Weekly Torah portion – וַיִּקְרָא – Vayikra – And He called; Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26; Isaiah 43:21 – 44:23

The Bible’s most mature demand is at the same time its most uncomfortable one: do not flee to God in order to escape from man. True spirituality is not a shortcut that bypasses responsibility toward one’s neighbor. In the weekly portion, the sacrifice moves from being a religious alibi to an existential necessity; there is no closeness to God that skips over making restitution on earth. In this radical structure of spirit and deed, the figure of Jesus is brought to completion. He does not abolish the sacrificial system, but relocates the altar into the midst of human life.

Our weekly Torah portion places the offerings, in Hebrew Korban (קורבנות, plural Korbanot), at the center of worship. But upon deeper consideration, it becomes clear that this is not primarily about blood, fire, or the altar, but above all about the human being. It is about who he is, what is broken within him, and his possibility of turning back and drawing...

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