Community Torah Corner - March 20, 2026 — Parashat Vayikra

Hello everyone and Shabbat Shalom. This week's Parashah is parashat Vayikra. In this Parashah G-d instructs Moshe to tell the people all the rules for sacrifices and how to do them. Moshe tells all the people the correct ways to sacrifice an animal and even though this aspect of thanking G-d is not used in our lives today this Parashah is still very important.

In this parashah there was one pasuk that we chose to focus on. This pasuk says, רֵ֥יחַ נִיחֹ֖חַ לַיהֹוָֽה. And translated into english, it means, “of pleasing odor to Hashem”. This pasuk seems very odd because why would G-d care about a “pleasing odor”? But really this pasuk has a deeper meaning. 

This pasuk stood out to us because it is repeated three times. Typically in the Torah things are very vague and not repeated, but this phrase “of pleasing odor to God” is repeated three times which must mean it's important. While looking at this verse we realized that it is stated after every sacrifice commandment showing how everything we do is for God, not just to do it.

We don’t pray for no reason, we pray to please Go. Which shows that everything is for G-d's purpose. Whether you just clean your room or get a good grade on a test, it's all for G-d. G-d has given us these lives so we must remember to thank him. G-d sees everything we do and doing the right thing pleases God, just like the pleasing odor. 

We learn from Ibn Ezra that this pasuk explains itself, but this leaves us with many more questions because it still doesn’t answer as to why this was mentioned three times in the parasha. We see that many people have different opinions and although some are more helpful than others they are all equally important. Rashi teaches that G-d is always watching. When we do something for him that is good, it is like giving him a sweet scent. When G-d smells this sweet scent, he notices that we are following his commandments. 

We know and understand that this Parasha as a whole doesn’t apply to us today, in this time, but it can still connect to our lives. We are all students so we all understand the stress of taking a test or getting an assignment turned in on time. But sometimes in our lives at school we should just take a breath and remember to thank G-d because no matter how stressful life or school can be, G-d will always be there for us and G-d will always see the good even if there is a little bit of bad. 

It also can connect to our lives outside of school. The past few years have been very hard for the Jews but even through all the struggles we faced we must remember the good. Everything we do goes into everything we get because yes, life is hard and we do have many, many problems but G-d also rewards us and helps us when life is good. If we remember to do important things for G-d like the “pleasing odor” from the Mishkan then we will keep getting more good things.

The pasuk states that “It is a pleasing odor to G-d” which means that G-d sees your sacrifices. The more you sacrifice things for G-d the more pleased he is. According to this pasuk G-d sees your efforts, actions and good behavior and making good decisions will land you in heaven. In life we will be tempted to make the wrong decisions, but we must remember G-d and all he has done for us. Then we must thank him because you and I wouldn’t be here without him! 

Thank You and Shabbat Shalom.