OF ACHDUT @ NER PARSHAT 5776

The atmosphere of Shabbat is uniquely designed to bring people together, enhance relationships, eat, schmooze and discuss and make new friends.

All this-worldly distractions are switched off, and the zemirot and divrei at the table create an atmosphere of warmth and meaningful communication.

Specifically this , on Parshat Emor we refer to the Shabbat in a unique context as the first in the annual yomtov cycle. We refer to this in Friday night Kiddush as “Techilah le-mikraei Kodesh” an important dimension of Shabbat.

The power of all the different chagim has its roots in the Shabbat, the weekly chance to revive one’s Neshamah in joy with friends and family.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Alan Kimche Divrei Torah for Parshat Emor:

קדושים יהיו לא -להיהם ולא יחללו שם א -להיהם, כי את אשי ה’ לחם א -להיהם הם מקריבים, והיו קדש

They (the Cohanim) should be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer up the fire offerings of God, so they must be Holy (21:6)

The first section of this week’s Parsha deals with the Mitzvot unique to Cohanim, and in this Passuk it tells us that the Cohanim must be holy.

At the start of last week’s Sedrah, , the whole nation was instructed to be holy. The Ramban, there, explained that it is technically possible to keep the “letter of the law” of the other 612 commandments, and yet still be a “Menuval BeReshut HaTorah”, a thoroughly corrupted individual. Unless a legal system is as long and complex as life itself, it can only establish general rules, leaving space for those who wish to abuse the system and to find loopholes. One can keep every Halacha in Kashrut, Arayot and other areas, and still be a licentious and debased person. The Mitzva of “Kedoshim Tiheyu” addresses this lacuna, and instructs us to refrain from such things that may be technically permissible but are not within the spirit of being a decent and holy human being. Individuals who fail in this area, merely damage, and shame, themselves. The Cohen however is a leader, for Ishei Hashem Hem Makrivim, they offer up offerings to God. All eyes are on leaders - if the Cohen is not morally upright, he is Mechalel Shem Elokov , people will view his failure as the failure of his God and of the Torah as a system. This is why the commandment to be Kadosh is reiterated here, this time specifically addressed to the Cohen.

We are all a Mamlechet Cohanim, all leaders, whether in the sphere of religion, commerce, politics, the community or our family setting. We must be aware, that Kedoshim Tiheyu is not just a personal moral imperative, but one that can effect the wider moral tone of society.

------One whole chapter of our Parsha is dedicated to the Chaggim – the three Regalim, as well as Rosh Hashanah and . The Torah introduces this section with the words:

דבר ֶאל ְּבנֵי יִ ְׂש ָר ֵאל וְ ַָאמ ְר ָּת ֲא ֵל ֶהם ֲמֹוע ֵדי ה’ ֲא ֶׁשר ִּת ְק ְראּו א ֹ ָתם ִמ ְק ָר ֵאי קֹ ֶדׁש ֵא ֶּלה ֵהם ֲמֹוע ָדי. ֵׁש ֶׁשת יָ ִמים ֵּת ָע ֶׂשה ְמ ָל ָאכה ַּובּיֹום ַה ְּׁש ִב ִיעי ַׁש ַּבת ַׁש ָּבתֹון ִמ ְק ָרא קֹ ֶדׁש ָּכל ְמ ָל ָאכה ֹלא ַת ֲעׂשּו ַׁש ָּבת ִהוא ה’ ְּב כ ֹל ְמֹוׁשב ֹ ֵת ֶיכם Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them these are the Festivals that they shall proclaim as holy. Six days, work may be performed, but on the seventh day, it is a complete rest day, a holy occasion; you shall not perform any work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places. (23:2-3)

This introduction is difficult. The term Moadim, normally refers to the seasonal festivals, rather than the weekly Shabbat. Indeed the Passuk itself says that these Moadim are those that “they shall proclaim as holy”, referring to the festivals whose timings are dependent on the calendar declared by the Sanhedrin, as opposed to Shabbat which is pre-fixed, irrespective of us “declaring it Holy”. If this is the case, why is Shabbat inserted into the middle of the introduction to the Parsha of the Moadim?

