Parshas Emor 5767

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 corresponding responsibilities. The Kohein was given the task of serving in the Temple. He was allowed to eat certain sacrifices and tithings that others could not eat. 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 Kohein must not defile himself by coming in contact with a corpse of anyone outside of his close family members. The Kohein Gadol, High Priest, being held by 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 sharing space under the same roof as a corpse—is prohibited to those who must live by a holier standard.

The Kohein is also limited as to whom he could marry. He must not marry a divorced woman, or one who has been involved in a prohibited relationship. (Although a divorce may not have reflected any spiritual flaw in the woman, it represents an imperfection in the prior relationship.) The Kohein Gadol is further restricted in his choice, only being permitted to marry a virgin.

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

Each of the holidays was given its own mitzvah, as a vehicle for receiving the unique spiritual influence associated with that day. The shofar blown on Rosh Hashanah, the fasting on Yom Kippur, the Four Species taken on Succos as well as sitting in the succah, etc, are all a means of drawing the sanctity of the holidays.

In the last section of the portion, the incident of the “mekallel” (blasphemer), is related. The word “kelala” (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 should count for you from the morrow of the Shabbos...seven complete weeks…you should count fifty days”(Lev. 23:15)

The counting of days teaches us the importance of time, as a person only counts that which is valuable to him. In the yeshiva of Kelm they instituted a learning session each night for five minutes, in order to impress upon the students the value of even five minutes. The Chasam Sofer once said it only takes five minutes to become a great scholar—learning an additional five minutes here and five minutes there. It is using all those five minutes that makes an average person into a great one.

Did You Know...

There is a famous custom not to cut a young boy’s hair until he reaches three years old. One reason offered for this custom is because it is prohibited for a male to shave the hair on the sides of his head, in the area above the mandible. (Some people have a custom to allow the hair to grow long into sidelocks, but according to Jewish law it is only required not to closely shave the hair.) The age to begin educating a child is around his third birthday, and the first haircut is thus postponed until then in order to educate the child about not shaving the sidelocks.

There is a widespread custom to first cut a child’s hair on Lag B’Omer. In Israel many people travel to the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai to give the child his haircut. Some people cut their child’s hair on Lag B’Omer even if it is a few months before the third birthday.