Mike Shapiro - Temple President 727-347-6136 - President@TempleBeth-El.com
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison & Joyce Liu
Rabbi Amy L. Morrison
Parshat Vayikra opens with a quiet but radical image: God calling out to Moses from the Tent of Meeting. The Torah could have begun with thunder, spectacle, or command. Instead, it begins with a call and with listening. Before the offerings, before the rituals, there is space.
Vayikra describes a sacred choreography of sacrifices—animals, grain, smoke rising heavenward. For many modern readers, these details feel distant. Yet beneath the ancient forms lies a timeless question: how do human beings make room for the Holy?
Our lives are loud. Notifications vibrate, schedules fill, worries crowd the mind. We rush from obligation to obligation and call it living. But the Torah whispers another possibility. The Tent of Meeting was not only a place in the wilderness; it was a pause carved out of chaos. A deliberate clearing where a human being could hear the Divine voice.
We may not bring offerings of bulls or grain, but we still choose what we place on the altar of our time. A few quiet breaths before speaking. A moment of gratitude at the table. A decision to see the image of God in another person.
These are our offerings.
As your rabbi, I invite you this week to build a small Tent of Meeting in your own life. Guard a pocket of stillness. Listen more deeply. Let compassion interrupt your hurry.
Make space for God, and watch that space open room for your soul and others.
Still time to join!
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Located in St. Petersburg on Florida's beautiful west coast, Temple Beth-El is a Reform Jewish congregation that has served this area since 1928 and is focused on strengthening relationships and making connections. We are a welcoming Reform community for Jewish and interfaith households to experience an uplifting and joyful sense of belonging as we seek to connect our members with each other and the greater community and world around us.
Parashat Vayikra: Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Saturday, March 21, 2026 / 3 Nisan 5786
The olah or "burnt offering" was a voluntary sacrifice that had a high degree of sanctity and was regarded as the "standard" offering. The entire animal, except for its hide, was burned on the altar. (1:1-17)
The minchah or "meal offering" was a sacrifice made of flour, oil, salt, and frankincense that was partly burned on the altar and partly given to the priests to eat. (2:1-16)
The zevach sh'lamim or "sacrifice of well-being" was a voluntary animal offering from one's herd, sometimes brought to fulfill a vow. (3:1-17)
The chatat or "sin offering" was an obligatory sacrifice that was offered to expiate unintentional sins. This offering differs from the others in the special treatment of the blood of the animal. (4:1-5:13)
The asham or "penalty offering" was an obligatory sacrifice of a ram that was required chiefly of one who had misappropriated property. (5:1-26)
