Emor – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל

You shall not desecrate My holy Name, rather I should be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

What is the most egregious sin that one can transgress? Perhaps we should step back a little in order to clarify the meaning of “egregious.” Sin might be relative, but every sin is an infraction against Hashem. So, they are all bad! In the Talmud Yoma 86a, Chazal address this question. They posit that the nefariousness of a sin is based on the contingency of performing teshuvah, repentance. When one transgresses a prohibitive commandment and later repents, his teshuvah is in limbo until Yom Kippur, when the sanctity of the day atones for his sin. When one transgresses a sin…

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מועדי ד' אשר תקראו אתם מקראי קדש אלה הם מועדי

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5774

Hashem’s appointed Festivals that you are to designate as holy convocations – these are My appointed festivals. (23:2)

The term moed is commonly translated as “festival.” When we peruse halachah, we come across a law which seems to contradict this translation. The Tur (Orach Chaim 559) rules that, on Tishah B’Av, we do not recite the Tachanun prayer. This is a prayer of supplication, and, since the Navi (Yirmiyahu in Megillas Eichah 1:15) refers to Tishah B’Av as a moed, kara alai moed lishbor bachurai, “He proclaimed a set time against me to crush my young men,” we do not recite Tachanun on a moed. We wonder why the saddest day of the Jewish calendar year, the day…

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ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון פרי עץ הדר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5774

You shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of a citron tree. (23:40)

Pri eitz hadar, “the fruit of a beautiful tree,” is commonly accepted as referring to the esrog tree. In Sefer Likutim, the Arizal says that the letters of the word esrog: aleph, taf, reish, gimmel form an acronym for the pasuk in Tehillim 36:12, Al tevoeini regel gaavah, “Let not the foot of arrogance come to me.” Horav Yaakov Galinsky, zl, explains this pragmatically. The pasuk in which David Hamelech deplores arrogance and prays that it not affect him in any way, is truly a pasuk fitting for the esrog. This could be termed the “esrog’s prayer,” for the esrog…

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אמור אל הכהנים בני אהרן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon. (21:1)

The Kohanim represent our nation’s spiritual elite. Their greatness is hereditary; thus, their responsibility to convey the compelling nature of their lineage and station in life to the next generation, is consequential. It is, therefore, noteworthy that they were excluded from the monarchy, as was the rest of the nation. On his deathbed, Yaakov Avinu, blessed each of his sons. He turned to Yehudah and said, Lo yasur shevet miYehudah, “The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah” (Bereishis 49:10). While this blessing did not take effect immediately, since Shaul Hamelech, our nation’s first monarch, heralded from the tribe of Binyamin…

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אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon… each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his people. (21:1)

The Chasam Sofer renders this pasuk homiletically as presenting the imperative and guidelines for successful Jewish outreach. First: “Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon” that they should act in accordance with their noble, illustrious heritage. Their Patriarch, Aharon HaKohen, was known by his nom de plume as the consummate Ohaiv shalom v’rodef shalom, ohaiv es ha’brios u’mekarvan laTorah, “(He) lover of peace and (he) pursuer of peace; (he) loves people and brings them closer to the Torah.” One who seeks success in reaching out to his fellow man must first make peace with himself. No sin, no moral…

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ולאחתו הבתולה הקרובה אליו אשר לא היתה לאיש לה יטמא

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

And to his virgin sister who is close to him, who has not been wed to a man; to her shall he contaminate himself. (21:3)

Chazal teach that it is a mitzvah for a Kohen to defile himself to the seven close relatives. Indeed, as Chazal say, if the Kohen refuses to ritually contaminate himself to any of them, we compel him to do so (Zevachim 100a). In a way, this is a form of sacrifice. A Kohen who is sincere about his station in life might get carried away. He might feel that, even for a close relative, it is just not worth it. He has heretofore maintained his purity. Why should he ruin his spotless record? Obviously, such a Kohen has no clue…

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שור או כשב או עז כי יולד... ירצה לקרבן אשה לד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5773

