I was a little tired the other day as I was heading out to do an errand in my neighborhood. 

All of a sudden I arrived at my destination. I honestly do not remember how I got there. 

Scary as it seems, I was on automatic pilot, navigating the familiar route without focus or much attention. I did get there, but I missed a lot along the way. 

We are concluding the book of Leviticus this week. Many weeks ago we started the journey in this book which is called in Hebrew VaYikra which means “and he called”. It refers to the loving manner in which Gd speaks to Moses. 

If you would look in a Torah scroll you would see that the the word VaYikra, has its final letter aleph, written in a smaller font, so to speak, then the rest of the letters. That makes the word look like it’s actually spelling VaYikar, which has a totally different interpretation. Without the aleph the word no longer means he called out, but rather it means he happened upon. 

This reflects Moses humility when he was writing the Torah. He did not want it to seem that Gd singled him out and reached out specifically, but rather it was just happenstance. 

Moshe was just another guy, in the right place at the right time. 

This weeks Torah portion, Bechokosai, which means in my  laws, “happens” to use a similar word. 

The verse states, “If you behave casually with me” is a warning to us regarding our relationship with Gd. In the verse the word for casual is “keri” the same root word as VaYikra. In other words do not relate to Gd casually, as if you just happened to run into Gd. 

Furthermore, the portion talks about observing the Mitzvot and commandments but uses another interesting choice of words. Literally the verse says, 

“If you will walk in my laws”. 

Shouldn’t we observe the laws, not walk in them?

And what serendipity!

In the verse that exhorts us not to behave casually, it literally says “if you will walk with me casually”…

It doesn’t seem a happenstance walk with Gd is what we are aiming to achieve. 

The metaphor of walking which repeats itself is the message of growth. An angel, according to Jewish mysticism, has only one leg. 

An angel has the spiritual energy to complete its mission, but it has no choice, it must proceed, like a robot, to complete its task. 

A human being has choice, where and how to walk, to continually grow and expand. 

We are constantly presented with options and we can decide to purposefully walk with Gd or meander through life thinking there is no purpose to our existence, that it’s just a matter of chance. 

How do we walk with the Mitzvot?

By fulfilling them with attention and focus. 

We are the generation of multi taskers. I am certainly cannot be  the only one who finally found my missing cellphone in the freezer after absentmindedly placing it there while unloading groceries. 

When we do a task and we are distracted, we project that the task at hand is not a primary focus. 

So too, when we do a mitzva and we are distracted, we are walking with Gd casually, with happenstance, losing the opportunity to connect in a profound way. 

So much of our daily interactions can be lifted from happenstance to intentionality, which can elevate the action itself. 

For example, we are taught to honor our parents. This is a noble message indeed. 

But we can take it from a Biblical perspective and translate into daily practice. 

Those who are still blessed with the gift of parents can think about this mitzva every time they do something to help their parent. By taking a moment before we bring a glass of water, make the umpteenth trip to the store for them, call the doctor/insurance company/credit card company…fill in the blank, before we do that mundane act we stop and think to oneself, I am about to fulfill the commandment to honor my parent. How meaningful the action becomes, how satisfying and elevating?

And for those of us whose parents are no longer with us, we can have the same thought as we perform any mitzva, charity or kindness and we dedicate it to the elevation of their soul, an eternal opportunity to fulfill the commandment. 

Our Sages teach us when we do any mitzva we should activate our thought, speech and deed. We do this by focusing on what we are about to do, articulating it and then doing the action. This will elevate the experience from

 accidental circumstance to one of true intent. 

So the book of VaYikra is coming to a close and the message of walking the walk with focus and mindfulness is the bookend to all the lessons regarding sacrifices and purity. Because if we miss the opportunity to walk with the Mitzvot and pay attention as we go, we may lose our way. 

We can choose to be an alert driver who pays attention to the surroundings on his journey. 

As a person navigating life via the choices we make, we can make the journey sweeter and more meaningful. 

So when we hear the words

“You have reached your destination” we will know how we got here. 

Shabbat Shalom and so much love!