Parshas Emor begins with the laws of purity of priests. Something which is pure is not mixed with anything else. When we say that gold is pure, for example, we mean that it contains nothing but gold. When we say that a person has pure intentions, we mean that his actions have no ulterior motives. The priests’ service in the mishkan exemplifies serving God with purity. How can we serve God with purity? What technique can we apply in order to serve God with no ulterior motives?
The first Midrash on this week’s parsha addressing this question brings the pasuk in Tehillim, “אמרות ה' אמרות טהורות .../God’s sayings are pure sayings…” “אִמרה/Saying” alludes to the ten מאמרות/sayings with which God created the world. The Sfas Emes explains that the saying itself gives existence to the Creation. The creating power of God, through the saying, is hidden within the creation. It follows that the saying is the source of purity within everything. To stress the point, the beginning of this week’s parsha, dealing with the laws of purity of priests, repeats the word “say.” “אמור אל הכֹהנים בני אהרֹן ואמרת אליהם .../Say to the priests the children of Aharon and say to them…” The redundancy is glaring.
The repetition is significant and gives us a clue as to how we can attain purity in our own actions. A similar repetition in parshas Ki Savo sheds light on our parsha. In parshas Ki Savo we find, “את ה' האמרת היום/Today you have made God unique.” In the next pasuk we find, “וה' האמירך היום/And God has made you unique today.” Chazal explain that the nation of Israel made God unique by declaring, “שמע ישראל ה' א-לֹהינו ה' אחד/Listen Israel, God is our Lord, God is One.” God made Israel unique by declaring, “מי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ/Who is like your nation Israel, one nation on earth.” When we consider a relationship to be unique, we mean that there is a special connection that we have that excludes all others. The relationship is pure in the sense that it applies to one and to no other. Considering God unique to us is the essence of pure service. We reject all others. We reject our own desires and we subjugate ourselves to the will of God. The word used for “unique” in these p’sukim has the same root as “אִמרה/saying.”
In parshas Ki Savo we learn how to attain a level of pure intentions in serving God. There is a two step process in attaining purity. First God brings us close to Him. He makes us unique among the nations. Then, we accept this closeness and make Him unique. Instead of following our own desires, we will follow only His. This is the essence of purity. To the extent we subordinate our own desires to God’s we become pure.
The Torah contains other examples of this two step process in reaching a level of pure intentions in our actions. Each example serves to clarify the process so that we are better able to apply it to our daily lives.
The first example is the relationship between the Exodus and the mitzvah of counting the Omer. First God brought us close to Him by bringing us out of Egypt. Our subservience to Him was a natural reaction to the miracles and revelation which we witnessed. In addition to freeing us from our bondage to the Egyptians, He freed us from our bondage to our own desires and subjugated us to Him. Then, during the period of Sfiras HaOmer we accepted His closeness, quelled our own desires in favor of His and our worship became pure. How does Sfiras HaOmer indicate accepting God’s closeness and purity of worship?
The Kabbalists teach us that we have seven primary (emotional) midos/characteristics. Each week of the seven weeks of Sfiras HaOmer relates to one of these midos/characteristics. During the fifty day period after God took us out of Egypt we worked on perfecting our midos/characteristics in preparation for the giving of the Torah. Every year since, the period of Sfiras HaOmer is especially conducive for this task. In fact, purification is one of the reasons for the mitzvah of Sfiras HaOmer. The prayer following Sfiras HaOmer begins, “Master of the Universe, You commanded us … to count Sfiras HaOmer in order to purify us …”
A second example of the two step process in attaining pure intention is found in the relationship between Shabbos and the days of the week. On Shabbos, God is more manifest in the creation. It is easier to focus only on God. God brings us close to Him on Shabbos so that after experiencing Shabbos, we can draw that special revelation into the week.
