The various commentators address the Torah’s redundancy in its enjoinment to the Kohanim regarding the laws of tumah, ritual contamination. Rashi cites Chazal who say that the Torah is emphasizing the need for the gedolim, adults, to warn the ketanim, children. In a homiletic rendering of the pasuk, the Chasam Sofer focuses upon what has regrettably become common practice: We take an interest only in the “gedolim,” while we ignore the “ketanim“. For example, when a member of the community passes away, we make an effort to provide everything for the “niftar ha’gadol,” the distinguished deceased. We prepare a “great” funeral, with “great” eulogies; we see to it that a “large” crowd assembles for the funeral, followed by an appropriate burial. What about the “ketanim,” the “little,” forgotten people, the widow and orphans who are now left to fend for themselves, bereft of their husband and father? When the Torah begins its chapter dealing with death in a family, it seeks to make us acutely aware of the responsibility for caring about the little things in the same manner in which we dedicate ourselves to addressing the big issues.
