Emor

Leviticus 21:1−24:23

Sanctifiers Of Time

The commandment to proclaim the festivals includes concepts of communal responsibility and imitating God.

By Rabbi Avraham Fischer, Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

In the midst of a book devoted to kedusha (sanctity), the apex of the Torah's value system, we revisit the subject of the festivals:

And Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them: The festivals of Hashem which you will proclaim (tikr’u otam) as holy convocations, these are My festivals.

For six days shall work be done, and on the seventh day is the Shabbat of complete rest, a holy convocation, all work shall you not do, it is Shabbat to Hashem in all your dwellings.

These are the festivals of Hashem, the holy convocations which you will proclaim (tirkr’u otam) at their occasion. (Vayikra 23:1-4)

The festivals were discussed earlier (Shemot 23:14-17; 34:17-23), where it was established that Pesach must be during aviv (spring in Israel), and consequently the other pilgrimage festivals would coincide with their proper seasons: Shavuot with the first offering of the wheat-harvest and Sukkot with the in-gathering of the harvest. Based on the inspection of the grain, the flowering of fruit trees and the vernal equinox, the Sanhedrin (high court) would decide whether to intercalate the year by adding a month before the month of Nisan.

Furthermore, the rabbis teach (Tractate Sanhedrin 11a; Rambam, Laws of Sanctifying the Moon, 4:5) that the Sanhedrin can intercalate for other reasons, which can only be described as communal needs: when late winter rains cause the obstruction of roads, the destruction of bridges or the ruining of earthenware ovens for roasting the Pesach sacrifices; or, if Jews in the Diaspora have begun their pilgrimage to Jerusalem but will not arrive in time.

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Kedoshim

Leviticus 19:1-20:27

Constructive Criticism

The commandment to rebuke one another teaches the importance of mutual responsibility.

By Rabbi Avraham Fischer. Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.
Morality is not enough.

As important as it is to build an ethical society in which no harm is tolerated, the Torah sets a higher standard: to create a holy society.

Among the many mitzvot (commandments) in this part of Vayikra [Leviticus], the book of the sanctified society, we find:

You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your friend, and you shall not bear sin upon him (Vayikra 19:17).

Here, we are taught about the importance of mutual responsibility. In the sanctified society, each individual has a personal interest that everyone aspires to holiness. This sometimes requires constructive criticism.

Analyzing the Verse

Many of the classic commentaries analyze the flow of ideas in this verse. Rashbam (Samuel ben Meir, 12th-century France), for example, says: If you feel wronged by him, do not pretend to love him. Correct him, rather than preserve sinful feelings toward him.

Ibn Ezra (12th-century Spanish commentator) and Ramban (Nachmanides) add that v'lo tissa alav chet--and you shall not bear sin upon him--provides a rationale and a motive: It is possible that your feelings are groundless, but you will not know unless you confront him. But, if your concerns are justified, you will bear some responsibility for his continued wrong, because you could have corrected him. On the other hand, when you reprove him he will apologize to you, or--if his sin was against Hashem--he will confess, and he will be forgiven.

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Shabbat Chol haMoed Pesach

Exodus 33:12-34:26 – and Deuteronomy 10:9-12

Haftarah for Chol haMoed Pesach Ezekiel 37:1 – 14

Reuben Ebrahimoff, the Haftorahman, brings you a Video shiur on this Shabbat’s Haftorah from the Book of Prophets, explaining it in a dynamic and exciting way, making learning the Haftorah a fun and enlightening experience each and every week.

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Shabbat HaGadol - Acharei Mot

Leviticus 16:1-18:30

The Limits Of Spirituality

Nadav and Avihu died in an act of sanctification; our goal should be to sanctify God through our lives, not our deaths.

By Rabbi Moshe Morduchowitz. Provided by the Orthodox Union, the central coordinating agency for North American Orthodox congregations.

Nadav and Avihu, two of Aaron's four sons, were killed, the Torah states, "when they came close before God." The Torah then goes on to describe the service performed by Aaron on Yom Kippur.

Who were Nadav and Avihu, and what do their deaths have to do with Yom Kippur?

Furthermore, why were they killed? Is it not the duty of every Jew to strive to come close to God?

Nadav and Avihu died during the sanctification of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

"They offered before the Lord an alien fire, which He had not commanded... and a fire came forth and consumed them."

They were not just killed; they were consumed. Their death can be viewed as sacrificial. Describing their death, the Torah adds two words: They died "before God." God did not distance Himself from them, but reached down and brought them up. "Bikrovai ekodeish, I will be sanctified through those who are close to me," God says of Nadav and Avihu. They were the tzaddikim (righteous people) of their generation and died attempting to find Godliness and spirituality in their own way.

By attempting to experience God in His fullness, they sanctified themselves, but their mere physicality could not endure it.

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