Finally, the redundancy at the beginning of our parsha, as well, alludes to this process. “אמור/Say” connoting connection and purity, suggests that God brings us close to Him. We are a unique nation unto God. “ואמרת אליהם/And you will say to them” suggests that we accept His closeness in everything that we do and in our desires. He is unique to us. To the extent that we accept God in our actions, our motives become pure.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Acharei 5632 First Ma'amar
“דבר אל בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם אני ה' א-לֹהיכם/Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘I am God, your Lord.” This pasuk is an introduction to God’s admonition against the practices of the lands of Egypt and Canaan and illicit relations. Why? Rashi brings the Midrash on this pasuk that “אני ה' א-לֹהיכם/I am God, your Lord,” is a reference to the first pasuk of the ten commandments, “אנֹכי ה' א-לֹהיך .../I am God your Lord.” God is instructing Moshe to tell us that just as we accepted the yoke of heaven at Mount Sinai, we should now accept His decrees. Similarly, the Gemara states that the first parsha of Kri’as Shma precedes the second parsha because it contains within it the commandment to accept the yoke of heaven whereas the second parsha contains the yoke of mitzvos. The yoke of heaven must always precede the yoke of mitzvos.
The Sfas Emes explains that this is more than a platitude. This is, in fact, practical advice that can be applied to each individual mitzvah. The intent upon doing a mitzvah needs to be to accept the yoke of heaven. This is actually the purpose of the mitzvah. Regardless of the good reasons there may be to do a mitzvah, it is crucial that we do them because we want to achieve God’s will. The reasons may explain why God commanded us to do them. However, we do not do the mitzvos for the reasons. We always strive to do the mitzvos in order to do the will of God. This is why, when Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu were killed for bringing a “strange fire” on the altar, the Torah tells us that they were punished for bringing a strange fire that He had not commanded them to bring, implying that the critical lapse was their not being commanded. The reason – the strange fire – was secondary. We see that the main thing is achieving God’s will. The reasons are always secondary. When we contemplate subordinating ourselves to God before doing a mitzvah, the ramifications of doing that mitzvah are great.
Our actions have ramifications in the physical and spiritual realms. When we do a mitzvah, we positively affect the world. When we sin, the opposite is the case. This is because when we perform a mitzvah we are bringing the object of the mitzvah and ourselves closer to the source of life. The Sfas Emes points out that this applies not only to the obvious mitzvos with which we are familiar; the mitzvos that are mentioned explicitly in the Torah. The Sfas Emes says that every action is a potential mitzvah. If we intend to accomplish God’s will with our action then we’ve done a mitzvah. Since the mitzvos are the mechanism through which we draw life into this world and everything is a potential mitzvah, it follows that through mitzvos we draw life to everything. Chazal allude to this concept when they say that the wicked, even as they live, are considered dead. This is because they are without mitzvos. This concept is hinted to in another pasuk in our parsha as well, “ושמרתם את חקֹתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אֹתם האדם וחי בהם/You shall keep my decrees and my laws which a man shall do and live by them.” We live by them because through the mitzvos we draw life to us and to the physical world.
Significantly, the pasuk is in the future tense, “which a man shall do,” not, “which a man does.” The Torah is teaching us to be constantly prepared to do God’s will. To be “on call,” as it were, waiting, hoping for an opportunity to do God’s will is what this pasuk calls, “keeping my decrees and laws.” With this approach, when the opportunity arises, he will perform the mitzvah properly and it will have the greatest positive effect on himself and his surroundings. Following the beginning of the pasuk leads us to, “וחי בהם/and live by them.” Looking for the opportunities to do God’s will is the path to life and happiness.
The Sfas Emes explains that this is more than a platitude. This is, in fact, practical advice that can be applied to each individual mitzvah. The intent upon doing a mitzvah needs to be to accept the yoke of heaven. This is actually the purpose of the mitzvah. Regardless of the good reasons there may be to do a mitzvah, it is crucial that we do them because we want to achieve God’s will. The reasons may explain why God commanded us to do them. However, we do not do the mitzvos for the reasons. We always strive to do the mitzvos in order to do the will of God. This is why, when Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu were killed for bringing a “strange fire” on the altar, the Torah tells us that they were punished for bringing a strange fire that He had not commanded them to bring, implying that the critical lapse was their not being commanded. The reason – the strange fire – was secondary. We see that the main thing is achieving God’s will. The reasons are always secondary. When we contemplate subordinating ourselves to God before doing a mitzvah, the ramifications of doing that mitzvah are great.