When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born… it is acceptable for a fire-offering to Hashem. (22:27)

The Yalkut Shimoni teaches us why the above three animals (ox, sheep, goat) were selected to serve as Korbanos, sacrifices. The ox was chosen in the merit of Avraham Avinu who, in the course of preparing dinner for his “Heavenly” guests, ran to bring for them an ox. [V’el ha’bakar ratz Avraham, “And to the ox Avraham ran” (Bereishis 18:7)]. Yitzchak Avinu’s z’chus, merit, catalyzed the designation of the sheep as a sacrifice. [Va’yar v’hinei ayil neechaz ba’svach b’karnav, “And he raised his eyes and saw, and behold! A ram, afterwards caught in the thicket” (Bereishis 22:13)]. When Yaakov Avinu…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5772

“And they (the Kohanim) shall not take/marry a woman divorced by her husband.” (21:7)

It seems like a clearly stated halachah – a Kohen may not marry a divorced woman. Horav Shneur Kotler, z.l., related the following story which was cited by Rabbi Pesach Krohn. It is a classic that demonstrates the sincerity of a simple Jew and the depth of understanding a rav or posek, halachic arbiter, must have of both the subject and the petitioner who asks the question. Horav Chaim Ozer Grodzenski, z.l., the preeminent gadol hador, leading Torah scholar and leader of Pre-World War II Europe, was once giving a shiur, lecture, to a group of young men in his…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5772

“If the daughter of a man who is a Kohen will be defiled through having an illicit relationship, she defiles her father.” (21:9)

Why does she defile her father more than her mother? Chazal teach us that the father is also punished. If, prior to his daughter’s defilement, he had been considered a respected member of the priesthood and the community, he is demoted. It seems that this degradation is due to his status as a Kohen. Why should this “punishment” be limited to Kehunah? Should the Yisrael who does a poor job raising his daughter be different? Last, according to those commentators who translate the phrase “ki seicheil” as “who begins,” rather than “who defiles,” why is the punishment restricted to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Emor, 5772

“And you shall rejoice before Hashem, your G-d, for a seven-day period.” (23:40)

The mitzvah of joy on the festival of Succos is intrinsic to the chag. It is an integral aspect of the festival’s identity. It occurred on one of the days of Succos that the daughter of Horav Meir, z.l., m’Premishlan became gravely ill. On Simchas Torah, the situation had deteriorated to the point that the young woman was at death’s door. Yet, Rav Meir Premishlaner danced the hakafos, traditional Simchas Torah dance with the Torah, with his usual joy and devotion. His chassidim were aghast at the Rebbe’s behavior. How could he exhibit such jubilation at a time like this?…

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ולא תחללו את שם קדשי ונקדשתי בתוך בני ישראל

You shall not desecrate My holy Name, rather I should be sanctified among Bnei Yisrael. (22:32)

מועדי ד' אשר תקראו אתם מקראי קדש אלה הם מועדי

Hashem’s appointed Festivals that you are to designate as holy convocations – these are My appointed festivals. (23:2)

ולקחתם לכם ביום הראשון פרי עץ הדר

You shall take for yourself on the first day the fruit of a citron tree. (23:40)

אמור אל הכהנים בני אהרן

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon. (21:1)

אמר אל הכהנים בני אהרן... לנפש לא יטמא בעמיו

Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aharon… each of you shall not contaminate himself to a (dead) person among his people. (21:1)

ולאחתו הבתולה הקרובה אליו אשר לא היתה לאיש לה יטמא

And to his virgin sister who is close to him, who has not been wed to a man; to her shall he contaminate himself. (21:3)

שור או כשב או עז כי יולד... ירצה לקרבן אשה לד'

When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born… it is acceptable for a fire-offering to Hashem. (22:27)

“And they (the Kohanim) shall not take/marry a woman divorced by her husband.” (21:7)

“If the daughter of a man who is a Kohen will be defiled through having an illicit relationship, she defiles her father.” (21:9)

“And you shall rejoice before Hashem, your G-d, for a seven-day period.” (23:40)

YEARS

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