Back to Home -> Emor ->

It does not require an extraordinary mind to understand the necessity for a Jew to sanctify Hashem’s Name. He certainly should not disgrace His Name. Unfortunately, many still do not know (or accept) the definition of chillul Hashem. The Rambam (Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 5:10) writes, “Whoever transgresses one of the Torah’s mitzvos with malicious purpose disgraces Hashem’s Name. One who desists/refrains from sin – or performs a mitzvah because it is Hashem’s command – sanctifies His Name.” The Rambam adds that, if a distinguished leader, a Torah personality whom the people revere, acts in a manner that causes people to…

The Torah explains what a tragedy truly is. A young woman, married or betrothed, commits an act of adultery. The actual act is an egregious sin in its own right, but her pedigree magnifies the sin. This woman’s father is a Kohen, member of the Priestly family. Thus, not only does she disgrace herself, but she also humiliates and defames her father. As a result, her punishment is more harsh than if she had been the daughter of a Yisrael. The word seichel is translated as desecrated, a derivative of challal or chillul. Seichal, posits Horav Shlomo Kluger, zl, can…

Four pesukim in sequence: the first three address korbanos, offerings; the fourth pasuk addresses chillul and kiddush Hashem, profaning and sanctifying Hashem’s Name. Clearly, the Torah’s arrangement of pesukim is not haphazard. Every pasuk, every letter, every crown, is in its specific place by Heavenly design. What is the rationale behind the positioning of these four pesukim? Horav Shimon Schwab, zl (Rav Schwab on Chumash), examines the common denominator in these pesukim. It is about life and living. First, the Torah teaches us that not just any animal, regardless of age, may be sacrificed. It must be, at minimum, eight…