are wrong. And then occasionally, someone, in a calm and gentle manner, takes command of the room and shares their opinion quietly while everyone listens.
In our Torah portion this week, Parashat Vayikra, Moshe is called by God to outline the sacrificial commandments to the Israelites. What a tremendous and sacred responsibility Moshe had as he acted as the intermediary between the people and the Divine.
Many people would have allowed this “calling” to go to their heads. They may have abused their power. They may have prioritized their superiority over their responsibilities. But not Moshe.
What distinguishes Moshe from others is his great humility. That is why, when the Torah says that God called to Moshe from the Tent of Meeting, the Torah uses a small letter alef in the word “vayikra” (“he called”). The alef, smaller in size than the other letters in the word, reinforces Moshe’s anavah (humility). In addition, it reminds us, as descendants of Moshe, to couple our feelings of significance and power with great humility for the sacredness of our tasks.
Too often we see how leaders become corrupt. Or we witness how a title becomes more important than a job description. It is incumbent upon those served by such leaders to hold the leaders accountable and to see to it that what they are called to do — like Moshe — becomes the focus of their energy and time.
But even those of us who are not leaders can learn an important lesson from the small alef about the significance of being small or acting small in this world.
So often we tell our children to use their voices, to stand up vociferously for what is right with strong convictions. These are beautiful messages that inspire our students to seek justice. This is especially important at a time with increased antisemitism in this world. But in doing so, do we risk sending them the message that the only way we can accomplish our goals is to be big or assert our opinion onto someone else?
Perhaps, also, we can teach our children about the power of the small, humble alef. The small alef teaches us about the power of listening to others, of working toward advocacy not with an iron fist but with an open heart. The small alef reminds us that our role on this earth is to serve God with humility. And part of our task involves shrinking ourselves for a moment to see the other person before us as divine, too. Someone else may have beliefs and values guiding them to a truth that may be very different from what we so deeply believe. But does our bigness prevent us from seeing them?
In November and December, my synagogue invited someone from an organization called “Resetting the Table” to train our staff, lay leaders, and members on steps we can take to overcome the toxic divides pervading our larger society. Resetting the Table uses a multi-disciplinary approach that combines techniques from mediation, peacebuilding efforts, trauma therapy, and social research (to name just a few) by teaching us how to listen — truly listen — to others with differing viewpoints. In short, we were matched with people who had different thoughts than us about politics, war and more. Our difficult task was to listen to our partner and then name their beliefs until we got it precisely correct. It didn’t count if we added our own ideas. It didn’t count if we told them why they were wrong, or if we said anything like “yeah, but…” This exercise required active listening. And it meant we needed to set aside ourselves and our beliefs. It required us to embody what it means to be the small alef.
The small alef is what teaches us to act with tzimtzum, to constrict our mortal and instinctive desires to allow space for others. The small alef reminds us that even when we are called upon for a powerful or holy task, we serve God better when we see beyond our own biases.
It’s amazing to experience that moment at the dinner table or in a meeting, the moment when a quiet and humble person has the most powerful command of the room. This is precisely what Parashat Vayikra teaches us — that we don’t need to be loud, assertive or pushy to get what we want as we serve God. Sometimes what we actually need to do is pull back and be a lot more like the little alef.
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