It’s not just filler! According to the sages, these repetitions are clues, little breadcrumbs that lead us to deeper meanings. Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the book of Leviticus, dedicates itself to uncovering these hidden layers. And in Vayikra Rabbah 26, we find some fascinating examples.

The text starts with the verse, "The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron [and say to them]." The Midrash points out the double language: "said…and say." The rule, the Rabbis suggest, is that "Wherever the verse uses the term said (or speaking) twice for the same statement…it requires expounding." So, what's the big deal about "speak…and say" here?

The Midrash brings other examples. Remember the story of Esther? "King Ahasuerus said and he said to Queen Esther: [Who is he…who is so presumptuous to do so?]" (Esther 7:5). Why the double "he said?" One explanation is quite intriguing: Ahasuerus was essentially telling Esther, "If it's Haman, great, but if you're thinking of someone else, say it's him anyway!" Can you imagine the pressure?

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi offers a different take. He suggests that initially, Ahasuerus wasn't aware of Esther's Jewish identity, so he spoke to her through an interpreter. But once he knew, he spoke directly to her. The double "said" reflects this shift in their relationship.

The Midrash then turns to the Book of Kings: "The man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, and he said: So said the Lord" (I Kings 20:28). Again, "said…he said." The first "said" is the prophecy: Ahab would have victory over Ben Hadad. The second "said" carries a warning: Don't spare him! Because, as the prophet makes clear, God set up all kinds of snares and nets to deliver Ben Hadad into Ahab's hands. If Ahab lets him go, Ahab’s life would be forfeit. He would pay for it with his own life, and his people for Ben Hadad’s people. And indeed, this came to pass, as Ahab disobeyed and suffered the consequences.

Perhaps the most striking example involves the prophet Ezekiel. "He said to the man clothed in linen, and he said: [Come to between the galgal beneath the cherub and fill your hands with smoldering coals from between the cherubs, and cast them upon the city]" (Ezekiel 10:2). Here, God tells an angel to take coals and destroy the city. But the angel can’t just grab them himself! He needs help from a cherub. So the angel turns to the cherub and says, essentially, "God has decreed this, but I don't have permission to enter your space. Can you do me a solid and give me two coals so I don't get burned?"

Rabbi Pinḥas adds that the cherub even cooled the coals down for the angel! Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, says that the angel Gabriel held those coals for six years, hoping Israel would repent. But they didn't. So Gabriel sought to destroy them.

But then, God intervenes! "Gabriel, Gabriel," He says, "there are people among them who perform charitable acts for one another." Ezekiel sees "the form of a man's hand" on the cherubs (Ezekiel 10:8), representing God's preventing Gabriel from casting the coals.

Rabbi Abba, in the name of Rabbi Berekhya, makes a powerful statement: What sustains the world, both above and below? It's tzedakah – the charitable acts we perform with our own hands. That's why it says, "For Your righteousness [vetzidkatekha], God, reaches the heavens…" (Psalms 71:19). It’s our acts of kindness that connect us to the divine.

So, what does all this have to do with "speak to the priests…and say to them"? The Midrash returns to our original verse. The first "speak" refers to a mitzvah corpse – a body with no one to care for it. In that case, a priest must become ritually impure to bury the deceased. The second "say," however, clarifies that for other situations, a priest may not become impure.

See how much meaning is packed into those two little words? It's not just repetition. It's nuance, clarification, and a window into the complexities of Jewish law and ethics.

Ultimately, Vayikra Rabbah 26 reminds us that even the smallest details in the Torah can hold profound significance. It invites us to look deeper, to listen more closely, and to find the hidden connections that link us to each other and to the divine. And it reminds us that even small acts of kindness, performed with our own hands, can have a world-changing impact. What small act of kindness will you perform today?