A number of Midrashim pose the question: “why do children begin learning the Chumash with the book of Vayikra? A book mostly dedicated to the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and then in the Two Holy Temples. Why wouldn’t pure and innocent children begin their Torah learning with the first book “Bereshit,” in which we learn H”S creation of the world and then it follow with the stories of our forefathers and foremothers? To me that would’ve made much more sense.
The Kli Yakar begins his commentary on the Parashah explaining why the aleph in the word “VAYIKRa” is a small aleph to remind us that this is where children, who are small and begin their learning with aleph, should begin their Chumash studies with Vayikra.
The book of Vayikra, as hard as it is to understand, holds many secrets to life. The sacrifices of animals done in the times of the Tabernacle and subsequent Temples remind us of the importance of our Avoda (work in the service of H”S) in this world by going above our animalistic urges and living with our G-dly side. By doing this, we are sacrificing the animal within.
At an early age, children are taught that they have this duality and that they can always rise above their egos, and that they are much more than that.
The bringing of korbanot (sacrifices)is the essence of Avoda ,which along with Torah and acts of love and kindness are the three pillars that sustain the world.
When a child learns from an early stage what keeps him close to H”S and what distances him from H”S and that as a Jew he is a priest amongst the nations, he will grow with a sense of responsibility to himself, others, and to G-d.
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