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I will be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

If one peruses history, he notes that the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, Sanctifying Hashem’s Name, has applied to children as well. In other words, parents who were prepared to sacrifice themselves to sanctify Hashem’s Name were, likewise, prepared to do the same for their children. During the Crusades, it was not unusual for parents to take the lives of their children prior to killing themselves, just so that the murderers would not defile their bodies. Why are children not exempt from the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem? The only reason that mitzvos apply to children is chinuch, educating them in the…

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But an ox or a sheep, you may not slaughter it and its offspring on the same day. (22:28)

While the Torah uses the masculine pronoun oso, “his,” as opposed to “its” (offspring),  this  prohibition  applies only to  the mother  and child.  In his  Moreh Nevuchim, the Rambam posits that the reason for prohibiting oso v’es beno, the slaughter of a female cow or sheep and its young, is to prevent the mother’s suffering in seeing her child killed. This halachah holds true even if the mother does not actually see its young being slaughtered. The Rambam explains that a mother’s compassion for her child is instinctive – not cognitive. Otherwise, animals would not have this sensitivity, as they lack…

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The Kohen who is exalted above his brothers… He shall not come near to any dead person… he shall not leave the Sanctuary… for a crown – the oil of his G-d’s anointment – is upon him. (21:10-12)

There is a hierarchy within the Jewish nation. The Kohanim who serve in the Bais HaMikdash are enjoined with specific laws regarding their spiritual defilement caused by coming in contact with the dead. The Kohen Hedyot, regular Kohen, may come in contact with seven close relatives: father, mother, sister, brother, wife, son and daughter. Otherwise, all other Jewish dead are off-limit. The Kohen Gadol, High Priest, has further restrictions. He may not become tamei, defiled, to anyone – not even his closest relatives. Furthermore, he may not leave the Sanctuary to follow the funeral procession. In short, the Kohen Gadol…

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And they shall not marry a woman who has been divorced by her husband; for each one is holy to his G-d. (21:7)

The circle of permitted marriages diminishes as one rises higher in the social/spiritual hierarchy. The Torah places restrictions upon the Levi and Yisrael concerning certain marriages. The Kohen has even greater limitations, while the Kohen Gadol, High Priest, is in a very tight circle with regard to marriage. These provisions concerning marriage are governed primarily by the principle of yichus, pedigree, and the nobility of untainted family descent. The preservation of the blood lines is one of the principles of Jewish family life. In its purest form, yichus is conveyed through the male line from generation to generation by marriages…

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Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and you shall say to them. (21:1)

Rashi notes the redundancy in the words, emor v’amarta, “Say (to the Kohanim) and you shall say (to them).” He explains that this is “to enjoin the adults with regard to minors.” It is consistent with the Talmud Yevamos 114a, in which Chazal explain that the word, “say” indicates that adult Kohanim are prohibited to make themselves impure through contact with the dead. “And you shall say” implies that the Kohanim are commanded to make sure that Kohanim who are minors must also not defile themselves. L’hazhir gedolim al ha’ketanim, “To caution adults with regard to the children” has become…

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