What does it mean to represent God in the world?
Table for Five: Emor
In partnership with the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles
Edited by Nina Litvak & Salvador Litvak, the Accidental Talmudist
“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, they must abstain from the holy sacrifices of the Israelites that they sanctify to me, so as not to desecrate My Holy Name. I am God.” – Leviticus 22:2
Rabbi Pinchas Winston
Thirtysix.org
This means that when priests are in a state of ritual impurity, they have to separate themselves from the holy things. The Temple was the holiest place in the world in which the holiest events occurred. Therefore, anything that operated in or was brought to the Temple had to be holy as well. Since the priests dealt with consecrated property, they had to make sure that they were holy when they did, which meant stepping back from Temple service when spiritually impure. The laws of ritual purity are many and complicated, and most do not apply during non-Temple times. But that doesn’t mean we can’t learn something from them even today, especially when it comes to dealing with donations for “holy” purposes, or using property built from them, especially when it comes to places like a synagogue or Torah study hall. The fact that something is donated for the benefit of the public in and of itself makes it “holy” to God on some level, so how much more so when it is used by others to connect to Him. A synagogue may just be a synagogue to us, but the Talmud calls it a miniature Temple, and the prayers that occur within its walls are compared to the sacrifices. That alone should be sufficient heads-up about how we should relate to the place. But even in general, a person’s behavior should reflect the proper respect for public property, and they should only use it with the purest of intentions.
Rabbi Eva Robbins
Co-Rabbi, Nvay Shalom, Faculty, AJRCA
The focus of this sentence is what sanctifies or desecrates Gd’s name. It is a reminder to Aaron and his sons they must be ‘vigilant’ in relationship to the “holies,” the offerings the children of Israel bring to the Sanctuary. The next sentence re-emphasizes what is a desecration to Gd’s name; any contamination or ritual defilement of the offering, an injured or ailing animal, even a meal offering that could be spoiled. The level of holiness that a person must be dedicated to must be of the highest purity and sense of wholeness, Shleymut, and perfection. The Priest’s role, as intermediary between the people and Gd, had the weight of responsibility to facilitate only that which would enhance the relationship of the people with HaShem. Gd is saying to the Priests they must withdraw anything that doesn’t reflect the integrity of the giver, in order to sustain the highest level of devotion and connection to Gd.
When we shift from offerings to words of prayer, after the Temple is destroyed, it becomes the obligation of the rabbi and cantor, as today’s facilitators during sacred service, to educate, guide, and inspire their people so their offerings are pure and whole and reflect their most tender places of heart and soul. Yet it is Amos that reminds us, when we “trample on the heads of the poor…and deny justice to the oppressed…(this) profanes My holy name.” Ultimately, it is the treatment of others that sanctifies and lifts Gd’s name in this world.
Rebbetzin Dini Coopersmith
Women’s Reconnection Trips, www.reconnectiontrips.com
This verse is referring to safeguarding the sanctity of sacrifices. If a kohein is “tamei”, he must withdraw from the service. If he were to touch the sacrifices in this state, he would cause a desecration of God’s name. The word used for “withdraw”, is “veyinazru”- from the root “nezer”- which means “crown.”
The Jewish People have a mission to be a holy kingdom of Priests, a light unto the nations, and therefore, a higher level of dignity and refinement is expected of us. If we disregard this mission, forget that we wear a “crown”, are of “royal blood”, and behave like everyone else, we desecrate God’s name.
Although I do not understand the reasons for the laws of ritual purity, nor the need for such caution and scrupulousness regarding the sacrifices and the Temple, it is clear that we Jews have to maintain a higher level of holiness in a number of areas. We don’t eat anything we want (kashrut), we don’t have relationships with anyone and everyone, and we are held to a higher standard of morality than the rest of the world. Especially when we are in our own Land.
Nesivos Shalom notes that many of the Torah portions in Leviticus, discussing issues of purity and contamination, are read during this period of sefirat ha-omer, when we work to refine our character traits, toward that special covenant and marriage with God at Mount Sinai, when each received a special “crown”, inaugurating us in to our role of leadership and greatness.
Judy Gruen
Author “Bylines and Blessings”
This parsha focuses on the concepts of Kiddush Hashem—acting in moral, ethical, compassionate ways that honor God—and avoiding immoral, unethical, or callous actions that create a Chillul Hashem, which desecrates God’s name.
The impact of Jewish behavior always reverberates beyond ourselves. As Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “The fate of God’s ‘name’ in the world is dependent on us and how we behave. No nation has ever been given a greater or more fateful responsibility. And it means that we each have a share in this task.”
Giving tzedakah has always been part of our responsibility, and Jews have always been a charitable people. Jewish names grace wings of hospitals, universities, museums, and other institutions. Often, this largesse proves to have been in grave error. When Ivy League universities infamously revealed their heartlessness regarding antisemitism on campus, major Jewish donors got the message and pulled their support.
We need to recognize that the act of giving tzedakah is holy, and that Hashem cares not only that we give, but that we are careful whom we give to. While there are many causes worthy of support, now more than ever we must prioritize our giving to institutions that support the Jewish needy and promote Jewish values, identity, and strength. This creates a Kiddush Hashem and spreads our mission of being a light unto the nations.
Nina Litvak
Screenwriter, Accidental Talmudist Content Creator
Aaron and his descendants were entrusted with the special task of bringing sacrifices and cautioned to handle these holy offerings with great care. Disrespecting something that has been consecrated is disrespecting God. Proper boundaries must be maintained so that priests don’t treat sacred offerings as ordinary or approach them in a state of ritual impurity. Even the seemingly smallest ritual items have enormous significance and should never be handled casually.
The Ramban teaches that this isn’t only about technical rules, it is about having the proper attitude. Priests in the performance of their sacred duties should maintain feelings of wonder and awe. No matter how many times a priest has brought offerings, the process should never become mundane to him. Approaching the altar with the proper respect and intentionality sets an example for how the rest of the Jewish nation should follow the mitzvot and serve God. Any action that causes another person to lose respect for what is holy desecrates God’s name. When we follow the laws of the Torah with caution and integrity, we accord honor to our Creator and bring others closer to Him.
Although only a small minority of Jews are members of the priestly caste, the Jewish people as a whole are considered a nation of priests. And just like priests who served in the Holy Temple thousands of years ago, we all have a responsibility to practice our Judaism with dignity, respect, and awe. God is watching us, and so are other people.
With thanks to Rabbi Pinchas Winston, Rabbi Eva Robbins, Rebbetzin Dini Coopersmith, Judy Gruen and Nina Litvak.
🤗 Signup for our free weekly newsletter!
❤️ Support our work!
NEW! ‘Accidental Talmudist’ App now available for Apple and Android!