Rabbi Daniel Siegel

The Calling

This week we begin a new book of the Torah, /ויקרא VaYikra. Its name derives from its first word: -ויקרא אל משה וידבר ה’ אליו ‘The Lord called (VaYikra) to Moshe and spoke to him’.

With these introductory words we are reminded of the first divine calling experienced by Moshe in the book of Shemot: ויקרא אליו אלוהים מתוך הסנה ויאמר משה משה ויאמר הנני – ‘’God called (VaYikra) to Moshe from the midst of the (burning) bush, ‘Moshe, Moshe’, and he responded “I am present.”

To hear the calling is to be present.

Moshe who had been present as the Israelites leader through the Exodus, the Sinaitic revelation/receiving of the Torah and the just completed construction of the Mishkan, signifying the presence of God within Israel, now calls upon the people to make themselves present.

Moshe says to the people, immediately following God’s call to him: ‘When any of you present an offering to the Lord’. More precisely, however, these words read: ‘When any of you present of yourself an offering to the Lord’. Responding to the divine call requires a dedication and sacrifice of self.

Recently I was discussing with a student how she might mobilise her peers in empowering an Ethiopian community in Israel which she visited while on Chavayah. After sharing a variety of ideas requiring much personal commitment and effort, I asked if this might be overwhelming for her, considering her academic load and responsibilities. With a sense of passion and purpose she responded: “Rabbi Siegel, this is what I love to do”.

Each of us has a calling if we are present to its voice. It is through the “offering” of self that we are blessed with personal fulfillment.

Our Jewish tradition presents God calling upon the first human (Adam) with the words:

ויקרא ה’ אלוהים אל האדם ויאמר לו איכה -“God called (VaYikra) to Adam, saying to him:

“Where are you?’ ”

Not being present we miss our calling and the authentic and promising self we might be.

        The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.

                             Fabienne Fredrickson