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Weekly Torah Reading
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Parashat Emor (“Say!”)
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Click on the links to display the Scriptures:
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Torah Reading Snapshot:
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Parashat Emor opens with the commandment to Moses: emor el-haKohenim benei Aharon, “say to the priests, the sons of Aaron...” and then lists certain commandments regarding Temple service, including restrictions about touching corpses, prohibitions regarding the customs of the pagan nations, and rules concerning the marriage of a kohen (priest). The function of these commandments is twofold: to promote holiness and to keep from profaning
the Name of God.
The parashah begins:
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And the LORD said unto Moses, “Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none be defiled for the dead among his people” (Lev 21:1)
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Meet the Kohens and the Levites
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Jacob, of course, had 12 sons, which became the twelve tribes (shevatim) of Israel. His son Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari (Gen. 46:11; Ex. 6:16-26) who became heads of the clans of the Levites. However, God exclusively chose Levi’s great grandson Aaron and his descendants from among all the Levites to be His priests (Num. 17:1-10).
In other words, there are three "classes" within the structure of Jewish society: the Kohen, the Levi and the Israelite. Only the Kohanim are physical descendants of Aaron and assigned the priestly duties of offering korbanot (sacrifices). The other descendants of Levi were assigned roles to assist in the maintenance of the mishkan, such as carrying various vessels, assembling it when the LORD moved the camp, and so on. But only the Kohanim were allowed to perform avodah (priestly service) on behalf of Israel. The Kohanim, then, are a subset of the Tribe of Levi. Thus, while every Levite is an Israelite (a descendant of Israel), not every Levite (descendant of Levi) is a Kohen (descendant of Aaron):
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Why were they chosen?
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In a word: loyalty to the LORD God of Israel. The shevat (tribe) of Levi was chosen to serve in the mishkan on account of their loyalty to the LORD during times of national peril. For example, they refused to contribute gold or partake in the sin of the Golden Calf, and were so zealous for the LORD that they slew 3,000 of the instigators of the rebellion. Moreover, according to the sages, the Levites continued the practice of circumcision while in Egypt, even when the other tribes of Israel had abandoned the practice. Aaron’s descendants were rewarded with being kohanim on account of his faithful service with Moses during the time of yetziat mitzraim (the Exodus from Egypt).
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Additional Restrictions on the Kohanim (priests)
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Since the kohanim were set apart for direct service to the LORD, additional restrictions applied to them that did not apply to the rest of the clan of Levi (or to the Israelites in general). For example, they may not touch a dead body or they would be considered tamei (unclean) for service at the mishkan. The only exceptions were for a kohen’s seven closest relatives: his wife, mother or father, son or daughter, and brother or (unmarried) sister. However, if a kohen buries any of these, he would be considered tamei and unable to serve in the mishkan until he was ceremonially purified by water mixed with ashes from a parah adumah (red heifer).
A kohen Gadol (High Priest) may not even bury his closest relatives, however, unless it is for meit mitzvah, burying an abandoned Jewish body when there is no one else who can do so. If the High Priest does this, he is likewise considered tamei and must undergo a purification process.
In addition, a kohen may not marry a woman who has been divorced or is a widow (a son born to such is called chalal and is unfit for service as a priest), and he must be physically free of any defect (called a mum).
The kohanim were supported by terumot (contributions) from the Israelite people. A Jewish farmer who harvest grains must give part of it to the priests (called Ma’aser Rishon), just as a Jewish rancher was to give a portion of his cattle (called Ma’aser behemah). Every kohen and his family could eat terumah if they were tahor (pure), but if they were tamei, they had to undergo ceremonially cleansing first.
All korbonot (sacrifices) offered at the mishkan must be defect-free. The sages listed over 50 mumim (defects) that would invalidate an offering, and it was the responsibility of the kohanim to ensure the quality of the sacrifices.
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"Chillul Hashem" (pronounced khee-LOOL hah-SHEM) means "desecration of God's Name." Colloquially, it refers to anything that gives the LORD, the Torah, or the Jewish people a bad name or a bad reputation.
According to certain sages, chillul hashem refers to sinning in such a way as to desecrate the Name of the LORD (including murdering someone, serving other gods, or having sexual relations with someone who is forbidden). A Jew is required to die rather than to commit such sins, and those who commit these offenses dishonor the LORD by refusing to give up their lives. In other words, when a Jew is faced with the choice of committing one of these sins or being executed, then he should choose to die, or else he commits chillul haShem. Also, if a non-Jew commands a Jew to any sin before the presence of 10 or more other Jews, he also must let himself be killed rather than to obey the evil command.
Kiddush HaShem ("sanctifying the Name") means that we honor the Name of the LORD by giving up our lives. It is therefore the exact opposite of chillul HaShem. Every time a Jew recites the Shema, he or she affirms that they would rather die than to deny the great and glorious Name of the LORD. Note that the sages say that if a Jew is about to give up their life for God, he may not think, “God will save me from death in this case,” but must expect to be killed. Thus when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were faced with the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar’s evil design, they did not presume that the LORD would perform a miracle for them, but fully expected to give up their lives for the sake of kiddush HaShem (Daniel 3).
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The Mo’edim - the appointed times of the LORD
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The second part of parashah lists the eight main mo’edim -- the appointed times of the Jewish calendar. These are also referred to as yamim tovim (Jewish holidays). These include special times (click on each for more complete description):
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Pesach, Shavu’ot, and Sukkot are called shalosh regalim, the three holidays of pilgrimage (to Jerusalem) in which every Jewish male was required to offer sacrifices at the mishkan (and later at the Temple).
Each of these yamim tovim are also times of Sabbath, wherein no regular work is allowed. Rabbinical halakhah defines such “work” (melakhah) as any action that falls into one of the 39 categories of labor (Avot Melakhah), identified when constructing the mishkan. In other words, the mo’edim were to be sacred times, apart from the profane concerns of everyday life.
In addition, Moses was instructed to keep the menorah in the Holy Place of the Mishkan burning continually (ner tamid) and to provide weekly “showbread,” or twelve loaves of bread on the shulchan inside the Holy Place.
Parashat Emor concludes with the incident of a man executed for blasphemy, and then provides the principle of Lex Tallionis, or “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” concerning matters of governmental justice. This has played itself out as Midah K'neged Midah (measure for measure) in Jewish thought.
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