The Levitical priests were on the front line of the Biblical response team. They attended simultaneously to the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of the entire community. In normal times, this meant administering to the daily flow of sacrifices that made their way to the Tabernacle ranging from sin-offerings to the holiday specific variety. In extraordinary times, the fate of the entire community rested in their capable hands.
As we begin the Book of Leviticus, the section of the Torah dedicated to all manner of sacrifice, we watch in awe at the proficiency of the ancient health care system. The animals, ranging from the large herding variety to small turtle doves, are slaughtered, the blood is drained, and the remains removed from camp. Even in this short section, we see how this impacts everyone from the nasi, the leader of the community, all the way to the impoverished, those who have only the meagerest provisions to offer, a handful of flour to give to the priests. The entire operation seems to go on like clockwork, with no hint of the dangers lurking underneath. It is only at a time of crisis, that the true bravery of their efforts would ever come to light.
And, crisis is exactly where we find ourselves right now. I think of the members of our own community on the front lines. While most of us are sequestered in our homes, they have double duty. I have heard stories anecdotally of how doctors and nurses have extended themselves in hospitals round-the-clock attending to the sick, only to return to isolated rooms in their own houses, cut off from the rest of their family units.
Let us all pray for them as they perform their heroic actions. They put themselves out there every day knowing that their own risk of contracting the virus increases exponentially. And, while that is what they signed up for in pursuing their chosen careers, their willingness to push forward for the greater good is truly extraordinary. May God watch over them, and watch over us all in these uncertain times. And, when things eventually return to normal, may we forever remember the true weight of all they did to keep us safe.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
– BONUS –
For this Saturday Cantor Arlene Frank and Mike Frank
present a musical Shabbat Morning Service