March 14, 2002
A Portion of Parshat Vayikra
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Today we start the third book of the Torah -- Leviticus. In this book, we learn a lot about the Levites (hence the Latin name) who were the priests in the tabernacle. We learn about the sacrifices that were brought. There were different sacrifices for different types of sins. If you committed a sin unintentionally, you brought one kind of sacrifice. If you committed a sin because you didn't know it was a sin, you brought another type.
Always ask yourself this question when you've done something wrong: Did I do this on purpose? Did I spill the milk by accident or was I kind of hoping some of it would get on my pesky little sister? Did I know that it was wrong to play handball against my parents' bedroom door at 7 a.m. on a Sunday, or did I truly not understand why I'm not supposed to do that?
These are hard questions to ask yourself. But you must always examine the truth of your questions. Be true to yourself and to other people around you.
