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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5755

“And from the Sanctuary he shall not leave.” (21:12)

Chazal derive from the fact that the Kohen Gadol may not leave the Mikdash that he is to perform the avodah, service, even while he is an onan, mourner prior to the burial of a close relative. This is in contrast to the Kohen Hedyot, who may not perform the avodah as an onan. The simple reason given for this is that while one is at the heightened state of grief, the mind is not in control. The despondency that envelops a person at such a time disqualifies the Kohen Hedyot from performing the service, since he no longer has…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5755

“You shall observe/guard My mitzvos and perform them.” (22:31)

Horav E.M. Shach, Shlita, asserts that there are two distinct demands made by Hashem. First, there is our obligation to personally carry out the mitzvos. Secondly, we are ordained to “guard” the mitzvos by seeing to it that all Jews perform them. It is not sufficient for a Jew to personally observe  mitzvos; he is obliged to be mindful that others also perform mitzvos. This, claims Horav Shach, is the meaning of the pasuk “,cav ,t ktrah hbc urnau,” “and Bnei Yisrael should observe/guard the Shabbos.” One must see to it that “Shabbos” is observed by all Jews. It is…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5755

“And I should be sanctified among the Bnei Yisrael.” (22:32)

Kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of Hashem’s Name, is the predominant mitzvah of Judaism. We are here for the purpose of sanctifying Hashem’s Name in the world in any manner that we are able to. Most people associate the concept of kiddush Hashem with giving up one’s life as a Jew. Indeed, martyrdom is our heritage and has become a central motif of our religion. The Piazesner Rebbe, z.l., explains that the Akeidas Yitzchak was not simply a test for Yitzchak Avinu; it was the precursor of kiddush Hashem for all Klal Yisrael. The trial of thought and will in which…

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Sruly Schnair
In Emor, 5754

“Speak unto the kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say unto them.” (21:1)

Rashi explains the apparent redundancy of “speak unto, and say.” He suggests that this is the Torah’s way to emphasize its admonishment for adults to educate minors. The adult kohanim should be extra vigilant in transmitting the laws of kehunah to their sons. This pasuk has traditionally been viewed as a paradigm for parents’ obligation to transmit Torah values to their children. Although Rashi states an essential prerequisite for effective parenting, his concept does not seem to be indicated in the context of this pasuk. The word, ,rntu, “and say,” seems to focus upon adults, consistent with the earlier part of…

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Sruly Schnair
In Emor, 5754

“A widow or one who is divorced or a profaned (woman or a) harlot; these he shall not take.” (21:14)

Why does the Torah prohibit the Kohen Gadol to marry a widow, while the kohen hedyot is only denied marriage to a divorcee? Horav Meir Bergman, Shlita, cites the Moshav Zekeinim, authored by the Baalei Tosfos, which offers an intriguing answer. They state that on Yom Kippur, when the Kohen Gadol reaches the zenith of kedushah and utters the Shem Ha’Meforash, Ineffable Name, he might perchance stare at a married woman. During this brief interlude, the Kohen Gadol might become momentarily captivated by this woman. His attraction to her might cause him to will death for her husband. Such strong…

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Sruly Schnair
In Emor, 5754

“And you shall not profane My Name, but let Me be hallowed in the midst of Bnei Yisrael.” (22:32)

When we accepted the Torah, we became the bearers of Hashem’s Name as reflected in the lifestyle we lead as individuals and as a community. We are charged to be kadosh, holy, and to radiate this demeanor for the entire world to see and emulate. With every refusal to defer to a life of kedushah and any attraction which draws us away from fulfillment of this charge ,we are kkjnw desecrate, Hashem’s Name.  As Horav S.R. Hirsch z.l. asserts, we justify our existence and validate our possessions to the degree of our affinity to kiddush Hashem, sanctification of Hashem’s Name. …

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5753

“And Hashem said to Moshe speak unto the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon, and say unto them, none shall make himself unclean through contact with the dead.” (21:1)

The Kohanim were admonished not to come in contact with the dead, since this would render them unfit to perform the avodah. This rule was relaxed only in a situation which involved close relatives. Chazal explain the redundancy of the word ,rntu rnt by stating that it was a special directive to the Kohanim that the adults must instruct the young. It seems enigmatic that the Torah places emphasis upon teaching the young, while specifically discussing contact with the dead. We suggest that there is a special message to be gleaned from this pasuk. During moments of personal grief one…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5753

“And you shall count for you from the morrow after shabbos seven complete sabbaths (weeks) it shall be.” (23:15)

Horav S.Y. Zevin, z.l., offers a novel homiletic exposition of this pasuk. When one counts something, he indicates his esteem for the particular object. Indeed, at the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar, Rashi states that Hashem counted Bnei Yisrael a number of times because of His great love for them. The days and years of one’s life should likewise be important in one’s eyes. One should value every moment of life and appreciate its true meaning, “so that we do not struggle in vain nor produce for futility” (Isaiah 65:23). Those moments which have passed are no longer accessible to us….

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5753

“And you shall not desecrate My holy Name, and I should be sanctified among the Bnei Yisrael.” (22:32)

The pasuk contains the solemn admonition against profaning Hashem’s Name, as well as the positive precept to sanctify His Name. The Torah commands us to sanctify and exalt Hashem’s Name by the very nature of our moral conduct. The passive application of “Kiddush Hashem” through martyrdom is also implied. We are mandated to sanctify His Name through life and through death. This mitzvah is to become an inherent component of our personality. Such supreme dedication to Hashem had been a beacon of inspiration to us throughout the generations. In our own times, during the period of the Holocaust, the spiritual…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Emor, 5753

“And the son of an Israelite woman went out… and he was the son of an Egyptian man. And the son of an Israelite woman pronounced the Name of Hashem and blasphemed… and the name of his mother was Shlomis Bas Divri…” (24:10,11)

Horav S.R. Hirsch, z.l., notes that the Torah mentions the mother’s name only after the son had sinned. Prior to his sin, he is referred to simply as “the son of an Israelite woman.” The Torah mentions the mother’s prior immorality in light of the sin performed by the son. Without the mother’s immoral behavior, such an outbreak of un-Jewish depravity would never have occurred. Shlomis’ anonymity would have been secured. After her son’s transgression, however, it became evident that only the mother’s immoral relationship with an Egyptian could have nurtured such miscreant behavior among Klal Yisrael. The horror of…

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