Leviticus - Emor

Emor
Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23

I. Summary

A. Emor = (God said to Moses:) “Speak” (to the priests …) - Continues the themes of priesthood, ritual purity, and sacrifice.

B. God tells Moses to tell priests of the limitations on priests: 1) Priest avoiding desecration of himself by contact with a corpse, forbidden marriages and immorality by priest’s daughter; 2) Priest avoiding desecration of sanctuary and sacred offerings by contact with physically defective priests, contact with impure priests, consumption of offerings by “unclean” persons and making sacred offerings deemed unacceptable due to physical defect or origin. (21:1-22:31)

C. God tells Moses to tell Israelites of “My fixed times” which set the pattern for the Jewish calendar to the present day: the Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the Pilgrimage Festivals of Pesach, counting the omer, Shavuot, and Sukkot. (23:1-44)

D. God tells Moses to tell Israelites of offerings, particularly oil and flour. God commands the Israelites to bring clear olive oil for lighting the sanctuary menorah. The ingredients and placement of the displayed loaves of sanctuary bread are explained. (24:1-9)

E. God's name is blasphemed by a half-Israelite (Israelite mother and Egyptian father). God punishes blasphemer with death. God declares death to be standard punishment for blasphemy. (24:10-14)

F. God sets out rules of punishment for murder and the causing of physical harm. (24:17-22) including “eye-for-an-eye” (see also Ex 21:23–25 and Deut 19:21).

II. Commentary (Plaut, URJ & Aish websites, Jewish Study Bible, Hevreh discussions)

A. Making days count – Parasha description of holidays in Jewish calendar reminds us that Judaism is a religion of time and that holidays in our tradition are not just days off but occasions to celebrate time and make it holy. To be a Jew means to understand that every moment of life represents an opportunity that will not come again, a chance to make our days count. Seen clearly through counting of the Omer (49 days from Pesach to Shavuot … from Egypt to Sinai … from profane to the sacred).

B. Mandated observance of holidays – God mandates Israelites’ recognition of holidays. Would Israelites have seen significance of and originated celebration of holidays without being commanded to observe them? Issue is not whether Israelites would have recognized holidays but whether celebrations were initially more important to God than to Israelites? Were mandated celebrations = God’s way of reinforcing Israelite behavior? Were mandated celebrations = cultural necessity to tie calendar to seasonal flow of life?

C. Twelve loaves - The bread was a symbol of humility--a reminder to the priests, who were elevated above all the rest of the people by their service to God, that unless every person from every one of the twelve tribes had enough bread to eat, the priests were not fulfilling their duties. We, too, need something we can keep in plain sight that serves as a humble, daily reminder of our connection to God and our obligation to others.

D. Judging character – Consider not only actions but also appearance (only priests who are normal in appearance may offer sacrifices) and motive (sacrifices must be "acceptable for you" (Lev 22:19) suggesting a mitzvot is only complete if we bring proper mindset and willingness to the deed).

E. Judging God – If priests are held to higher standard than lay population, what is standard, if any, to which God is held? If priests are punished harshly for their transgressions, is there a concept of punishment of God for God’s “transgressions”? Can God repent? Are the concepts of behavioral standards, repentance and punishment for a transgression simply human traits and therefore not applicable to God? We at least question (if not judge) God in the face of terrible things befalling peoples which we can’t understand or accept. If God does commit transgressions (e.g. by being vengeful and over-reactive), has our liturgy laundered the image of God? Do we need to re-think our image of God? Should we view God as an "imperfect" but evolving entity which/who has good and bad characteristics but gives us the opportunity to believe in those aspects of God that we want to believe in (and ignore or rationalize the bothersome aspects of God) ... not perfect but good enough for the needs of flawed humans ... (created in the image of a flawed God?).

F. Spirituality/ritual observance v. social justice - Judaism based on neither alone but both. Placing ethical laws (e.g. 22:28 humanity toward animals and 23:22 justice for the poor) amid ritual laws (e.g. sacrifices and festivals) makes it clear that the observance of ethical law is as important as the observance of ritual law.

G. Eye for an eye - Under the legal innovation of "an eye for an eye" (24:20), a crime against an individual becomes a crime against society, with the government stepping in as the objective judge limiting punishment for "an eye" to only "an eye" and nothing more, thus preventing retribution from getting out of control.

H. Linking narrative to ritual – Linkage of narrative (half-Israelite who blasphemes and is condemned to death) to the ritual portion of the parasha: 1) the act of blasphemy usurps the priests’ prerogative to utter the name of God and thereby diminishes priests’ authority and 2) name of blasphemer’s mother is cited in order to draw our attention to the fact that “the wicked bring shame on themselves, their parent, and their tribe”.

I. Disabled barred from holy rituals - God reminds Aaron that anyone with a "defect" is not fit to make an offering. Further, people with certain conditions (including the "blind, lame, [those with a] broken leg or arm, dwarfs, or those who have boils" may not venture behind the curtain of the Tabernacle. Contra, "You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind" (19:14). We do not wittingly place a stumbling block before the disabled, yet by ignoring their needs, we do inadvertently place a stumbling block before them. How are these positions reconciled? One possibility based on "A man from your seed, through their generations, in whom will be an injury shall not come forward to bring forward his God's bread." (21:17). Since the Hebrew is in the future tense, maybe this statement is not a prescription but rather a prediction. As long as leaders don't support people who are struggling, those strugglers will not get close to God.

J. Community stoning – When blasphemer is stoned by community (“all who were within hearing lay their hands upon his head” … 24:13), community transfers their guilt for hearing the blasphemy onto the blasphemer himself. Expresses community’s collective horror and urgent need to be rid of the instrument of desecration. Further, capital punishment for blasphemy, a crime of words, reinforces seriousness of evil talk (lashon harah) discussed two weeks ago in parasha Tazria.

III. Lessons for today

A. Actions have consequences – For person acting questionably: Being aware of potential consequences attending questionable behavior within your control should help you determine if you should engage in such behavior. For person “victimized” by another’s questionable behavior: Recognize that an eye-for-an-eye is a limitation on retribution rather than a license for overreaction (consider possibility that ongoing misinterpretation of eye-for-an-eye concept is a function of political or discriminatory biases).

B. Use counting of the Omer (49 days between Passover and Shavuot) for personal growth - Putting in the effort to prepare ourselves for receiving the Torah allows us to feel closer to God (move from slavery of Egypt to post-covenantal receipt of Torah) and should enhance ability to live by precepts of Torah. We get more out of something if we put in an effort to acquire it.

C. Anonymous giving – "When you reap the harvest from your land, you shall not remove ... the corners of your field... For the poor ... shall you leave them ..." (23:22). Leaving the corners for the poor rather than giving the harvest to the poor is a high level of tzedakah (anonymous giver and receiver = seventh of eight levels … only higher level of giving is to make a person self-reliant). Giving anonymously is preferable to giving while identifying yourself.

D. Making days count (counting of Omer) – Knowing and accepting right thing to do is not enough ... act on it today.

(Revised 5/5/09)