Our actions have ramifications in the physical and spiritual realms. When we do a mitzvah, we positively affect the world. When we sin, the opposite is the case. This is because when we perform a mitzvah we are bringing the object of the mitzvah and ourselves closer to the source of life. The Sfas Emes points out that this applies not only to the obvious mitzvos with which we are familiar; the mitzvos that are mentioned explicitly in the Torah. The Sfas Emes says that every action is a potential mitzvah. If we intend to accomplish God’s will with our action then we’ve done a mitzvah. Since the mitzvos are the mechanism through which we draw life into this world and everything is a potential mitzvah, it follows that through mitzvos we draw life to everything. Chazal allude to this concept when they say that the wicked, even as they live, are considered dead. This is because they are without mitzvos. This concept is hinted to in another pasuk in our parsha as well, “ושמרתם את חקֹתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אֹתם האדם וחי בהם/You shall keep my decrees and my laws which a man shall do and live by them.” We live by them because through the mitzvos we draw life to us and to the physical world.
Significantly, the pasuk is in the future tense, “which a man shall do,” not, “which a man does.” The Torah is teaching us to be constantly prepared to do God’s will. To be “on call,” as it were, waiting, hoping for an opportunity to do God’s will is what this pasuk calls, “keeping my decrees and laws.” With this approach, when the opportunity arises, he will perform the mitzvah properly and it will have the greatest positive effect on himself and his surroundings. Following the beginning of the pasuk leads us to, “וחי בהם/and live by them.” Looking for the opportunities to do God’s will is the path to life and happiness.
Monday, April 23, 2007
Kedoshim 5631 First Ma'amar
This week we read two parshas. The Sfas Emes discusses the beginning of the second parsha. “דבר אל כל בני ישראל ואמרת אליהם קדֹשים תהיו כי קדוש אני ה' א-לֹהיכם/Speak to the entire community of the children of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy for I, God, your Lord, am holy.” Chazal say that this pasuk is teaching us to emulate God. Just as He is holy so too, must we be holy. But how can we possibly be holy like God?
The pasuk itself gives us a clue. The pasuk could have said, “כי קדוש אני/for I am holy” and stop. Why does it add “ה' א-לֹהיכם/God, your Lord?” The Midrash on the first few words of the ten commandments, “אנֹכי ה' א-לֹהיך/I am God, your Lord” explains that even though He is the Lord of all the nations, God dedicated Himself specifically to the nation of Israel. Of course God gives life and existence to the entire Creation. Still, He is more manifest in us. Chazal tell us that our souls, the life force of every Jew, are actually a part of God. It follows that since God is holy, we, too, can be holy. By separating us from the nations and bringing us close to Him, God gave us the ability to emulate Him and become holy. Chazal tell us that this pasuk is more than a mitzvah. It is a promise.
What does being holy mean? “קדוש/Holy” connotes separated. (For example, the Hebrew word for marriage – קידושין – has the same root as the word for holy because a married woman is separated from all men except one. A nazarite is called holy because he must keep away from wine and things that would defile his pure spiritual state.) In this sense God is holy since He is separate from everything. Paradoxically, though, He fills the entire creation. This idea is found in the Midrash on this week’s parsha explaining the pasuk in Tehillim, “ואתה מרום לעולם ה'/You are always on high, God.” The Midrash explains that God’s hand is always on top. The word “לעולם/always” also means “hidden” and “world.” This Midrash is teaching us that God’s hand is hidden in this world. He is separate and yet hidden within the universe giving life to it. It follows that every action has a spiritual Godly force that gives it existence. Because of our closeness to God, we, too, can become holy by connecting to the spiritual within our physical actions.
Since all Jewish souls are connected to God, they are perforce connected to each other as well. In fact, Chazal tell us that all the souls of the nation of Israel together comprise one mega-soul called, “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel.” (We usually think of the soul as being in the body. However, according to Chazal only a small part of the soul is in the body. Most of a person’s soul extends from the body up through many spiritual realms to its source. It is at the source that we are all connected in “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel.”) This mega-soul is a highly powerful spiritual force.
For this reason the Torah makes a point of telling us that the mitzvah of “קדושים תהיו/you shall be holy” was said to the entire community. Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabeinu taught all the mitzvos to the entire nation. Why does the Torah single out this one? According to what we have said, though, it is clear. By instructing Moshe Rabeinu to gather the entire nation together to hear this particular mitzvah, God is teaching us how to perform it.
