Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 16 Nisan, 5784 – Second Day of Passover – Day 1 of Omer
Parsha ‘Aharei Mot – “After the death”: (Leviticus 16:1 – 18:30)
Fourth Portion: Leviticus 17:1 – 17:7
Passover Torah Portions: Leviticus 22:26 – 23:44, Numbers 28:16-25
Good morning! Today is the second day of Passover, and that means it is the FIRST day of the Omer!
As we discussed yesterday, over the next 49 days we are counting the Omer to get to Shavuot.
This week’s theme is Chesed – Loving-Kindness.
Day 1 means we connect Loving-Kindness to Loving-Kindness. Love to Love.
From Chabad:
Examine the love aspect of love. The expression of love and its level of intensity. Everyone has the capacity to love in their hearts. The question is if and how we actualize and express it.
Ask yourself:
What is my capacity to love another person? Do I have problems with giving? Am I stingy or selfish? Is it difficult for me to let someone else into my life? Do I have room for someone else? Do I allow room for someone else? Am I afraid of my vulnerability, of opening up and getting hurt? How do I express love? Am I able to communicate my true feelings? Do I withhold expressing love out of fear of reaction? Or on the contrary: I often express too much too early. Do others misunderstand my intentions?
Whom do I love? Do I only love those that I relate to and who relate to me? Do I have the capacity to love a stranger; to lend a helping hand to someone I don’t know? Do I express love only when it’s comfortable?
Why do I have problems with love and what can I do about it? Does my love include the other six aspects of chesed, without which love will be distorted and unable to be truly realized.
That last one is crucial. Does our love include the OTHER six aspects of love? Discipline, Harmony, Determination, Humility, Bonding, and Dignity?
One of the ways we can love ourselves with love? Listening to ourselves. So often we distract and numb ourselves from the feelings and messages we are trying to tell ourselves.
Here’s something to try – meditation. Set a timer for 2 minutes and just listen and focus on your breath. That can start your journey of love!
With this, let’s dig into today’s Torah portion:
17:1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
2Speak to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them: This is the thing the Lord has commanded, saying:
3Any man of the House of Israel, who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat inside the camp, or who slaughters outside the camp,
4but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer up as a sacrifice to the Lord before the Mishkan of the Lord, this [act] shall be counted for that man as blood he has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people;
Hashem is talking to Moses. He tells Moses to speak to everyone – don’t slaughter animals without bringing it to the Tent of Meeting as a sacrifice, or that person is going to be cut off from his people. Why?
5in order that the children of Israel should bring their offerings which they slaughter on the open field, and bring them to the Lord, to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, to the kohen, and slaughter them as peace offerings to the Lord.
6And the kohen shall dash the blood upon the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and he shall cause the fat to go up in smoke, as a pleasing fragrance to the Lord.
7And they shall no longer slaughter their sacrifices to the satyrs after which they stray. This shall be an eternal statute for them, for [all] their generations.
Hashem did not want the people sacrificing to false idols. The reason all animals slaughtered were to be brought to the tent was to keep the people connected to Hashem. Hashem was key. Connection was key. And when we reflect on love? This is the connection to love. Hashem within us – the soul. The true nature of our identity. And this the story of Passover. Love.
Here is my commentary from two years ago:
Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 12 Nisan, 5782
Good morning! Todays portion is very short, and focuses on offering sacrifices outside the temple.
God tells Moses to speak to Aaron and his sons the following:
- Any man of the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, lamb, or goat which has been sanctified as an offering inside the camp but outside the temple courtyard, or one who slaughters outside the camp and does not bring the offering to the entrance of the Tent of meeting as an offering to God in the presence of the tabernacle of God – this act will be counted for that man like shedding the blood of a human being.
- If a man sprinkles sacrificial blood outside the temple, he is punished as if he has shed human blood and that man will be cut off from among his people.
Wow. So. Up until now, it may have felt like animals were getting a raw deal out of life in Israel. But this verse explains that animals serve a function- sacrifices. And to kill an animal outside of its purpose is akin to murder. That’s a big shift from what has been in my head until now.
Second, we are back on the theme of offering sacrifices to God that he doesn’t want. We’ve discussed this previously – if I bring a vegan friend a pound of steak, that is going to be seen poorly by my vegan friend. It isn’t always the act of sacrificing or gifting that matters. What matters is whether what we are sacrificing is what the other person in our life WANTS. That requires knowing them and having a relationship with them.
These passages really bring clarity to these points (in my opinion).
In addition, Rabbi Hayyim of Tchernowitz writes the following:
These words (in verse 17:4), “in the presence of the Tabernacle of God,” seem redundant, as the verse just stated that he “does not bring (his offering) to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer up as an offering to God”
People often do what they are supposed to, but they do it for their own sake. They miss a vital ingredient: they neither make God’s “presence” felt in their actions, nor do they act because it is right.
It is this error that our verse attempts to forewarn. Every command should be carried out amid the heightened awareness that we are “in the presence of the Tabernacle of God” (end quote)
This is crucial. We must remember we are always in his presence!
The portion closes with “why?” We should do this. Hashem designed the sacrificial process to take place at the tabernacle. The last line of the portion gives us more context and clarity; “They should no longer slaughter their sacrifices to demons after whom they stray. This should be an eternal statute for them, for all their generations.”
So basically this applies to us today; we must be careful who we sacrifice to!
What are your thoughts?
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