Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 5 Iyar, 5784 –Day 20 of Omer
Parsha ‘Emor – “Speak” (Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23)
Second Portion: Leviticus 21:16 – 22:16

Today is Day 20 of the Omer, and the theme is the Bonding of Compassion.  From Chabad:

For compassion to be fully realized, it needs bonding. It requires creating a channel between giver and receiver. A mutuality that extends beyond the moment of need. A bond that continues to live on. That is the most gratifying result of true compassion. Do you bond with the one you have compassion for, or do you remain apart? Does your interaction achieve anything beyond a single act of sympathy?

Exercise for the day: Ensure that something eternal is built as a result of your compassion.

This is an interesting concept to reflect upon.  The idea of compassion being a single act of compassion, or is compassion being part of something greater. Are we being compassionate at a distance, or does it create connections between us and the one we have compassion on?

Of course, I bring this within me. How can I bond with myself through compassion? Through tenderness?

Let’s bring this spirit into the portion today! What will the Torah “speak” to us?

Let’s dig in:

16And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

17Speak to Aaron, saying: Any man among your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect, shall not come near to offer up his God’s food.

18For any man who has a defect should not approach: A blind man or a lame one, or one with a sunken nose or with mismatching limbs;

19or a man who has a broken leg or a broken arm;

20or one with long eyebrows, or a cataract, or a commingling in his eye; dry lesions or weeping sores, or one with crushed testicles

21Any man among Aaron the kohen’s offspring who has a defect shall not draw near to offer up the Lord’s fire offerings. There is a defect in him; he shall not draw near to offer up his God’s food.

Ok. My first reaction is horror at the judgment of someone who has a physical blemish. They should not approach to “offer up his God’s food.” Then this verse comes to us:

22His God’s food from the most holy and from the holy ones, he may eat.

So he gets to EAT from the most holy.  He just can’t approach the place.  So – we have to break down some of this.

Only a few select of the Children of Israel were allowed to approach. Of the 12 tribes, only one tribe was allowed. Of the one tribe, only one bloodline – Aaron’s was allowed. We are talking one small section of the people. If we are to believe those with a physical blemish are not valued, we would have to surmise all the other tribes were “less valuable” than the Levites, than Aaron, etc.

Now. The  Levites were not allowed to own land. If this was our standard of value, we might surmise that Levites were less valued than the other children.

The truth is – we bring our values here to this passage. The truth of the matter? Today? None of us approaches the temple, because it doesn’t exist. If something supernatural happened? We might feel different. If Hashem rescued us from our calamities? We might listen and do what He asks, would we not?  Let’s keep going:

23But he shall not come to the dividing curtain, nor shall he draw near to the altar, for he has a defect, and he shall not desecrate My holy things, for I am the Lord Who sanctifies them.

24Moses told [this to] Aaron and his sons, and to all of the children of Israel.

Keeping in mind, the sons of Aaron had a specific purpose – and generally that was the Yom Kippur sacrifice for all the people. Only one person did this. And they had to be fully “purified.” Let’s keep going:

22:1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

2Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they shall separate themselves from the holy [sacrifices] of the children of Israel, which they sanctify to Me, so as not to desecrate My Holy Name. I am the Lord.

This is Hashem telling the children of Aaron – they have a unique calling. To be set apart for Holy-Ness.

3Say to them: Throughout your generations, any man among any of your offspring who, while his defilement is still upon him, comes near to the holy sacrifices that the children of Israel consecrate to the Lord that soul shall be cut off from before me. I am the Lord.

4Any man whatsoever among Aaron’s offspring if he has tzara’ath or has had a discharge, he shall not eat of the holy sacrifices, until he cleanses himself. And one who touches anyone who has become unclean [by contact with a dead] person, or a man from whom semen issued,

5or a man who touches any creeping creature through which he becomes unclean or a person through whom he becomes unclean, whatever his uncleanness

6the person who touches it shall remain unclean until evening, and he shall not eat from the holy things unless he has immersed his flesh in water.

7When the sun sets, he becomes clean, and afterwards, he may eat of the holy things, for it is his food.

8He shall not eat a carcass or anything that was torn, thereby becoming unclean through it. I am the Lord.

9They shall keep My charge and not bear a sin by [eating] it [while unclean] and thereby die through it since they will have desecrated it. I am the Lord Who sanctifies them.

So basically – the key here is remaining pure in order to eat of the most Holy of God’s food. They were given special rituals to receive.