When we cultivate a sense of identity with the nation of Israel; when we recognize that we are a part of the mega-soul of “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel,” a part of God Himself, we are able to live in the physical world and yet connect to the spiritual. We can connect to the spiritual power of our actions, revealing the hidden Godliness, the holiness in them, thus becoming holy ourselves.
The pasuk itself gives us a clue. The pasuk could have said, “כי קדוש אני/for I am holy” and stop. Why does it add “ה' א-לֹהיכם/God, your Lord?” The Midrash on the first few words of the ten commandments, “אנֹכי ה' א-לֹהיך/I am God, your Lord” explains that even though He is the Lord of all the nations, God dedicated Himself specifically to the nation of Israel. Of course God gives life and existence to the entire Creation. Still, He is more manifest in us. Chazal tell us that our souls, the life force of every Jew, are actually a part of God. It follows that since God is holy, we, too, can be holy. By separating us from the nations and bringing us close to Him, God gave us the ability to emulate Him and become holy. Chazal tell us that this pasuk is more than a mitzvah. It is a promise.
What does being holy mean? “קדוש/Holy” connotes separated. (For example, the Hebrew word for marriage – קידושין – has the same root as the word for holy because a married woman is separated from all men except one. A nazarite is called holy because he must keep away from wine and things that would defile his pure spiritual state.) In this sense God is holy since He is separate from everything. Paradoxically, though, He fills the entire creation. This idea is found in the Midrash on this week’s parsha explaining the pasuk in Tehillim, “ואתה מרום לעולם ה'/You are always on high, God.” The Midrash explains that God’s hand is always on top. The word “לעולם/always” also means “hidden” and “world.” This Midrash is teaching us that God’s hand is hidden in this world. He is separate and yet hidden within the universe giving life to it. It follows that every action has a spiritual Godly force that gives it existence. Because of our closeness to God, we, too, can become holy by connecting to the spiritual within our physical actions.
Since all Jewish souls are connected to God, they are perforce connected to each other as well. In fact, Chazal tell us that all the souls of the nation of Israel together comprise one mega-soul called, “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel.” (We usually think of the soul as being in the body. However, according to Chazal only a small part of the soul is in the body. Most of a person’s soul extends from the body up through many spiritual realms to its source. It is at the source that we are all connected in “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel.”) This mega-soul is a highly powerful spiritual force.
For this reason the Torah makes a point of telling us that the mitzvah of “קדושים תהיו/you shall be holy” was said to the entire community. Chazal tell us that Moshe Rabeinu taught all the mitzvos to the entire nation. Why does the Torah single out this one? According to what we have said, though, it is clear. By instructing Moshe Rabeinu to gather the entire nation together to hear this particular mitzvah, God is teaching us how to perform it.
When we cultivate a sense of identity with the nation of Israel; when we recognize that we are a part of the mega-soul of “כנסת ישראל/the congregation of Israel,” a part of God Himself, we are able to live in the physical world and yet connect to the spiritual. We can connect to the spiritual power of our actions, revealing the hidden Godliness, the holiness in them, thus becoming holy ourselves.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Tazria/Metzora 5631 Second Ma'amar
The first paragraph of parshas Tazria teaches us that a woman who has just given birth is in a spiritually impure state. Considering the blessing of bringing new life into the world, particularly a Jewish soul, why should this be?
According the Chidushei HaRim, the second Midrash on this week’s parsha addresses this question. The Midrash explains a pasuk in Iyov, “אשא דֵעי למרחוק ולפֹעלי אתן צדק/I will raise my knowledge from afar and to my Maker I will ascribe righteousness.” The Midrash attributes this pasuk to Avraham Avinu after the test of Akeidas Yitzchak because on his way to sacrifice his son the pasuk tells us, “... וירא את המקום מרחוק/He saw the place from afar.” This hints at an additional aspect of the incredible test that was before him. The place he needed to reach was far away. Nevertheless, he strengthened himself to do the will of God. The Chidushei HaRim explains that the physical distance is a metaphor for the spiritual distance that separated Avraham Avinu from God. Avraham Avinu overcame the separation by realizing that God was with him even if He appeared to be far away. The distance was an illusion. After Avraham passed God’s test and came close to Him, he praised God for he understood that the entire test, including the perception of distance was for his own benefit. It provided him the opportunity to discover God’s holiness even from a perception of distance from Him.
