Parshas Emor 5766

Commentary by Rabbi Ephraim Nisenbaum

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The Kohanim (priests) were endowed with a greater potential for holiness than the rest of the people. They were thus granted certain privileges and responsibilities. The Kohain was given the task of serving in the Temple. He was also given great honor by the rest of the nation. Because of these privileges he was also required to live a holier lifestyle.

The Kohain could not defile himself by coming in contact with a corpse of anyone outside of his close family members. The Kohain Gadol (High Priest), being held to an even stricter standard, could not even contaminate himself for family members. A lifeless body is the very antithesis of holiness, since it has lost its potential for any spiritual growth. Any contact with the dead--even under the same roof as a corpse--is prohibited to those who must live by a holier standard.

The Kohain was also limited (and still is) as to whom he could take as a wife. He could not marry a divorced woman, or any woman with certain spiritual blemishes. (Although a divorce may not have reflected any spiritual flaw in the woman, it represents an imperfection in the prior relationship.) The Kohain Gadol was restricted even further in his choice, only being allowed to marry a virgin.

The entire Jewish people were also endowed with holiness. For this reason they are obligated to live, and die, in a manner that sanctifies G-d’s Name. Desecration of G-d’s name is one of the most severe sins.

Certain days of the year were also endowed with holiness— the Shabbos and other holidays. These days were meant to be sanctified by dressing differently, eating differently, and in general, behaving more spiritually than during the rest of the year.

Each of the holidays was also given its own mitzvah, as a tool for receiving the unique spiritual influence associated with that day. The shofar is blown on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, etc.

In the last section of the portion, the incident of the “mekallel” (blasphemer) is related. The word “k'lala” (curse) is derived from the word “kal” (light). One who curses G-d’s name does not take holiness seriously, and makes light of it. This is a serious offense in Judaism, and the blasphemer was therefore put to death.

“You shall count for you from the morrow of Shabbos, seven complete weeks...you shall count fifty days” (Lev. 23:15)

The author of Ohr haMeir, a student of the Chozeh of Lublin, once stayed at an inn. There was a large clock in his room, and he found that the clock’s ticking would not let him sleep.

In the morning he asked the innkeeper if the clock had belonged to the Chozeh. The surprised innkeeper responded, “Indeed, the clock did belong to the Chozeh, but how did you know?”

The Ohr HaMeir explained, “You see, when most clocks tick, they announce that another minute, another hour, and another day has passed. The routine of life seems so ordinary; it’s easy to fall asleep. The Chozeh’s clock, however, announces that it’s one hour closer to the Messiah, one day closer to the great day. That excites a person so much, it’s impossible to sleep!”

Did You Know...

There are several reasons suggested for the celebration of Lag B’Omer. One reason is because the plague that killed 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva ceased on that day.

Another reason is because Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar, the classical textbook of Kabbalah, died on Lag B’Omer. Before his passing, he revealed many of the mystical secrets of Torah, and he instructed his students to celebrate that day. Many have the custom of lighting bon fires on Lag B’Omer, commemorating the revelation of the great light of Torah.

Another reason for the celebration was because it marks the anniversary when Rabbi Akiva ordained five new students, after his first students had all perished. These students succeeded in restoring what had been lost with the first students.