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Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
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An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. Atonement
Parshat Acharei Mot begins with G-d instructing Moshe to tell his brother Aaron the High Priest about the performance of the Yom Kippur service, the description of which takes up all of Chap. 16. The first verse of the Parsha states that, ?G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of Aaron?s two sons, when they approached before G-d and they died?. The Jerusalem Talmud in Tractate Yoma (1:1) asks why the Torah introduces the Yom Kippur service with a reference to the death of Aaron?s sons, and answers by saying that this is to teach us that just as Yom Kippur serves as an atonement for Israel, so too does the death of the righteous serve as an atonement for the Jewish people.
The question: After detailing the Yom Kippur service, the Torah says, ?This shall be to you an eternal decree to bring atonement upon the Children of Israel for all their sins once a year?? (Chap. 16, verse 34). Why does the Torah need to tell us that the atonement for the Jewish people is ?once a year?? Don?t we know that it occurs only once a year (i.e. on Yom Kippur)?
The answer: Rabbi Yissocher Frand of Yeshivat Ner Israel says this verse is an expression of hope, even prayer, that Israel will be at a level at which they will require atonement only ?once a year?, namely on Yom Kippur. But if, G-d forbid, the Jewish people are not at a high enough level, then they might require atonement at other periods in the year ? namely, through the death of the righteous which, as the Jerusalem Talmud quoted above states, atones for the Jewish people just as Yom Kippur does. Hence, this is why the Torah states that atonement shall be ?once a year? ? out of the desire that Israel will require only one such atonement.
The lesson: As the Palestinian campaign of terror enters its eighth month, Israeli casualties have begun to mount, with over 70 killed since the start of the violence. The toll in numbers masks the pain of the victims, their families, friends and acquaintances. Just this week, Assaf Hershkovitz Z?L of Ofra was murdered by Palestinian terrorists only three months after his father was killed in a similar fashion. The burden of saying the Kaddish prayer in memory of the dead now falls upon young David Hershkovitz, Assaf?s 11-year old brother, and it is impossible to imagine the grief and anguish that the Hershkovitz family must now confront. It is beyond our human understanding to comprehend such tragedies. But what we can and must do is to elevate Israel both materially and spiritually, improving the lot of the Jewish people by strengthening and fortifying its spiritual defenses from attack. And, needless to say, we must do our utmost to ensure that Israel will require atonement just once a year ? on Yom Kippur ? and not through other, more traumatic ways.
2. Don?t Sacrifice Children
Parshat Acharei Mot addresses the issues of immorality and forbidden sexual relationships, listing prohibited unions such as incest, homosexuality and bestiality. Toward the end of the list, the Torah mentions the prohibition of worshipping Molech (Chap. 18, verse 21), a form of idol worship common in Canaan at that time. The Torah then returns to the list of forbidden sexual relationships, which is followed by the close of the Parsha, where G-d warns the Jewish people, ?Do not become contaminated through any of these, because it was through these that the nations that I shall expel before you became contaminated?. (Chap. 18, verse 24).
The question: Why is the prohibition of worshipping Molech listed among the types of forbidden sexual relationships? What is the connection between the two?
The answer: The Ramban notes that the Land of Israel is unique in that it can not and will not tolerate acts of immorality being committed in its midst. The Torah here is warning us that the Land will spew out a nation that commits the sins delineated in this section because they are so egregious. As Rashi explains, it is akin to the son of a king who is fed spoiled food. His digestive system, which is accustomed only to the finest of cuisine, reacts by vomiting out the rotten food. Similarly, says Rashi, the Land of Israel can not abide the presence of the wicked, ultimately resulting in their removal. Hence, says the Ramban, the worship of Molech is mentioned here as an example of the pagan idolatry which, like acts of sexual immorality, G-d finds to be utterly intolerable. And what is it about Molech worship in particular that makes it so abhorrent? The commentaries disagree as to what exactly it entailed, but it appears that it involved a set of parents taking their child to a pagan priest and then passing him through fire, resulting in a horrible and painful death. Such a form of ?worship? is so loathsome and repugnant that, like other acts of immorality, it is simply unbearable. Hence, that is why the worship of Molech appears in the list of immoral acts in the Parsha.
The lesson: In recent months, the scene has repeated itself again and again. A few days after a suicide bombing, a pre-recorded video clip appears on the news with a young Palestinian explaining why he chose to blow himself up. No remorse is expressed, no moral qualms are raised. A look at the perpetrators often reveals 17 and 18 year olds, seemingly with their whole lives ahead of them, who chose instead to end it all in a heartless eruption of fury and destruction targeting the innocent. It is difficult to understand the fanaticism and hatred that drives people to commit such acts, and it is hard to comprehend a society where such misguided youngsters are hailed by many as ?martyrs? and ?heroes?. The media often try to portray suicide bombings as the product of ?a build-up of frustration? or ?a desire for revenge?. Leading news publications have even run stories about the bombers and their families that seem designed to create at least some level of understanding for the perpetrators and their horrible actions. But such attempts at explaining the atrocities and those who commit them are invariably simplistic and apologetic, for they understate and even ignore the depravity of such acts. Like the Molech worship mentioned in the Parsha, the sending of children to commit suicide bombings in the name of religion is an act of decadence and evil. It can not and should not be explained or understood or justified or defended. It must only be condemned.
