Weekly Reading Insights
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Overview of the Weekly
Reading: Emor Torah: Lev.21:-24:23 Stats: Emor contains 24 positive
mitzvot and 39 prohibitive mitzvot. Among the Weekly Readings,
"You shall not profane...."(22:32) The Hebrew word for "profane"--"t'chal'lu"--is related to the word meaning "empty" or "void." "Do not cause a void or emptiness to come between us," G-d cautions, referring to transgressions which place a barrier between a Jew and G-d. "Furthermore, make sure that no place is void of Me." Haughtiness pushes away the Divine Presence, which is incompatible with pride and lack of humility. (Likutei Torah) "You shall sanctify him, for the bread of your G-d he offers." (21:8) Do not look down upon the high
priest and hold him in contempt because he is sustained by the gifts accrued
from his position. He serves a special, higher purpose, one ordained by
G-d. (Ktav Sofer) "Out of the sanctuary he shall not go." (21:12) A Jew's thoughts must always be of holy matters, connected to G-dliness and sanctity, even when engaged in seemingly mundane affairs. At such times (such as when conducting necessary business), the Jew should consider himself as having left his "home" temporarily, with the intention to later return. The warm influence of the home will carry over also when he is in the street. (Baal Shem Tov) FROM THE MASTERS OF KABBALAH Emor )Selected with
permission from the five-volume English edition of Ohr HaChaim: the
Torah Commentary of Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar, as translated and annotated
by Eliyahu Munk. "And if a priest's
daughter will become widowed or divorced, she may return to her father's
house as when she was a girl, and she may eat her father's food. In this verse the Torah speaks
of the person who had achieved the most spiritually advanced level of
neshama leneshama. We have explained that as a result of such an
ascent this kind of person is separated from sin almost absolutely, his
whole lifestyle being one of avoiding even the proximity of sin. The Torah
hints at this by describing such a bat cohen as "married,"
i.e. closely attached to her holy roots. This is the kind of soul of which
Solomon had spoken in Proverbs 12:21 when he described it as not becoming
the victim of any mishap, i.e. sin.
An essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter Emor ) In the first verse of this week's reading, the Torah repeats itself, saying, "Say (emor) to the Kohanim, the sons of Aaron and say to them". Rashi explains this repetition with what is now a famous expression, "to warn the older [kohanim, concerning their teaching responsibility] for the younger [kohanim]." This is not the only scriptural basis for the obligation of adults to educate children. The Talmud (Yevamot 114a), points out three different commands where the same double use of the word "say" (emor) is employed: the prohibition to eat insects, the prohibition to consume blood, and the prohibition for priests to defile themselves. Why are these three miztvot used, as examples, to demonstrate the importance of education? And how, indeed, can we best educate our children? The Lubavitcher Rebbe identifies what these three mitzvot have in common, and explains that it is their very distinctiveness which makes these mitzvot difficult to teach to a child. Eating insects is something we find naturally disgusting. On the other hand, the consumption of blood, though equally repulsive, was nonetheless, a common and widespread practice. Finally, the laws governing the defilement of priests possess no apparent rational basis. A teacher today, confronting such bizarre behaviors, would feel frustrated, incapable of effectively communicating these concepts. For this reason, the Torah underscores the urgency to educate our children specifically about these three mitzvot, in order to confer upon us the extra strength required for this challenging task. From this, we learn three educational principles. Firstly, if a teacher has a student who behaves despicably, the situation is not hopeless. Secondly, it is commonly believed that although it is normally possible to teach anyone who is receptive to new ideas, if a person is habituated to some horribly inappropriate behavior, then the situation is hopeless. The Torah categorically disagrees. Even a person who is totally fixated in a bad pattern of behavior, such as eating blood, must to be taught. And he must be taught, because even he can change for the better. Lastly, conventional wisdom maintains that you can only teach things that can be explained logically. Especially, if students should adopt a position that they do not believe something, then there is not much room to change their minds. Accordingly, the Torah emphasizes education in the context of the defilement of the Kohanim, something totally supra-rational, informing us that education can, in fact, alter a person's perception dramatically. For implanted in the inner recesses of every Jew is an eternal faith that a proper education can uncover and nourish. When the Torah gives us a directive, it is also actually imbuing us with the strength to fulfill it. The Torah never demands more than we are capable of; therefore, we should never feel that any of its directives is beyond us. Fortified with this insight, we can fulfill G-d's mitzvot with confidence and with joy, knowing that we are doing our part in hastening of the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem!
Shabbat Shalom! |