Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

Torah

Leviticus 1:1–5:26

Next Reading:

March 21, 2026

3 Nissan, 5786

Haftarah

Isaiah 43:21–44:23

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר ה׳ אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר׃

Va-yik-ra el–Mo-sheh vay-da-ber A-do-nai e-lav me-O-hel Mo-ed le-mor.

And the LORD called unto Moses, and spoke unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying:

Leviticus 1:1

This Torah portion, as well as the whole Book of Leviticus, is called Vayikra, meaning “and He called.” God called to Moses from the Tent of Meeting and laid out the laws of the sacrifices offered in the Tabernacle and later in the Holy Temple.

The very first word in the Book of Vayikra is vayikra, and there is something noteworthy about the way Moses wrote this word. The aleph (א) at the end of the word is written much smaller than usual. Why did Moses write it this way? The Jewish Sages say that this tiny aleph alludes to the incredible humility of Moses.

The Greatest and the Most Humble

Moses had been chosen by God to lead the Jewish people. He is considered to be the greatest of all leaders, and the greatest of all prophets. Yet, in the face of his greatness, he displayed the ultimate example of humility. In fact, he is noted as the most humble man on the face of the earth (Num. 12:3).

Moses is a prime example that true leadership requires humility. Having humility means understanding your strengths and your weaknesses. It means not becoming arrogant in your strengths, and not undermining yourself in your weaknesses.

Being humble does not mean that you minimize your own worth. Thinking less of yourself is a false sense of humility. Being humble means recognizing that your gifts and talents are not your own, but have been given to you by God. It means being thankful to Him for those gifts, and realizing that they have been given to you for a purpose: to improve the world.

Characteristics of a Humble Person

  • Listens: Listening is a sign of good character and a prelude to humility.
  • Gives Credit Where Credit Is Due: When you have not invested your time and effort into something, you do not have the right to claim it as your own. A humble person makes sure to give credit where credit is due.
  • Thankful: A humble person has an attitude of gratitude. When you are thankful, it curtails the effects of negativity.
  • Patient: Patience is not only a characteristic of someone who is humble, it is also a sign of faith and strength.
  • Modest: Modesty is conducting oneself with decency of thought, speech, and conduct.

Greatly Small

To be great is to be humble. The small aleph in Vayikra helps us to remember the importance of humility. You have to make yourself small in order to see the greatness of what is around you.

A Glance of Hebrew | Vayikra STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

‘

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.