Rashi addresses this question, and in a difficult answer, says that the Torah is here equating the importance of Shabbat and the other Moadim.

The Vilna Gaon however explains the Pasuk in a different vein.

On all the Festivals certain types of Melachot are permitted - ochel nefesh – those needed for the preparation of food, whereas on Shabbat all the Melachot are forbidden. However on one Yom Tov .”a complete Shabbat“ – ַשׁ ַבּת ַשׁ ָבּתוֹן no melacha is permitted – Yom Kippur - which is also known as

Based on this the Vilna Gaon suggests an original translation of the passukim: Speak to the Children of Israel and tell them these are the Festivals that they shall proclaim as holy: There are six [festival] days on which some melacha is permitted (the first and last days of Pesach (2), one day Shavuot (3), one day Rosh Hashana (4), one day Succot (5), one day Atzeret (6)) however the seventh is a complete Shabbat (Shabbat Shabbaton) on which no melacha whatsoever is permitted (Yom Kippur when even Ochel nefesh is not allowed)

This indeed is a fitting introduction to the rest of the Moadim which the Torah then goes on to describe.

------In looking at the Moadim listed, Shavuot stands out. Whereas all the other Yommim Tovim have a fixed calendar date (Pesach on 15th of Nissan etc.) Shavuot is different. It has no set date, and we calculate the time of the holiday through counting the Omer. We are commanded to count forty-nine days, starting on the second day of Pesach, and on the fiftieth day, we celebrate Shavuot. In the past, when the calendar was still fixed by the Sanhedrin, and month lengths could vary based on sightings of the new moon, this meant that Shavuot could fall on a number of possible dates. Whilst Shavuot would always be fifty days after Pesach, since the lengths of the month of Nissan and Iyar could change, the date of Shavuot in Sivan could also shift. Why is this?

We count the Omer between Pesach and Shavuot, and at the time of the giving of the Torah, these were the joyful days in which we counted and prepared ourselves for receiving the Torah. In this time, we went from the lowly level of newly released slaves to the heights of spirituality necessary for the prophetic Sinai experience.

The count of Shavuot is not a passive “countdown”, like that in which a child might engage as they wait for a birthday or much anticipated holiday –passively waiting and counting how many days are left – but rather days of Sefira – U’Sefartem Lachem - counting each day and taking it for ourselves, using it its fullest, and moving small step after small step forward. Indeed it is for this reason that what should have been a joyful period in our calendar – the Omer count towards Shavuot – has become a time of mourning. Akiva’s students died during this period in particular, because this is the time when they would have been expected to prepare themselves for Torah. Derech Eretz Kadma LeTorah – decent treatment of each other is a necessary precursor to receiving the Torah, yet they failed to do so.

Pesach and Sukkot are the days that celebrate that which Hashem gave to us, the miracles of of Yetziat Mitzrayim and our supernatural sojourn in the wilderness. These festivals can have fixed dates.

But Shavuot is different. Mattan Torah can only happen when we take responsibility and when we are work hard to achieve the desired level of improvement. No one can transition from Pesach to Shavuot, the day we received the Torah, without exerting the appropriate human effort embodied by the count of the Omer. Shavuot can not have a fixed date – it can only arrive, when we complete our counting.

------עין תחת עין, שן תחת שן An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (24:20)

This Passuk, amongst others, is the source for the lex talonis, the notoriously harsh “Old Testament” retributory system of justice. Yet, famously, Chazal understood the Passuk to be referring to monetary payment of compensation; how did they translate the Passuk? Were they engaged in apologetics?

