Parshas Vayikra usually falls out about two weeks before Pesach, or just before Purim (in a leap year.) These are both times that we are especially involved in tzedakah, charity.
We help others financially, not out of the goodness of our own hearts, but because we understand that we have been granted prosperity in order to give it to those who need it, as the messengers of Hashem.
By emulating Hashem, Who feeds the hungry and clothes the naked, we become close to Him.
The word karov, meaning close, is the root of korban, sacrifice or offering, things intended to bring us closer to Hashem as well.
This Parsha also includes the mitzvah to put salt on korbanos. Salt, as we know, is a preservative. So how do we preserve the closeness we have to Hashem? By trying to be more like Him every day.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Salt your money away,” which people understand as storing it for a rainy day. But that isn’t the case. The origin is a phrase said in ancient Jerusalem, “Melach Mamon Chaseir,” meaning “the salt of money is ‘chaseir,’ having less because you gave it to others.
By giving tzedakah and being kind, we protect our prosperity and will be able to continue to do good things.
Thought of the week:
People are impressed by talent. G-d is impressed by character.
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