The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha this evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand's first vort was about the second pasuk in the parsha which states דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָֽמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אָדָ֗ם כִּי־יַקְרִ֥יב מִכֶּ֛ם קָרְבָּ֖ן and he focused on why the term for man that is used in the pasuk is אָדָ֗ם. He quoted a Gemara which states that a person bringing a sacrifice must be like Adam - the same way that he did not bring a sacrifice from someone else's property (since there was no one else) so too a person should not bring a sacrifice from someone else's property.
But there is a Zohar which interprets the pasuk cryptically saying - don't be like Adam or the last man - you need to bring it like everyone between Adam and the past person at the end of time. R' Frand quoted R' Mordechai Rogoff who explains that when Adam brought a sacrifice it was not a "sacrifice" because there was no famine or trouble. The final man at the end of time at which point Hashem has been revealed, all of the inexplicable will become understandable. This person who lives through the revelation of the Shechinah will also not have a "sacrifice" because everything makes sense. But everyone else who brings a sacrifice despite all that he has gone through - this is a real korban.
R' Frand told a story about the Satmar Rebbi's first visit to Israel, when he was approached by a man and asked for beracha. He responded - go ask for a beracha from someone with a tattoo on his arm - meaning a Holocaust survivor. Someone who went through such troubles and has stayed frum - he is worthy of asking for a beracha.
R' Frand said a second vort about the small alef in the first word of the parsha. R' Frand quoted the Ba'al HaTurim who explains that Moshe in his modesty did not want to broadcast that Hashem called him. So he wrote the word like the way that Hashem called to Bilaam - וַיִּקְרָ֖ - a calling of happenstance. But Hashem did not want him to use that word and Moshe was required to write the word as וַיִּקְרָ֖א, but in so doing he wrote a small alef.
R' Frand then quoted R' Shach who noted that Chazal say that there are many derashos from the crown of a letter, so didn't Moshe deprive us of the derashos that could be made from a full sized alef? No, responded R' Shach - because he wanted to teach us the lesson of humility, even though there could be other derashsos from a full sized alef.
But if the lesson is so important, then why not write וַיִּקְרָ֖? R' Frand answered that there is a more important lesson - that Hashem has a more intimate relationship with the Jews than the rest of the world. This is not to say that Hashem does not connect with the rest of the world, but with the Jews there is Hashgacha Pratis.
R' Frand quoted the Ramban at the end of Sefer Shemos (33:17) that from the fact that Hashem made open miracles, one can extrapolate that there were hidden miracles. Because a person is not a frum Jew unless he believes that everything is a miracle from Hashem.
R' Frand told a story about how he had recently flown to Seattle and a friend had tried to share his first class status with R' Frand, but when he got the ticket it was not first class. But right before he was going to board, the flight attendant said - there was one remaining first class seat and you are the first in line for an upgrade, so its yours. R' Frand said that he spent the rest of the flight saying to himself - Hashem what did I do to deserve this? It was Hashgacha Pratis - a gift from Hashem.
R' Frand said that this is the lesson of Vayikra - even though there is a strong lesson in humility, there is a more important lesson of Hashgacha Pratis.
R' Frand closed with a story about R' Mordechai Pogmoransky (sp?) who one Friday was on a train with another Jewish man who was a Shochet and Mohel. The two were engrossed in conversation and accidentally missed their stop. When they got off at the next stop it was close to Shabbos and they asked if there were any Jews in the town. They were directed to a house and when they knocked on the door and introduced themselves, the Jew started crying. He explained that his wife gave birth to a son the previous Shabbos and that he had tried unsuccessfully to have a Mohel come for a bris this Shabbos. So the mohel did the milah and R' Pogmoransky was the sandek!
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