I think about our relationships.  What space do we need to be in – in order to receive love from another? We can’t be junked up with things from our past we’ve held onto. We can’t be filled with negativity. We blemishes within us. We are to work on our own healing to RECEIVE God’s food (which is likely a euphemism for love).

This is the issue. We often try to provide OTHERS with God’s food (love) without being in a place to RECEIVE God’s food, right? What are we doing in our lives that purify us (within ourselves) to receive this?

Let’s keep going:

10No non kohen may eat holy things; a kohen’s resident and his hireling may not eat holy things.

So – this is clear. Someone living with a priest? May not eat the holy things.

11And if a kohen acquires a person, an acquisition through his money, he may eat of it, and those born in his house they may eat of his food.

And we are once again confronted with the Children of Israel owning slaves. “Acquiring a person.” And? We are confronted that a person acquired by a priest? That person should be treated the same of those born in his house. That’s interesting right? A guest of the house may not eat? But those who are acquired can?

12And if a kohen’s daughter is married to a non kohen, she may [no longer] eat of the separated holy things.

This reinforces, when a woman marries, she leaves her fathers responsibility and becomes the family of the husband.

13But if the kohen’s daughter becomes widowed or divorced, and she has no offspring she may return to her father’s household as in her youth [and] eat of her father’s food, but no non kohen may eat of it.

And if she does not have children with the non-priest? She can come back into the house and eat it.

14And if a man unintentionally eats what is holy, he shall add a fifth of it to it and give the kohen the holy thing.

This is interesting. The Torah allows for the penalty of eating it unintentionally to give back what they ate plus 20%.

15And they shall not desecrate the holy things of the children of Israel, those that they have set aside for the Lord,

16thereby bringing upon themselves to bear iniquity and guilt, when they eat their holy things, for I am the Lord Who sanctifies them.

So this passage has me reflecting on what we VALUE. If we sit here and VALUE eating God’s food and approaching the Holy place? This may be a difficult passage to read, right?  If we don’t value this? Why would we have feelings about it? Because if we cared about acquiring property? None of the people who could approach the holy place could acquire property.

So the question brings me to the place of – what is it we value? What is important to us? And? How does our energy – our feelings – connect with our values vs taking on the values of others?

What are your thoughts?

Here are my thoughts from two years ago:

Tyler’s Torah Thoughts for 8 Iyar, 5782

Today is the 23rd day of the Omer; and again the theme this week is determination.

Todays portion begins with another tough portion. The Torah talks about “blemishes” and not serving Hashem in the temple.

Let’s hit the Torah:

We start by seemingly defining “blemishes.”

A blind man, a lame one, one with a sunken nose or disproportionate limbs, a man with a broken leg or a broken arm, one with unusually long eyebrows; a cataract, an imperfect iris, dry lesions, weeping sores, or crushed testicles.

So let me say, my first thought it is the inclusion of broken legs and broken arms. I don’t know too many people who haven’t had that. But this provides my heart some comfort knowing that I would be included in the list of blemishes. I would not be able to serve as a priest.

The Torah does say a blemished priest may eat God’s food both from the most holy sacrifices and from the less holy ones.

So we are welcome to eat at God’s table; even with our blemishes. We are just not called to serve Him.

And there is a logic that does seem to emerge here; that maybe the idea that those with blemishes can’t serve because their purpose is to be served? That seems compassionate.

I’m curious as to your thoughts.

Next we have passages about what happens when a priest is ritually impure:

1. If anyone is ritually unclean and comes near to eat the holy sacrifices – that soul will be cut off from before God.

So. Blemishes? You are welcome to be at God’s table. Ritual impurity? No. You need to wait until you are cleansed.

Next we get a repeat of something’s we learned prior; Tzara’at suffers, those who contacted a dead body, seminal emissions, contacting a creeping creature, etc. they are ritually impure until evening – and may not eat until they are immersed in the mikveh. When the sun sets us becomes Ritually pure.

Next we learn non-priests may not eat holy terumah.

Priests who had slaves – those slaves could eat of the holy meal, but other slaves cannot.

If a priests daughter marries a non priest she may no longer eat the holy meal.

However if the priests daughters non-priest husband dies, and she has not children, she gets to go back to her priestly status and eat.

So all of this is talking about the holy meal. And we learn; although those with blemishes may not serve the meal, they can eat it.

What are your thoughts?