Vayikra - The Sound of Silence

"Hello darkness, my old friend,

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seeds while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain

Still remains

Within the sound of silence."

You will no doubt recognise the above lyrics, written by Paul Simon nearly sixty years ago.

In this last week, as the vast majority of us sit isolated from the world, perhaps the words resonate more than they would have done three weeks ago.

In the recent past that we called 'February', our future confinement could only have been imagined within the realms of a Hollywood disaster movie.

Yet, in the not-so-merry month of March, many of us are trying to come to terms with the sound of silence.

What does silence sound like?

Is it loud, is it quiet, is it non-descriptive?

Do we notice it and do we want to think about the lack of verbal patter that filled our eardrums such a short while ago.? In the days when we socialised with our friends and family, the ones who are now barred from visiting us, in the ever-increasing and life-changing situation that has become our 'social isolation'?

For some in our community, the sound of silence can be deafening.

Following through with this notion, we are left with the feeling that the Aleph seems to be extraneous to the conversation between the two. Gd chatted with Moshe and asked him to speak to the Israelites.

The verse continues:

Coming on the back of the last few parashot in Shemot, this seems like the usual routine, namely, I, Gd will give you an instruction which you will then convey to the Israelites. In this case, we're going to focus on Sacrifices, particularly since you've just spent months instructing them on how to build the Mishkan, the Tabernacle.

Now that it's built and ready to go, this is how you can use the various artefacts that were made under Bezalel's stewardship (he the architect and chief artisan of the Mishkan).

But what about that little, almost invisible, silent Aleph, the letter that changes the entire meaning of the word and formalises the relationship between Gd calling out to Moshe (Vayikra) and chancing upon him (Vayikar)?

Have you considered that some of the most influential people are not neccessarily the most verbose?

In many businesses, it the the silent partner,the person who keeps out of the limelight The person who makes the most important decisions concerning the direction that the business should focus on to grow and succeed.

Later in Jewish history, the prophet Elijah is fleeing for his life from King Ahab. We are told that he escapes to the wilderness, a day's journey from Beersheba.

Sometimes, we don't need Gd's fireworks to convey a message to us. Sometimes, it is the still, thin, almost invisible, almost silent sound, that speaks the loudest. Sometimes, it is the silence between the words that makes the greatest impact.

Sometimes, the silence of our thoughts that leaves its seeds, waiting to germinate into fully developed ideas. That silence that grants us the opportunity to reflect, think and internalise - separating the wheat from the chaff.

Vayikra teaches us that yes, Gd did call out to Moshe, but at the same time, perhaps in a quiet, modest manner. His voice enveloped in a still, thin, almost imperceptible voice. From that silence, He created a sound that was worth listening to.

Many of our fellow Jews, countrymen and women are currently isolated at home, trying to come to terms with their newly found unwelcome and frightening status. Perhaps they are listening to the silence to perceive some welcoming sounds.

We cannot chance by them physically, but the sound of a telephone ringing and a friendly voice travelling down the line can be so appreciated. We do not want them to make a friend of their silence and at the same time, we need to be careful to avoid deafening them with our extraneous sounds. We need to find the balance between the two.

Perhaps we can take the example of Gd, who spoke to Moshe, as a friend in a quiet and reserved manner. Reassuring them that they will be fine, this too will pass and most importantly, that they are not alone - even if they may feel they have been accustomed to the silence that they thought was their companion.

Silence can be deadly, but if used thoughtfully, can measure what we say and how we do this.

Hello darkness my old friend....let us bring light to their darkness and friendship to their silence.

Shabbat Shalom brachot to you and your families.