The Autistic Parashah | Vayikra
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Vayikra, with its detailed account of sacrifices in the Tabernacle, holds a unique resonance for the autistic community. It offers a lens through which to view the Divine’s appreciation for specificity as akin to the autistic experience. The intricate instructions for each offering can be seen as God sharing Their special interest with Their people, a profound act of love and invitation for connection that many autistic people can deeply relate to.
The elaborate rituals outlined in Parashat Vayikra reflect the Divine’s enjoyment of details, suggesting that God, in Their infinite ways of “being”, shares traits familiar to the autistic experience, including a deep fascination with specific interests that help us connect to the world. This perspective posits the act of sacrifice not just as ritual obligation but as a loving invitation to engage with God’s special interests. For autistic people, who often express love and connect with others through shared interests, this concept resonates deeply, highlighting the sacrifices as a bridge for intimate connection with the Divine.
Just as autistic people find joy and meaning in delving into our special interests and feel loved when others take part in them, Parashat Vayikra illustrates how engaging with God’s detailed commandments is an expression of mutual affection and understanding. The precision and care in following the sacrificial instructions mirror how autistic humans engage with our passions and appreciate when others join us in their explorations. This mutual engagement in interests serves as a powerful form of connection, emphasizing that love can be communicated through shared dedication to detail and structure.
The detailed nature of the sacrifices in Parashat Vayikra, seen as an expression of God’s autistic traits, enriches our understanding of worship and communal life. It invites the community to embrace and value the autistic perspective, recognizing the depth of engagement and connection found in shared interests and detailed practices. By acknowledging the unique ways autistic people experience and express devotion, communities can foster a more inclusive environment where everyone’s relationship with the Divine is celebrated.
As we reflect on Parashat Vayikra, we are called to create communities that understand and embrace the beauty of connecting through detailed interests, as God Themself does. This perspective encourages us to see the rituals not as mere obligations but as opportunities for deep, personal connection with the Divine, modeled in a way that resonates with the autistic experience. In doing so, we affirm the value of every person’s unique way of relating to and interfacing with the Divine, fostering a communal space where the diversity of divine engagement is a source of strength and unity.
May this interpretation of Parashat Vayikra inspire us to appreciate the divine love expressed through detail and the power of shared interests to connect us more deeply to God and to each other. Let us embrace the richness that the autistic perspective brings to our understanding of worship and community, creating spaces where every form of devotion is recognized and celebrated.
Shabbat Shalom.
