Please be aware: Due to the eighth day of Pesach falling out on Shabbos, Eretz Yisrael and CHU"L will be one parsha off for the next several weeks.
In Parshas Emor, Hashem gives Moshe detailed
explanations of all the Yomim Tovim we celebrate over the course of the year. From
the Shalosh Regalim, to the Yomim Noraim, even the weekly Shabbos, they are all
discussed in this week’s parsha. But these details were not meant to stay with
Moshe, Hashem specifically tells him to give over this information to the Bnei
Yisrael. While there are times where Hashem does not need to tell Moshe
specifically to give over the information, it’s just implied that he should,
when it comes to the holidays, Moshe had specific instructions to do so.
A good example of material that is just implied
to be given over is the first topic of discussion in the parsha, the special
laws of the Kohanim. While every single Jew is given a certain holy status as a
standard, the Kohanim have a higher general standard than the rest of the
nation. Due to this, they have certain privileges and restrictions that don’t apply
to everyone else. Hashem told these laws over to Moshe the same way He told him
about the holidays, but only instructed him to tell it over to the Kohanim; we
know these laws because they are written in the Torah, but Moshe was not
obligated to tell them to the nation at large.
This makes sense; if you are not a Kohen,
there’s no reason for you to know the laws of the Kohanim, as opposed to the
laws of the holidays which everyone needs to know. But how come the Kohen laws
are out in the open for everyone to see? Some of them could potentially be embarrassing
and quite private; so why wouldn’t they be kept private from the rest of the
nation?
The Ramban explains that it is precisely
because of this potential embarrassment that these laws must be made public.
Not only do the Kohanim have their own special holiness, as the stewards in the
Beis Hamikdash, they hold the key to the holiness of the entire nation. It is
up to the people as a whole to make sure this holiness does not suffer due to
one person. Therefore, the Torah tells us the exact rules and regulations for
the Kohanim so that the Beis Din can make sure everything stays kosher. Of course,
we don’t expect anything to happen, but it is important to be prepared for this
nonetheless.
Shabbat Shalom!
Click here to listen this this week's Podcast (Also available on iTunes)
For any questions, comments, or to subscribe to our email list, please email is at AIMeMtorah@gmail.com.
Please Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @aimemtorah
Don't forget to check out hashkafahandbook.com to learn about my book,Reality Check. And Like it on Facebook.
Check out our other AIMeMTorah project, Nation's Wisdom!
AIMeM
No comments:
Post a Comment