וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה זֶ֧ה הַדָּבָ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה ה׳ תַּעֲשׂ֑וּ וְיֵרָ֥א אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם כְּב֥וֹד ה׳׃
“Moses said, ‘This is what the Eternal has commanded that you do so that K’vod Adonai (God’s Presence) will appear before you.’”
—Leviticus 9:6
The question is, what is the “this”? The verse above suggests that if we do what is commanded, God will become known to us. But, when we read the verse in context carefully, it’s not clear precisely what is being commanded that we do so that we might know God more fully and understand better what it is that God requires of us. The continuation of the parasha includes important details about worship, but the “this” of Leviticus 9:6 is ambiguous.
This message is especially relevant to our community this Shabbat. Tonight at 6:15 p.m, at our Friday night services (in-person outdoors, and online as well), we celebrate a significant leadership transition in our community as Emma Lutz is formally installed as our Senior Cantor. Among her many sacred tasks is to help us better understand the “this”—the many pathways to a deeper connection to K’vod Adonai, God’s Presence.
The ambiguity of the text is deeply suggestive. Finite and limited as we are, we cannot ever know—with certainty—what precisely it is that we must do in order to know God, in order to understand fully what it is that God demands of us. The world is ever-changing, and so are we. What is needed is creative, passionate, inspired leadership. Cantor Lutz has already demonstrated that she is that kind of leader. Our job as a congregation is to embrace the possibilities the future holds with open hearts, open minds, and the sincere desire to glimpse God’s presence in our lives.
May we be blessed to share this journey with Cantor Emma and her beautiful family for years and years to come.
I look forward to celebrating with you as a community this evening.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback