Parashat Emor
פרשת
אמור
Preface
This Parasha deals with how the people of Yisrael are connected to HaShem and
can remain connected.
The Kohanim and the Mishkan are the center around which everything revolves.
And since the Mishkan is a place of particularly great closeness to HaShem, the
familiar and beloved laws of nature no longer apply there.
Secondly, the holidays are central: Shabbat and all the Mo’adim – times of
gathering.
The concept of Kedusha, and with it Tahara and Tum’a, is
deeply foreign to us today. So foreign that we can hardly imagine the way of
life of the generations that experienced the Mishkan and the Temples.
This is a problem for us insofar as we today have a strongly
romanticized notion of HaShem and our relationship with HIM.
While it is certainly true that HaShem is pure love, this pure love is also a
very, very hot fire. Just like the sun.
No one would think of approaching the sun unprotected, even just to leave the
Earth’s atmosphere. It would burn them!
But we think we can approach HaShem however and whenever we please! Like small
children who have access to their parents at any time.
But this is simply not the case. The entire Torah teaches us
this.
Just as nature imposes strict rules on us (use the stairs from the 4th floor,
don’t jump out the window! Don’t go into the water if you can’t swim. Don’t
play with poisonous snakes. Look right and left before crossing the street,
etc.), HaShem has similarly structured the broader reality with strict rules!
So: What are Tum’a and Tahara?
They are two states. One allows connection with the higher worlds and
realities, and the other blocks it.
With Tum’a, mercifully, there are different levels.
But in general: Whoever wants to go to the Mishkan, whoever must or wants to
bring Korbanot, must absolutely be in the state of Tahara, ritual purity.
Anything else – is deadly!!
Since Tum’a is contagious (according to precise rules), it
was (and hopefully will soon be again) essential for the entire people to keep
away from it.
The motivation for this? The love for HaShem, the desire to
be connected. Or simply the necessity, as one is part of the people and, in the
desert, completely dependent on HaShem.
HE provides: clothing, food, water, life, coolness, laws, connection.
Rav Michoel Mosbacher, in the name of Rav Shimon Shkop,
shared a beautiful idea: Kedusha, sanctity/separateness, is closely tied to
giving. The more someone gives, the more they are Kadosh, holy, elevated, set
apart. And HaShem only gives. He gives us the entire world, everything HE
created, including our souls and bodies and the entire world! And HE sustains
and recreates it every moment anew!
Thus, we can read this Parasha in light of this definition
in a completely new way.
With every verse, we can ask: What is the person giving here?
And then we see: Without Kohanim, we cannot remain connected
to HaShem for even an hour!
For the Kohanim, Tahara is like the air we breathe.
And then we get a small sense of how demanding and difficult life as a Kohen
is, and how fulfilling.
The verses about Shabbat and Mo’adim, I will, G-d willing,
describe next year.
Parasha
(1) {פרשת אמור} וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים
בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו׃
Parashat Emor And HaShem said to Moshe, say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon,
saying to them: You shall not ritually defile yourselves with lifeless bodies
(note: The Torah speaks in positive language about death. It refers to the
absence of Nefesh, meaning “lifeless”).
(2) כִּ֚י אִם־ִשְׁאֵר֔וֹ הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו לְאִמּ֣וֹ וּלְאָבִ֔יו
וְלִבְנ֥וֹ וּלְבִתּ֖וֹ וּלְאָחִֽיו׃
Except for your close relatives, your mother, father, son, daughter, and
brother.
(3) וְלַאֲחֹת֤וֹ הַבְּתוּלָה֙ הַקְּרוֹבָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר
לֹֽא־הָיְתָ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ לָ֖הּ יִטַּמָּֽא׃
And for his sister, the virgin, who is close to him, who has not yet belonged
to a man, for her you may defile yourself.
(4) לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּ֖א בַּ֣עַל בְּעַמָּ֑יו לְהֵ֖חַלּֽוֹ׃
And a leader shall not defile himself among the people.
(5) לֹֽא־[יִקְרְח֤וּ] (יקרחה) קׇרְחָה֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם וּפְאַ֥ת זְקָנָ֖ם
לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ וּבִ֨בְשָׂרָ֔ם לֹ֥א יִשְׂרְט֖וּ שָׂרָֽטֶת׃
They shall not shave their heads bald, nor shave the edges of their beards, nor
cut their flesh.
(6) קְדֹשִׁ֤ים יִהְיוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א יְחַלְּל֔וּ שֵׁ֖ם
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם כִּי֩ אֶת־אִשֵּׁ֨י יְהֹוָ֜ה לֶ֧חֶם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם הֵ֥ם מַקְרִיבִ֖ם
וְהָ֥יוּ קֹֽדֶשׁ׃
They shall be holy to their G-d and not profane the name of their G-d, for they
bring the fire-offerings of HaShem, the bread of their G-d, and they shall be
holy.
(7) אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּר וּשָׁ֥ה
מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵאלֹהָֽיו׃
They shall not take a prostitute or a defiled woman, nor a woman divorced from
her husband, for he is holy to his G-d.
(8) וְקִ֨דַּשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־אֶת־לֶ֥חֶם אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ ה֣וּא מַקְרִ֑יב
קָדֹשׁ֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לָ֔ךְ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃
And you shall sanctify him, for he brings the bread of your G-d; he shall be
holy to you, for I, HaShem, who sanctifies you, am holy.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י
אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם
Three times “Emor.”
There are opinions that “Emor” is a softer form of command than “Daber,”
and “Daber” is softer than “Tagid.”
“Tagid” is truly a harsh, military command.
“Daber” is more conversational, somewhat gentler, and “Emor,” according
to some opinions, is even gentler.
However, the Ramban disagrees, citing numerous examples where “Daber”
and “Emor” appear interchangeably.
In any case, here a gentle manner is used three times to inform the
Kohanim of the conditions they must fulfill to be worthy of serving in the
Mishkan. These are outlined throughout the Parasha (Rashi, Ramban). The first
condition is that they must not become Tamei through contact with the dead, with
a few exceptions.
The concept of Tum’a is very difficult, as is that of
Kedusha.
Tum’a causes a person to avoid people, things, and places that are or will come
into contact with Kedusha.
Kedusha is a fundamental attribute of the Almighty.
Rashi says, Kadosh = separated from, elevated above.
Kedusha also has to do with the Neshama and the higher spheres of existence.
The human being is the only creature in the world capable of connecting the
lower and upper spheres of creation and making them one. But this can only be
done perfectly in a state of Tahara, meaning the absence of Tum’a. How this
works, how one remains Tahor, or becomes Tamei, remains so, or frees oneself
from it, is defined in the Torah, particularly in the Book of Vayikra.
Dead Jews are the strongest source of Tum’a.
Then come Kashrut, various bodily discharges, and dead animals of different
categories.
Tum’a can be transmitted, which makes it very dangerous, especially in the
times when the Mishkan and the two Temples stood.
The Mishkan is, so to speak, a “portable mini-Mount Sinai”
wherever the Bnei Yisrael travel. Within the boundaries of the Mishkan,
entirely different rules of existence apply than outside. The Mishkan is, as it
were, a place where the higherව
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the translation or adjust the response.
Parashat Emor
פרשת
אמור
Preface
This Parasha deals with how the people of Yisrael are connected to HaShem and
can remain connected.
The Kohanim and the Mishkan are the center around which everything revolves.
And since the Mishkan is a place of particularly great closeness to HaShem, the
familiar and beloved laws of nature no longer apply there.
Secondly, the holidays are central: Shabbat and all the Mo’adim – times of
gathering.
The concept of Kedusha, and with it Tahara and Tum’a, is
deeply foreign to us today. So foreign that we can hardly imagine the way of
life of the generations that experienced the Mishkan and the Temples.
This is a problem for us insofar as we today have a strongly
romanticized notion of HaShem and our relationship with HIM.
While it is certainly true that HaShem is pure love, this pure love is also a
very, very hot fire. Just like the sun.
No one would think of approaching the sun unprotected, even just to leave the
Earth’s atmosphere. It would burn them!
But we think we can approach HaShem however and whenever we please! Like small
children who have access to their parents at any time.
But this is simply not the case. The entire Torah teaches us
this.
Just as nature imposes strict rules on us (use the stairs from the 4th floor,
don’t jump out the window! Don’t go into the water if you can’t swim. Don’t
play with poisonous snakes. Look right and left before crossing the street,
etc.), HaShem has similarly structured the broader reality with strict rules!
So: What are Tum’a and Tahara?
They are two states. One allows connection with the higher worlds and
realities, and the other blocks it.
With Tum’a, mercifully, there are different levels.
But in general: Whoever wants to go to the Mishkan, whoever must or wants to
bring Korbanot, must absolutely be in the state of Tahara, ritual purity.
Anything else – is deadly!!
Since Tum’a is contagious (according to precise rules), it
was (and hopefully will soon be again) essential for the entire people to keep
away from it.
The motivation for this? The love for HaShem, the desire to
be connected. Or simply the necessity, as one is part of the people and, in the
desert, completely dependent on HaShem.
HE provides: clothing, food, water, life, coolness, laws, connection.
Rav Michoel Mosbacher, in the name of Rav Shimon Shkop,
shared a beautiful idea: Kedusha, sanctity/separateness, is closely tied to
giving. The more someone gives, the more they are Kadosh, holy, elevated, set
apart. And HaShem only gives. He gives us the entire world, everything HE
created, including our souls and bodies and the entire world! And HE sustains
and recreates it every moment anew!
Thus, we can read this Parasha in light of this definition
in a completely new way.
With every verse, we can ask: What is the person giving here?
And then we see: Without Kohanim, we cannot remain connected
to HaShem for even an hour!
For the Kohanim, Tahara is like the air we breathe.
And then we get a small sense of how demanding and difficult life as a Kohen
is, and how fulfilling.
The verses about Shabbat and Mo’adim, I will, G-d willing,
describe next year.
Parasha
(1) {פרשת אמור} וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים
בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו׃
Parashat Emor And HaShem said to Moshe, say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon,
saying to them: You shall not ritually defile yourselves with lifeless bodies
(note: The Torah speaks in positive language about death. It refers to the
absence of Nefesh, meaning “lifeless”).
(2) כִּ֚י אִם־ִשְׁאֵר֔וֹ הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו לְאִמּ֣וֹ וּלְאָבִ֔יו
וְלִבְנ֥וֹ וּלְבִתּ֖וֹ וּלְאָחִֽיו׃
Except for your close relatives, your mother, father, son, daughter, and
brother.
(3) וְלַאֲחֹת֤וֹ הַבְּתוּלָה֙ הַקְּרוֹבָ֣ה אֵלָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֥ר
לֹֽא־הָיְתָ֖ה לְאִ֑ישׁ לָ֖הּ יִטַּמָּֽא׃
And for his sister, the virgin, who is close to him, who has not yet belonged
to a man, for her you may defile yourself.
(4) לֹ֥א יִטַּמָּ֖א בַּ֣עַל בְּעַמָּ֑יו לְהֵ֖חַלּֽוֹ׃
And a leader shall not defile himself among the people.
(5) לֹֽא־[יִקְרְח֤וּ] (יקרחה) קׇרְחָה֙ בְּרֹאשָׁ֔ם וּפְאַ֥ת זְקָנָ֖ם
לֹ֣א יְגַלֵּ֑חוּ וּבִ֨בְשָׂרָ֔ם לֹ֥א יִשְׂרְט֖וּ שָׂרָֽטֶת׃
They shall not shave their heads bald, nor shave the edges of their beards, nor
cut their flesh.
(6) קְדֹשִׁ֤ים יִהְיוּ֙ לֵאלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א יְחַלְּל֔וּ שֵׁ֖ם
אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֑ם כִּי֩ אֶת־אִשֵּׁ֨י יְהֹוָ֜ה לֶ֧חֶם אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם הֵ֥ם מַקְרִיבִ֖ם
וְהָ֥יוּ קֹֽדֶשׁ׃
They shall be holy to their G-d and not profane the name of their G-d, for they
bring the fire-offerings of HaShem, the bread of their G-d, and they shall be
holy.
(7) אִשָּׁ֨ה זֹנָ֤ה וַחֲלָלָה֙ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֔חוּ וְאִשָּׁ֛ה גְּרוּשָׁ֥ה
מֵאִישָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יִקָּ֑חוּ כִּֽי־קָדֹ֥שׁ ה֖וּא לֵאלֹהָֽיו׃
They shall not take a prostitute or a defiled woman, nor a woman divorced from
her husband, for he is holy to his G-d.
(8) וְקִ֨דַּשְׁתּ֔וֹ כִּֽי־אֶת־לֶ֥חֶם אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ ה֣וּא מַקְרִ֑יב
קָדֹשׁ֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לָ֔ךְ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה מְקַדִּשְׁכֶֽם׃
And you shall sanctify him, for he brings the bread of your Gmeals, he shall be
holy to you, for I, HaShem, who sanctifies you, am holy.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר
יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣
אֲלֵהֶ֔ם
Three times “Emor.”
There are opinions that “Emor” is a softer form of command than “Daber,”
and “Daber” is softer than “Tagid.”
“Tagid” is truly a harsh, military command.
“Daber” is more conversational, somewhat gentler, and “Emor,” according
to some opinions, is even gentler.
However, the Ramban disagrees, citing numerous examples where “Daber”
and “Emor” appear interchangeably.
In any case, here a gentle manner is used three times to inform the
Kohanim of the conditions they must fulfill to be worthy of serving in the
Mishkan. These are outlined throughout the Parasha (Rashi, Ramban). The first
condition is that they must not become Tamei through contact with the dead, with
a few exceptions.
The concept of Tum’a is very difficult, as is that of
Kedusha.
Tum’a causes a person to avoid people, things, and places that are or will come
into contact with Kedusha.
Kedusha is a fundamental attribute of the Almighty.
Rashi says, Kadosh = separated from, elevated above.
Kedusha also has to do with the Neshama and the higher spheres of existence.
The human being is the only creature in the world capable of connecting the
lower and upper spheres of creation and making them one. But this can only be
done perfectly in a state of Tahara, meaning the absence of Tum’a. How this
works, how one remains Tahor, or becomes Tamei, remains so, or frees oneself
from it, is defined in the Torah, particularly in the Book of Vayikra.
Dead Jews are the strongest source of Tum’a.
Then come Kashrut, various bodily discharges, and dead animals of different
categories.
Tum’a can be transmitted, which makes it very dangerous, especially in the
times when the Mishkan and the two Temples stood.
The Mishkan is, so to speak, a “portable mini-Mount Sinai”
wherever the Bnei Yisrael travel. Within the boundaries of the Mishkan,
entirely different rules of existence apply than outside. The Mishkan is, as it
were, a place where the higher spheres are much more present. Miracles occur
constantly, meaning the usual and beloved laws of nature are not fully in
effect. Additionally, within the Mishkan, different levels of Kedusha exist,
depending on the location. The highest level is in the Kodesh Kodashim, where
the Shechinah is visibly and audibly present. And there, anyone who is not
authorized, or who is authorized but not sufficiently free of Tum’a, dies.
Some small examples of what was already different in the
outer area of the Mishkan and the two Temples compared to normal:
The column of smoke rising from the altar ascends vertically to the heavens,
regardless of wind or weather. There are no flies or insects, and the blood
does not stink or decay. And much more.
These are but crude signs of the Shechinah’s presence. Since
the Kohanim live in and constantly move about the Mishkan, it is appropriate
for them to conduct themselves in a way that ensures they have the spiritual
and physical level required to endure and survive this Kedusha. For the
physical body cannot endure Kedusha limitlessly; it “burns,” so to speak, if it
is not Tahor enough.
This was seen with the sons of Aharon, Nadav and Avihu.
Although, according to the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh (citing Midrashim and Gemara),
the two came so close to the Shechinah that their Neshamot simply could no
longer remain in their bodies, out of sheer love and longing for the Other
World and closeness to HKBH, and thus left their bodies.
However, Tum’a, if one is aware of it and deliberately seeks
to diminish Kedusha, also leads to Karet, a terrible state in which the Neshama
is cut off from the people and thus from the further history of Yisrael.
Thus, the Kohanim are informed as compassionately as
possible that they are only very limitedly permitted to mourn and deal with the
dead.
I believe “Yomar…Emor…Omarto” also appears here because it
is not easy, in the face of grief and loss, to be joyful and cheerful in the
Mishkan. And that is required, for the Kohanim are, so to speak, already at
home in the realm beyond our lower realities, and thus they see the world
differently.
For them, perhaps death is not the end, but merely a
transitional state.
Interestingly, Rashi, also citing the Gemara Yevamot, says
that these repetitions refer to the fact that minor Kohanim are indeed warned
against dealing with the dead, whether human or animal. However, if they do so,
they are not sent out of the camp until they have undergone purification with
the Mei Niddah and in a Mikveh, because they are not yet obligated for the
Mitzvot, and thus cannot contract Tum’a. And probably also because they are
still young and very sensitive, and therefore judged more gently and with
different standards than adults from age 13.
From this alone, it is evident how difficult to grasp the
concept and reality of Tum’a, Tahara, and Kedusha are. They are completely
separate from our ordinary sensory organs. Among our ancestors, even 100 years
ago, there were those who could perceive Tum’a, Tahara, and Kedusha. Today,
there are almost no such people left, perhaps none at all. If there are any,
they are truly only a few among all the Jews living today.
And that alone should make us very reflective and sad, that
we have sunk so far from the Shechinah.
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