Parashat Vayikra | Leviticus 1:1
We have arrived at a new book of Torah.
After the sweeping narrative of Exodus — the plagues, the sea, the revelation at Sinai — and the meticulous detail of building the Mishkan, we now open Leviticus. And the book begins not with a command, but with a calling.
“Vayikra el Moshe” — “And God called to Moses.”
The Torah illumination above is from pages 74–75 of my new book, Illuminated Journey. The image depicts God calling to Moses from the Tent of Meeting — swirling cosmic energy, golden light, and the Hebrew text of Leviticus 1:1 woven together.
I love that the book of Leviticus opens with this single, intimate word: Vayikra.
Not “God spoke.”
Not “God commanded.”
God called.
There is something meaningful in that distinction. A call implies relationship — a voice reaching toward someone who is listening, someone who is present, someone who is ready to respond.
And as a calligrapher, I have always been fascinated by the alef at the end of the word Vayikra, because it is written smaller than the other letters in the Torah scroll. Rabbis and scholars have pondered its meaning for generations. Some say it reflects Moses’s humility: even in being singled out by God, Moses made himself small. Others read it as an open invitation to each of us — a reminder that we, too, can hear the Call, if we are willing to be still enough to receive it.
My prayer for this week:
“The Call”, my prayer that was inspired by Parashat Vayikra, is an invitation to be still, to listen with intention to what we are truly called to do, and to answer that call with love and courage.
The Call
May I be still enough
to hear God’s Call—
and courageous enough to answer.
May I feel embraced
by the Transcendent Source
my soul is seeking.
May I recognize the difference
between what I enjoy doing
and what I am being Called to do.
May I accept,
even when I do not understand.
May I be present
to the love and the pain,
the hope and the joy
that are part of my journey.
May my heart remain
open to possibility—
and may all I do and all I say
flow from a place of love.
Answering the Call: An Exhibit at The Olitsky Art Gallery at Congregation Beth Or
I recently answered a call inviting me to share my work in the Olitsky Art Gallery at Congregation Beth Or in Maple Glen, Pennsylvania. And on Wednesday we hung the show.
Setting up this exhibit was both a joy and a genuine challenge. Narrowing down decades of work to approximately 30 pieces was not easy! I wanted to show a meaningful range, so I chose a mix of prints and originals — works created during the last decade, all flowing from the same source: a deep desire to illuminate sacred text and translate spiritual experience into visual form.
The exhibit will remain on view through May 6, and I will also be giving a talk on Visual Midrash at Beth Or sometime in April. I will share the date once it is confirmed.
Reflection
Vayikra asks us a question that reaches far beyond Moses, beyond the wilderness, beyond the ancient Tent of Meeting:
Are you listening?
The call doesn’t always arrive as a thunderclap. More often, in my experience, it comes quietly — as a nudge, a longing, a project you keep returning to, a pull toward something you cannot quite name. It is what you feel compelled to do, to create, to grow, to be.
For me, making art and writing prayers are usually part of that Calling. Curating this exhibit, hanging each piece with care, stepping back to see how the work speaks across time — that felt like an act of answering. Of saying: here I am. This is what I feel called to do.
My favorite line in this week’s prayer is:
“May I recognize the difference between what I enjoy doing and what I am being Called to do.”
That line reminds me to pay attention to what I am being called to do in this moment — which, more often than not, is to use my gifts to make a difference in the world.
This week, being called to Be Still also inspired me to paint a new piece, STILLNESS, which is included in the exhibit.
If you are in the Philadelphia area, I would love for you to come see the exhibit in person.
The exhibit also includes a section devoted to 16 x 20 prints of selected Torah illuminations from Illuminated Journey: Inspired Art & Prayers — my 172-page hardcover coffee table book featuring illustrations and original prayers for all 54 Torah portions.
Purchase Illuminated Journey here
Guided Journaling Questions
1. Listening for the Call
What are you being called toward in this season of your life?
How does that call feel different from obligation, pressure, or expectation?
2. Joy and Purpose
When have you noticed a difference between what you enjoy doing and what you feel genuinely called to do?
Is there a place where those two things overlap?
3. Courageous Response
What helps you say yes when you sense a sacred invitation?
What fears, doubts, or uncertainties make it harder to respond?
4. Sacred Expression
What gifts have you been given that might serve others?
How might you use those gifts this week in a way that flows from love?
Closing Blessing
May you be still enough
to hear the call, and to know
what you are meant to do.
May you have the courage
to respond with openness,
even when the path ahead
is not yet clear.
May you trust
that the Holy One
can speak through longing,
through love,
through creativity,
through community,
and through the quiet wisdom of your soul.
And may all you do
and all you say
flow from a place of purpose,
possibility,
and love.
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