Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens with special laws for the kohanim (priests) and sacrificial offerings, including laws about ritual impurity, marriage, and the animals that may be offered. Included are the laws that a newborn calf, lamb or kid must be left with its mother for seven days before being eligible as an offering, and that one may not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day. The second part of Emor lists the festivals: the weekly Shabbat; the bringing of the Passover offering on the 14th of Nissan; the seven-day Passover festival beginning on 15 Nissan; the bringing of the Omer offering from the first barley harvest on the second day of Passover, and the 49-day “Counting of the Omer,” culminating in the festival of Shavuot on the fiftieth day; a “remembrance of shofar blowing” on the 1st of Tishrei (Rosh Hashanah); a solemn fast day on the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur); the festival of Sukkot, beginning on the 15th of Tishrei, which involves the practices of dwelling in huts for seven days and the ritual of the “Four Species”; and finally the holiday of the eighth day of Sukkot, called Shmini Atzeret.
The parshah then discusses the lighting of the menorah and the lekhem hapanim (the “showbread”), which is placed on a special table each week. Emor concludes with the penalties for murder and for injuring one’s fellow or destroying their property.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו׃ כִּ֚י אִם־לִשְׁאֵר֔וֹ הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו... Hashem said to Moses, ‘Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and tell them that they should not defile themselves for a (dead) person among their people, except for close relatives…’ - Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:1-2; Parshat Emor
There is a story that Rabbi Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev was visiting Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg. They had both been students of the great Maggid of Mezritch, but Rabbi Shmelke was older, and Levi Yitzhak considered him to be his teacher as well. On the first morning, Levi Yitzhak came down from the guest room with his tefillin and tallis on, ready to go to shul to daven, when he stopped in the kitchen and began conversing with the cooks. (Rabbi Shmelke was apparently quite well off and had his own cooks.) He asked them what they were making, and questioned them about their methods as if he were concerned that the food wouldn’t be good enough. When some disciples stopped by on their way to shul and overheard all this, they frowned in disapproval.
At the synagogue, Levi Yitzhak didn’t pray, but spent all his time talking loudly in the back of the sanctuary to a man who was considered to be annoying and unlearned. Eventually, one of the hasidim couldn’t take it anymore. “You mustn’t have conversation in here!” But, Levi Yitzhak simply went on talking loudly and disturbing everyone. Later, when all the hasidim gathered for lunch, Rabbi Shmelke treated Levi Yitzhak with the utmost honor, giving him food to eat from his own bowl. Later, the hasidim asked their rebbe about this strange man who talked so obnoxiously about such mundane things. Why did the rebbe honor him so? Rabbi Shmelke replied, “In the Talmud, the rabbi known as Rab (Abba Areka) is praised for never engaging in worldly speech. How could it be that this is what he was praised for? Does this mean that the other rabbis did engage in worldly speech? Rather, it means that when he engaged in worldly speech, he did so with such kavanah that Divine blessings flowed into this world with every word. Other rabbis could accomplish this for a short time, but eventually their worldly speech would drag them down. It is the same with Levi Yitzhak and myself. What I can do for a short time, he can do all day long; with his seemingly mundane conversations, he is bringing heaven down to earth.” Generally speaking, it is better not to blabber on loudly in synagogue; that is obviously the right and good way to behave. But, we also need to know how to leave the normative box of the obvious good in order to access the hidden good. לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו׃ – they should not defile (yitama) themselves for a (dead) person among their people. On one hand, it is beneficial to be know what makes us tamei, that is, spiritually “dead” inside, and avoid those things. Is it too much news or social media? Is it dealing with particularly difficult people? Is it your job, or certain kinds of entertainment, or some addictive substance? To be on the spiritual path means we have to take responsibility for what experiences we take in, just as those on a path of physical health must take responsibility for what food they take in. This is לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א lo yitama – don’t pollute yourself with dangerous experiences… כִּ֚י אִם־לִשְׁאֵר֔וֹ הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו... – except for close relatives… At the same time, we also need to sometimes do the opposite, because if we try to avoid it completely, we can never grow spiritually in our ability to be at peace in the midst of disturbance. Furthermore, on a deeper level, the avoidance itself can become a kind of defilement. Guarding ourselves from disturbances is necessary, but it can also become a neurotic attempt to control our experience; life happens and we must