Questions on Parshas Vayikra to think about and discuss:

1. Why is there a small Aleph in the Hebrew word of “Vayikra”?
2. What is another name of Sefer Vayikra and why?
3. Why do (some) children start learning Chumash from Parshas Vayikra and not Bereishis?
4. Sefer Vayikra deals mainly with korbonos. What does the word “Korbon” mean and why call it this?
5. How nowadays without the Beis Hamikdosh can we still in some way bring sacrifices?
6. What is included when we say the word “korbonos”?
7. Which animals can be brought as a korban?
8. The Torah uses the words “Tzon Ubokor” to describe animals for sacrifices. What do these include?
9. What is the difference between the outer mizbayach in the Mishkon and that of the Mikdosh?
10. From what age can an animal be brought as a korban?
11. The Mishkon was a place of kedusha and truth. How was this seen in the bringing of different peoples korban?
12. What is the reason behind bringing korbonos?
13. We only bring sacrifices from domesticated animals (behamos). Why not also from wild animals (chayos)?
14. Why is the first type of korban mentioned in the Torah the Olah?
15. What lies behind the name “olah“?
16. Why from the birds are only the toirim and bnei yona chosen for sacrifices?
17. Why were fish not brought up as sacrifices?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. Due to Moshe’s great humility, he wanted to remove the letter Aleph so that it spells “Vakir”, a word used by Bilom, that means he happened to call him. However, the addition of Aleph shows that it was a special calling from Hashem. However, to fulfil Moshe’s desire, the letter Alpeh was made smaller. (Baal Haturim, Vayikra, 1:1).
2. Toras Kohanim, since Sefer Vayikra mainly discusses the mitzvos relevant only to the Kohanim.
3. The Midrash (Yalkut Shemoni, Tzav 479) brings that the children who are pure (from sin) should learn Sefer Vayikra that deals with sacrifices that are pure.
4. The word “korbon” comes from the word “korov” meaning to come close. This is because the sacrifices come mainly for atonement that brings the sinner back to coming closer to Hashem.
5. Chazal say that by reading the parsha of korbonos it can be considered as if we have actually brought the sacrifice!
6. “Korbonos” include animal sacrifices (known as “zevochim”) and also from things that grow from the ground, e.g. flour (known as “menochos”).
7. The animal sacrifices come from cows, goats and sheep. The different combinations from these are male and female, young and old.
8. “Bokor” refers to cows and “tzon” refers to both sheep and goats.
10. A nedova sacrifice can be brought from animals from their eighth day onwards. A chova is only brought from after thirty days.
13. Rabbeinu Bechai brings a few reasons. Since behamos are found with man as opposed to wild animals that require efforts to hunt them. Behamos are hunted animals while chayos are hunters. The chayos were not included in blessing during the six days of creation.
14. This sacrifice was brought by the most people – even from non-Jews. Seeing that it comes from the most amount of people it comes first. Another idea is that from all the sacrifices it is the only one that all of it (besides the skin) is burnt up. Since it is the sacrifice with the most given to Hashem it comes first.
15. This word comes from the word על and means “up”. The name reflects the essence of the thing and the main characteristic of this sacrifice is that it was all burnt “up”.