3. A Holy Neighborhood
Parshat Kedoshim contains a wealth of religious principles and ideals, all of which form the basis for the underlying concept embodied in the name of the Parsha itself ? Kedoshim [You shall be holy]. G-d tells Israel that it must strive to be a holy people by upholding moral and social standards such as an uncompromising insistence on honesty, providing assistance to the poor and loving one?s fellow Jew, as well as other precepts such as observing the Sabbath and honoring one?s parents. These lofty ideals are introduced in the beginning of the Parsha as follows: ?G-d spoke to Moshe saying, ?Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the L-rd your G-d Am holy?? (Chap. 19, verses 1-2).
The question: Why did Moshe have to speak before ?the entire assembly of the Children of Israel??
The answer: Rashi quotes the Midrash which says this particular section of the Torah contains most of the fundamental laws central to leading a Torah way of life. Hence, due to its importance, it was taught to the entire people of Israel at a special assembly. Commenting on this, the Chatam Sofer adds an important insight: the Torah is indicating to us that it is not interested in a holiness that consists of a reclusive life, sealed off from the rest of society as a hermit. Rather, by stressing the importance of holiness at a national convocation of the Jewish people, G-d wished to emphasize that we as individuals must strive to achieve sanctity while living within the community and through involvement and interaction with other people.
The lesson: Israel?s society is characterized by a high degree of separation, or voluntary segregation, among different communities, with religious and non-religious Jews often having very little interaction with one another. Socially and educationally the two are divided, with the result being that neither fully understands nor appreciates the other. For some religious Jews, it is tempting to follow the model of shutting out the rest of Israeli society in an effort to achieve a holiness that is not ?contaminated? by contact with the outside world. But we see from this week?s Parsha that true holiness requires a person to interact with the entire community, to confront the challenges it poses and to overcome them. Not only does that make for a healthier and more secure religious identity, but it also elevates one?s surroundings and breaks down the barriers of mistrust and misunderstanding between different segments of Israeli Jewry. For the State of Israel to achieve true holiness, it must come about through ?the entire assembly of the Children of Israel?. Our challenge is not to be ?a holy neighborhood?, but to be ?a holy nation?. Therein lies the difference.
Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. Atonement
Parshat Acharei Mot begins with G-d instructing Moshe to tell his brother Aaron the High Priest about the performance of the Yom Kippur service, the description of which takes up all of Chap. 16. The first verse of the Parsha states that, ?G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of Aaron?s two sons, when they approached before G-d and they died?. The Jerusalem Talmud in Tractate Yoma (1:1) asks why the Torah introduces the Yom Kippur service with a reference to the death of Aaron?s sons, and answers by saying that this is to teach us that just as Yom Kippur serves as an atonement for Israel, so too does the death of the righteous serve as an atonement for the Jewish people.
The question: After detailing the Yom Kippur service, the Torah says, ?This shall be to you an eternal decree to bring atonement upon the Children of Israel for all their sins once a year?? (Chap. 16, verse 34). Why does the Torah need to tell us that the atonement for the Jewish people is ?once a year?? Don?t we know that it occurs only once a year (i.e. on Yom Kippur)?
The answer: Rabbi Yissocher Frand of Yeshivat Ner Israel says this verse is an expression of hope, even prayer, that Israel will be at a level at which they will require atonement only ?once a year?, namely on Yom Kippur. But if, G-d forbid, the Jewish people are not at a high enough level, then they might require atonement at other periods in the year ? namely, through the death of the righteous which, as the Jerusalem Talmud quoted above states, atones for the Jewish people just as Yom Kippur does. Hence, this is why the Torah states that atonement shall be ?once a year? ? out of the desire that Israel will require only one such atonement.
The lesson: As the Palestinian campaign of terror enters its eighth month, Israeli casualties have begun to mount, with over 70 killed since the start of the violence. The toll in numbers masks the pain of the victims, their families, friends and acquaintances. Just this week, Assaf Hershkovitz Z?L of Ofra was murdered by Palestinian terrorists only three months after his father was killed in a similar fashion. The burden of saying the Kaddish prayer in memory of the dead now falls upon young David Hershkovitz, Assaf?s 11-year old brother, and it is impossible to imagine the grief and anguish that the Hershkovitz family must now confront. It is beyond our human understanding to comprehend such tragedies. But what we can and must do is to elevate Israel both materially and spiritually, improving the lot of the Jewish people by strengthening and fortifying its spiritual defenses from attack. And, needless to say, we must do our utmost to ensure that Israel will require atonement just once a year ? on Yom Kippur ? and not through other, more traumatic ways.