meet it, not avoid it. הַקָּרֹ֖ב אֵלָ֑יו... – those close to him… In general, we should do what we can to live in a spiritually conducive environment. But when disturbance comes along, we need to know how to be קָּרֹ֖ב karov – how to come close, meaning be present – with whatever has arisen. In the state of Presence, the disturbance is felt to come and then go; we deal with whatever we need to deal with and then let go of it. In this way, we strengthen our connection with that which remains through all of it: the inner spaciousness of consciousness in which all experience arises. לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א – they should not defile (yitama) themselves… The word for “defilement” or “spiritual impurity” is טוּמאָה tumah, and one who is “impure” is טָמֵא tamei. These words begin with the letter ט tet, which also begins the word טוֹב tov, “good.” The letter ט tet is shaped in such a way that it points into itself – thus symbolizing the “goodness” that is hidden within. How do we access this hidden goodness? We do it by becoming קָּרֹ֖ב karov, bringing our awareness into close connection with whatever messiness we are dealing with. And so this is our paradoxical task: to guard ourselves against things that drag us down spiritually, but also to sometimes transform those things into vehicles for the spirit. How do you know when to take which approach? The key is Presence; life itself conveys to us which path to take if we are listening.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
Parshat Kedoshim consists of the many mitzvot (commandments) through which the Torah envisions a sanctified life, including the prohibition against idolatry, the mitzvah of charity, the principle of equality before the law, Shabbat, sexual boundaries, honesty in business, honor of one’s parents, and the sacredness of life in general. Among these mitzvot is the famous principle which the great sage Rabbi Akiva called the essence of Torah, and of which Hillel said, “This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary:
וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ – and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹ–וָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹ–וָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ Hashem spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole community of the Children of Israel and say to them: Holy ones you shall be, for I, Hashem your God, am holy. - Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:1, 2; Parshat Kedoshim
A disciple of Rabbi Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezritch, started home after studying with the Maggid for many years. On his way he stopped in Karlin to see his old friend Rabbi Aaron, who had once been his learning companion in the Maggid’s Beit Midrash (House of Study). It was already midnight by the time he arrived in the city, but he was so excited to see his old friend, he made his way to Rabbi Aaron’s house right away. When he arrived, he could see some light coming from the window, so he looked in and saw his old friend learning from books at the table by candlelight. Excited to see him, he knocked on the window enthusiastically. Rabbi Aaron looked up from his books: “Who is there?”
“It is I!” exclaimed the disciple. Rabbi Aaron looked back down at his books and continued studying. The student waited a bit, then knocked again, and again, but no reply. “Aaron, why don’t you open the door for me?” Rabbi Aaron looked up and spoke with grave seriousness: “Who is it that dares to call himself “I” as befits only God?” When the disciple heard this, he realized that he had not learned nearly enough, so he immediately turned around and headed back toward Mezritch. Through all our life experiences, we tend to take for granted the one common element at the root of them all – the “I” that is having the experiences. What is this “I” that we feel we are? הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. וּכְשֶׁאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי: He used to say, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” - Pirkei Avot 1:14 This little aphorism of the famous sage Hillel, which is often (mis) understood only on an ethical level, actually contains a formula for discovering our deepest identity: אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי – If I am not for myself, who will be for me? It is up to us to realize who we really are; no one can do it for us. We can do this by noticing that there is, in a sense, two of “me” – the “me” that is made out of my body and mind and feelings, and the “I” that perceives all of that. Which “me” am I? “I” am not the “self” that “I” perceive – the body, the thoughts, the feelings – rather, “I” am the awareness that perceives those elements. וְאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁיו, אֵימָתָי – And if not Now, when? There is a way we can know this for ourselves, and that is to be attentive to whatever is present in experience; this meditation. The point is not the content of experience, but rather the act of being aware. Through the intentional act of awareness, we can come to know ourselves as that awareness, as that Presence. This deepest level of our identity, infusing yet also separate from our thoughts, feelings, senses, and all that normally is taken to be “me,” is also the root of what we might call the “sacred” or “holy” – קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh. What is this קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh, this quality of “holiness?” קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְה–וָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם – Holy ones you shall be, for I, Hashem your God, am holy. The passage instructs the Children of Israel to be holy without explaining what it means, giving as the reason that God is holy. Why does one follow from the other? Why should we be holy just because God is holy, and what does it mean? The word קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh means “set apart” or “separate,” but not in the ordinary sense. Normally, the word “separate” connotes distance, disconnectedness, or alienation, such as when a relationship between two people goes sour and connection is lost. But קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh actually means the opposite; in a Jewish wedding ceremony, for example, we hear these words spoken between the beloveds: הֲרֵי אַתְּ מְקֻדֶּֽשֶׁת לִי Harei at mekudeshet li – Behold, you are holy to me… Meaning, your beloved becomes קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh not because they are separate from you, but because they are exclusive to you. They are your most intimate, and therefore separate from all other relationships. In this way, the separateness of קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh points not to something that is distant, but to something that’s most central. It points not to alienation, but to the deepest connection. And just as one’s spouse is separate from all other relationships, so too when we become present, this moment becomes separate from all other moments; we are able to get some distance from the world of time – from our memories about the past and our anticipations of the future. This allows us to truly experience ourselves – not as a bundle of thoughts and feelings inhabiting a body, but as the open, radiant space of awareness within which our thoughts and feelings come and go. This is why our awareness is, by its nature, קָד֔וֹשׁ kadosh – separate from the world of thought and feeling within which we can tend to become trapped, yet fully and intimately connected with everything that arises in this moment. קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ – You shall be holy… In other words, access the sacred dimension of your being by becoming present – by separating your mind from the entanglements of thought and time. How is this possible? כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְה–וָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם – for I, Hashem your God, am holy… In other words, it is because Existence Itself – which is the meaning of יְה–וָ֥ה Hashem, the Divine Name –- is already אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם Eloheikhem, your own inner Divinity. Your deepest “I” is not your “I” at all, but is rather the “I” of the Divine; it is the “I” of Reality Itself, knowing Itself through you. And so it is not only that we can awaken to our deepest identity and recognize that we are not the ordinary “me” we thought we were, but rather, God can wake up to Itself; we play our part in Existence awakening to Itself; that is the deepest potential of קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ kedoshim tih’yu – not merely that we should “be holy,” but that we awaken to the holy, through being.
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Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens in the aftermath of the deaths of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, and God warns that one must only enter the innermost chamber of the Sanctuary in a particular way in order for it to be safe. Only the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, may enter to offer the sacred ketoret (incense) once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Another feature of Yom Kippur is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which one should be offered to God, and which should be sent off to “Azazel” in order to carry away the sins of the Children of Israel. The parshah then warns against bringing korbanot (animal or meal offerings) anywhere but in the Sanctuary (or later the Temple), forbids the consumption of blood, and details the laws of incest and other types of prohibited sexual relations…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה דַּבֵּר֮ אֶל־אַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֒יךָ֒ וְאַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכׇל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ מִבֵּ֖ית לַפָּרֹ֑כֶת אֶל־פְּנֵ֨י הַכַּפֹּ֜רֶת אֲשֶׁ֤ר עַל־הָאָרֹן֙ וְלֹ֣א יָמ֔וּת כִּ֚י בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן אֵרָאֶ֖ה עַל־הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃ Hashem said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come at any time into the Holy behind the curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he not die; for I appear in the cloud over the cover… - Vayikra (Leviticus) 16:2; Parshat Akharei Mot
There is a story of Rabbi David Lelov, that before he became a great rebbe himself, he was a mystic who wished to experience the Divine through fasting and other harsh practices. After six years of asceticism, he still had no more perception of the Presence then he had before he began, so he went on another six years. Still nothing! So, he went to see Rabbi Elimelekh of Lizhenzk, whom he heard might be able to help him.
