Vayikra is the original Hebrew name for the English-labeled Book of Leviticus. Vayikra comes from the Hebrew Bible. Leviticus is a book attributed to the Hebrew patriarch Moses. He was a priest, and he came from a family of priests. A major role of the Hebrew priests was to ensure that their communities, families and individuals were healthy and well - mind, body and soul. Vayikra's heart and soul is rooted in African spirituality, as Moses himself was an Egyptian who lived in Egypt and also was married to an Ethiopian woman from the Midian province (Sudan area) and lived there and ruled over Ethiopia for 40 years. His Ethiopian father-in-law was instrumental in Moses' spiritual growth and understanding. Since we are embracing the amazing health benefits and beauty secrets of African botanicals, it felt fitting to explore this spiritual book as we embark on our 8 Week Health and Beauty Challenge.
Each week we'll be reading from a chapter of Vayikra - meditating on the spiritual lessons and insights it brings to our quest for a truly wholesome, healthy and beautiful life.
Chapter 1: Vayikra/Leviticus is known by most people for all the dos and don'ts of the Bible. Don't eat shrimp. Do this to stay clean or don't do this to be unclean. It's a book of instructions. But interestingly, it doesn't start out with the series of do's and don'ts but starts out by outlining how to give God/Yahweh the right kind of offering.
The God of the Hebrews is known by the name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh - spelling it phoenetically Ayah Asha Ayah - I Am WHO I Am ).Yahweh (He Is WHO He Is).
The requirements of making an offering to Him - are that it comes from your wealth (in this case at the time it was mostly from livestock), you offer it willingly, and that if it's an animal sacrifice you burn that's it's a male without blemish. It's kind of gory, because it requires you to put your hand on the head of the animal and kill it.
This first chapter talks about the different animals that can be sacrificed, and how the way they are sacrificed is "an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD."
Most of us when we think of animal sacrifices, we think of the suffering animal. It seems quite cruel and barbaric to our modern sensibilities. Think about how tactile that is to put your hand on an animal you are going to kill, especially an animal like a bull that is big and strong. That's not a pleasant experience.
But it's time to get past our modern sensibilities and get back to the core and root of who we are and to the true spirituality of the Ancients. Each animal represents a psychological/spiritual state.
A bull is strong, aggressive. If you're a rancher or a farmer, a bull is the key to your wealth as how else do you get more cows and bulls? Bulls are difficult animals. They get what they want by their strength. They are intimidating and kind of self-centered animals.
The Apis Bull at The Louvre, in Paris (Ancient Egypt)
So, when you sacrifice a bull, you're not just killing an animal, you're killing that aspect of yourself - sacrificing that aspect of your strength, your beauty, your glory...everything that your ego is about - has to be sacrificed and that's what makes that offering a "sweet aroma" to Yahweh.
The second animal that is highlighted is a male sheep or a male goat- a ram. Ram's are known for their horns - you know they can fight. Their beautiful horns are often trophies. And they are quite stubborn. They are proud and self-centered.
Rams (Male Sheep), Temple of Amen, Karnak, Egypt
The third is a He-Goat. Goats are just like rams.
From Egyptianagriculture.com - Ancient Egyptians Farming
The fourth is a turtle dove or pigeon. When you think about pigeons - you think gentle, fat and plump but they are strong and swift fliers. They are smart birds as they can remember faces and have been used over millenia to send messages over vast distances.
When you read this chapter, think about the qualities of each animal. Those qualities are in every single one of us - whatever your strength is, your beauty, your intelligence, your abilities...before we can be healthy physically and emotionally, we need to deal with our egos and our self-centered perspectives.
The true Ancients were not psychopaths or wanton destroyers as we seem to have devolved to now for all our moral superiority on not killing animals. As humankind, we seem to be doing worse to this planet and living less like human beings then those that came before us did. The true Ancients walking in the true spiritual light didn't kill animals for the sport of it. In the very beginning of the Hebrew Bible, we're told that it was men and women's responsibility to take care of the Earth and that includes all the animals.
But there are spiritual realities and truths we all have to face at some point in our lives. And the ugliest and goriest part of life's experiences are when we have to lay our egos, our pride, our beauty, our smarts, our whatever it makes us think we're wonderful on the altar and burn it with fire - WILLINGLY. Life can burn you unwillingly. It's a cruel world out there, but when you do sacrifice those aspects of yourself that each of those animals represent, you're on the path to health, wellness and a beautiful life.
Meditate on that this week.