2. Don?t Sacrifice Children
Parshat Acharei Mot addresses the issues of immorality and forbidden sexual relationships, listing prohibited unions such as incest, homosexuality and bestiality. Toward the end of the list, the Torah mentions the prohibition of worshipping Molech (Chap. 18, verse 21), a form of idol worship common in Canaan at that time. The Torah then returns to the list of forbidden sexual relationships, which is followed by the close of the Parsha, where G-d warns the Jewish people, ?Do not become contaminated through any of these, because it was through these that the nations that I shall expel before you became contaminated?. (Chap. 18, verse 24).
The question: Why is the prohibition of worshipping Molech listed among the types of forbidden sexual relationships? What is the connection between the two?
The answer: The Ramban notes that the Land of Israel is unique in that it can not and will not tolerate acts of immorality being committed in its midst. The Torah here is warning us that the Land will spew out a nation that commits the sins delineated in this section because they are so egregious. As Rashi explains, it is akin to the son of a king who is fed spoiled food. His digestive system, which is accustomed only to the finest of cuisine, reacts by vomiting out the rotten food. Similarly, says Rashi, the Land of Israel can not abide the presence of the wicked, ultimately resulting in their removal. Hence, says the Ramban, the worship of Molech is mentioned here as an example of the pagan idolatry which, like acts of sexual immorality, G-d finds to be utterly intolerable. And what is it about Molech worship in particular that makes it so abhorrent? The commentaries disagree as to what exactly it entailed, but it appears that it involved a set of parents taking their child to a pagan priest and then passing him through fire, resulting in a horrible and painful death. Such a form of ?worship? is so loathsome and repugnant that, like other acts of immorality, it is simply unbearable. Hence, that is why the worship of Molech appears in the list of immoral acts in the Parsha.
The lesson: In recent months, the scene has repeated itself again and again. A few days after a suicide bombing, a pre-recorded video clip appears on the news with a young Palestinian explaining why he chose to blow himself up. No remorse is expressed, no moral qualms are raised. A look at the perpetrators often reveals 17 and 18 year olds, seemingly with their whole lives ahead of them, who chose instead to end it all in a heartless eruption of fury and destruction targeting the innocent. It is difficult to understand the fanaticism and hatred that drives people to commit such acts, and it is hard to comprehend a society where such misguided youngsters are hailed by many as ?martyrs? and ?heroes?. The media often try to portray suicide bombings as the product of ?a build-up of frustration? or ?a desire for revenge?. Leading news publications have even run stories about the bombers and their families that seem designed to create at least some level of understanding for the perpetrators and their horrible actions. But such attempts at explaining the atrocities and those who commit them are invariably simplistic and apologetic, for they understate and even ignore the depravity of such acts. Like the Molech worship mentioned in the Parsha, the sending of children to commit suicide bombings in the name of religion is an act of decadence and evil. It can not and should not be explained or understood or justified or defended. It must only be condemned.
3. A Holy Neighborhood
Parshat Kedoshim contains a wealth of religious principles and ideals, all of which form the basis for the underlying concept embodied in the name of the Parsha itself ? Kedoshim [You shall be holy]. G-d tells Israel that it must strive to be a holy people by upholding moral and social standards such as an uncompromising insistence on honesty, providing assistance to the poor and loving one?s fellow Jew, as well as other precepts such as observing the Sabbath and honoring one?s parents. These lofty ideals are introduced in the beginning of the Parsha as follows: ?G-d spoke to Moshe saying, ?Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the L-rd your G-d Am holy?? (Chap. 19, verses 1-2).
The question: Why did Moshe have to speak before ?the entire assembly of the Children of Israel??
The answer: Rashi quotes the Midrash which says this particular section of the Torah contains most of the fundamental laws central to leading a Torah way of life. Hence, due to its importance, it was taught to the entire people of Israel at a special assembly. Commenting on this, the Chatam Sofer adds an important insight: the Torah is indicating to us that it is not interested in a holiness that consists of a reclusive life, sealed off from the rest of society as a hermit. Rather, by stressing the importance of holiness at a national convocation of the Jewish people, G-d wished to emphasize that we as individuals must strive to achieve sanctity while living within the community and through involvement and interaction with other people.
The lesson: Israel?s society is characterized by a high degree of separation, or voluntary segregation, among different communities, with religious and non-religious Jews often having very little interaction with one another. Socially and educationally the two are divided, with the result being that neither fully understands nor appreciates the other. For some religious Jews, it is tempting to follow the model of shutting out the rest of Israeli society in an effort to achieve a holiness that is not ?contaminated? by contact with the outside world. But we see from this week?s Parsha that true holiness requires a person to interact with the entire community, to confront the challenges it poses and to overcome them. Not only does that make for a healthier and more secure religious identity, but it also elevates one?s surroundings and breaks down the barriers of mistrust and misunderstanding between different segments of Israeli Jewry. For the State of Israel to achieve true holiness, it must come about through ?the entire assembly of the Children of Israel?. Our challenge is not to be ?a holy neighborhood?, but to be ?a holy nation?. Therein lies the difference.