This issue reminds us of the need to exercise caution when translating Passukim for the truth is that when accurately translated, we realise that there is no Passuk that says “An eye for an eye”. The means “underneath” or “in place of”, so the literal meaning of the Passuk is “an eye as a תחת word replacement for an eye”. Yet how can we replace an eye, once lost, it is gone forever? The meaning must be to replace, or compensate as much as is possible for the loss of functionality and opportunity that the eye offered. The criminal can not restore the eye, but he can pay for medical treatment, loss of earnings suffered due to its loss, and compensation for the pain – exactly the categories of Tashlumei Hezek, monetary compensation for damage, about which Chazal spoke.

The myth of biblical lex talonis is based on a mistranslation and a poor reading of the Passuk.

Ner Trivia Quiz

Questions

1. Where did Ner Yisrael first hold services?

2. Who were the original founding Trustees?

3. Name at least 2 of the past caretakers?

4. What was 'Gigi's real name?

5. How many regular weekday shiurim are there?

6. What's the name of the kindergarten?

7. What is the postcode of the Shul?

8. What was the Horowitz building before it was bought by the Shul?

9. What colour is the bima cover in the main shul?

10. What time does Louise start work every weekday morning?

Answers 1. College/LSJS 2. Laurence Begner Brian Berenblut Herbert Koppel Michael Samad Jerry Shatzkes Mendy Wohlgemuth Wolf Malcolm Wulwick 3. Gigi, Florence 4. Guillermo Cifuentes 5. 9 6. Gan Talpiyot 7. NW4 2HY 8. A woodyard 9. Brown 10. 7.30am JUNIOR QUIZ

Questions

1. What is the name of this week’s Parsha?

2 Who was given the job of working in the Mishkan?

3. Which of the Yomim Tovim are mentioned in this Parsha?

4. How many are there between Pesach and Shavuot?

5. What did the Cohanim place on the table every Shabbat?

6. What is one forbidden to do on Yom Kippur (list up to 5 things)?

7. What did they do to the man who cursed Hashem?

Answers

1. Emor 2. The Cohanim 3. Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Succot 4. Seven 5. Lechem Hapanim 6. Eat and drink, anointment, wear leather shoes, work, washing 7. Stoned him.

PARSHA QUESTIONS FOR NER TOGETHER SHABBAT

Questions

1. Who are the 7 relatives that a Cohen can become Tamei (impure) for when they die? 2. What are all the names for the festivals of Pesach / Sukkot / Shavuot? 3. On which day of the week were the Lechem Hapanim (show bread) switched and what miracle happened to the show bread? 4. Which law in this week’s Parsha shows the Torah’s sensitivity towards animals? 5. Who was the Blasphemer (Mekalel) and what was his punishment? 6. Besides Shabbat, how many days are there during the year on which the Torah forbids work? 7. Which in the Torah requires the gathering of families together in achdut (unity) to fulfil it? 8. Where do we see in this week’s Parsha that marriage can affect the foods that one is allowed to consume? 9. What are the two Karbanot that marked the start and the finish of the Omer counting? 10. How many double Parshiot are there?

Answers

1. Father, Mother, Brother, Sister (unmarried), Wife, Son and Daughter (Emor 21:2‐3) 2. Pesach, Chag Hamatzot, Zman Cheiruteinu; Sukkot, Chag Hakatzir, Zman Simchateinu; Shavuot, Chag Ha’asif, Zman Matan Torateinu (Emor 23) 3. The show bread was switched on Shabbat, and they stayed fresh from week to week. (Emor 24:8) 4. The Torah forbids slaughtering a mother animal and its child on the same day. (Emor 22:28) 5. According to some explanations, he was the son of the Egyptian that Moshe killed. His punishment for cursing Hashem in public was . (Emor 24:10‐16) 6. Seven (Emor 23:7‐36) 7. The Pesach 8. When the daughter of a marries a non‐Kohen, she is no longer allowed to eat the (Emor 22:12) 9. A barley (omer) offering and a wheat offering of two loaves of bread (Emor 23:10‐ 17) 10. Seven (Vayakhel‐; ‐; ‐Kedoshim; ‐ ; ‐; ‐; ‐)