As a result, Avraham Avinu was able to bequeath to his descendents the idea that no matter how distant we may feel from God, at times, God’s love for us is constant. This love always exists at least as a spark within each of us that represents closeness to God. When God told Avraham Avinu, “אנֹכי מגן לך/I will protect you,” He was referring to protecting this spark of closeness to God. The ending of the first brachah of the Amidah, “מגן אברהם/Protector of Avraham,” is our testimony to this spark of God’s love within us that God protects.
The prophet Yishayahu said, “שלום שלום לרחוק ולקרוב/Peace, peace to the far and near,” to teach us that God’s distance is part of the natural world. And this answers the Midrash’s question. The spiritual impurity that is drawn onto a woman when she brings new life into the world symbolizes the distance from God that is built into the natural world. It is a good thing because it affords us space within which we can work to come close to Him.
We see this idea in the pasuk from Tehillim, “אחור וקדם צרתני/You have bound me back and front.” The word, “צרתני/You have bound me,” can also be translated as, “You have formed me.” Back” represents distance from God whereas “front” represents nearness. The pasuk is teaching us that God formed us with the ability to come close to Him through the aspect of distance which is built into the Creation. The reason is, as we’ve said, that the distance is illusory. We were created with the spark of closeness within us.
According the Chidushei HaRim, the second Midrash on this week’s parsha addresses this question. The Midrash explains a pasuk in Iyov, “אשא דֵעי למרחוק ולפֹעלי אתן צדק/I will raise my knowledge from afar and to my Maker I will ascribe righteousness.” The Midrash attributes this pasuk to Avraham Avinu after the test of Akeidas Yitzchak because on his way to sacrifice his son the pasuk tells us, “... וירא את המקום מרחוק/He saw the place from afar.” This hints at an additional aspect of the incredible test that was before him. The place he needed to reach was far away. Nevertheless, he strengthened himself to do the will of God. The Chidushei HaRim explains that the physical distance is a metaphor for the spiritual distance that separated Avraham Avinu from God. Avraham Avinu overcame the separation by realizing that God was with him even if He appeared to be far away. The distance was an illusion. After Avraham passed God’s test and came close to Him, he praised God for he understood that the entire test, including the perception of distance was for his own benefit. It provided him the opportunity to discover God’s holiness even from a perception of distance from Him.
As a result, Avraham Avinu was able to bequeath to his descendents the idea that no matter how distant we may feel from God, at times, God’s love for us is constant. This love always exists at least as a spark within each of us that represents closeness to God. When God told Avraham Avinu, “אנֹכי מגן לך/I will protect you,” He was referring to protecting this spark of closeness to God. The ending of the first brachah of the Amidah, “מגן אברהם/Protector of Avraham,” is our testimony to this spark of God’s love within us that God protects.
The prophet Yishayahu said, “שלום שלום לרחוק ולקרוב/Peace, peace to the far and near,” to teach us that God’s distance is part of the natural world. And this answers the Midrash’s question. The spiritual impurity that is drawn onto a woman when she brings new life into the world symbolizes the distance from God that is built into the natural world. It is a good thing because it affords us space within which we can work to come close to Him.
We see this idea in the pasuk from Tehillim, “אחור וקדם צרתני/You have bound me back and front.” The word, “צרתני/You have bound me,” can also be translated as, “You have formed me.” Back” represents distance from God whereas “front” represents nearness. The pasuk is teaching us that God formed us with the ability to come close to Him through the aspect of distance which is built into the Creation. The reason is, as we’ve said, that the distance is illusory. We were created with the spark of closeness within us.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Kulabay Comment Rules
The purpose of Kulabay and comments on this blog is to question, expand and clarify the ideas presented in the posts. Any and all comments which are directly related to the ideas presented in a post will probably be accepted. Any that are not, will be deleted.
Notwithstanding the above, I, as the blog owner, of course reserve the right to delete any comment regardless of it's content.
Notwithstanding the above, I, as the blog owner, of course reserve the right to delete any comment regardless of it's content.
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