When he arrived on Friday afternoon just before Shabbat, he went to the House of Prayer with the other hasidim to see the rebbe. Rabbi Elimelekh greeted everyone warmly one by one, but when he came to David, he immediately turned away and ignored him. Shocked and feeling as if he had been stabbed in the heart, David retreated back to his room at the inn. There he sat on his bed in silent disbelief about what had happened. But after some time, he began to think that the rebbe must have not noticed him. Of course, it had to be an accident! How is it even possible that a rebbe could behave that way? So, he decided to go back. When he arrived, they were just finishing the evening prayers. David made his way up to the rebbe and extended his hand in greeting. Again, the rebbe simply turned away and ignored him. His worse fear confirmed and feeling dejected, David went back to his room again and cried bitterly all night. In the morning he resolved not to visit the rebbe nor pray with the community, but to leave as soon as Shabbos was over. Hours of agony and boredom went by. Eventually it was time for Shalosh Seudes, the Third Sabbath Meal toward the end of the day as the sunlight waned. He knew this was the time when Rabbi Elimelekh would be teaching, and he suddenly felt a pull to go visit him one last time, even though he had resolved not to go back. Before he knew it, he was making his way to the House of Prayer a third time. When he arrived, he stationed himself outside a window, hoping to hear a few words of Torah without having to go inside. Then he heard the rebbe say: “Sometimes a person wishes to experience the Divine Presence, and so they fast and torture themselves for six years, and even another six years! Then they come to me to draw down the Light for which they think they have prepared themselves. But the truth is, all that fasting is like a minute drop in an ocean, and furthermore it doesn’t rise up to the Divine at all, but instead only rises only to the idol of their own egos. Such a person must give up on all of that nonsense, and instead go to the very bottom of their own being, and begin again from there.” When David heard these words, he almost fainted. Gasping, he made his way to the door and stood motionless at the threshold. Immediately the rebbe rose from his chair and exclaimed, “Barukh Haba! Blessed is he who comes!” The rebbe rushed over to David, embraced him, and then invited him to come sit in the chair next to his at the table. The rebbe’s son Eleazar was confused by his father’s conduct, and took him aside. “Abba, why are you being so friendly? You couldn’t stand the sight of this guy yesterday!” Rabbi Elimelekh replied, “Oh no, you are mistaken my son – this isn’t the same person at all! Can’t you see? This is sweet Rabbi David!” Rabbi David Lelov needed Rabbi Elimelekh’s fierce grace; he needed to have his ego “slaughtered” by the rebbe. Through all those years of fasting he had tried to purify himself, but it turned out that his asceticism was like the ego trying to commit suicide – it doesn’t work. Such a path is only more ego, only a spiritualized ego. The only way out for Rabbi David was to have that spiritual ego smashed. When we need to have our egos smashed, life is usually easy to oblige; this world is full of opportunities for that. And while we certainly don’t wish such a path on anyone, it is useful for each of us to remember in the midst of our difficulties. But there is a second path – one not of smashing ego, but of exposing it to the light of awareness, and letting it vanish on its own – this is the fruit of meditation. Painful insults are not the only way. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע וּבַתְּפִלָּה. וּכְשֶׁאַתָּה מִתְפַּלֵּל, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע, אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כִּי חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם הוּא אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב חֶסֶד וְנִחָם עַל הָרָעָה. וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ: Rabbi Shimon says: Be careful in the chanting the Sh’ma and in the Prayer. When you pray, do not make your prayer a fixed form, rather, mercy and supplication before the Place, It is Blessed, as it says (Joel 2, 13): “For (the Divine is) gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abundant in kindness, and relenting of harm.” And do not be wicked to yourself. On one hand, Rabbi Shimon says הֱוֵי זָהִיר – be careful or meticulous with your practice. This is something we are all empowered to do ourselves; we need not rely on the power of Grace, but rather we must be decisive about our practice. This inner strength and decisiveness we need is represented by the sefirah of Gevurah, which also represents the self-restricting practices of asceticism. And yet, on the other hand, אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע – do not make your prayer a fixed form. It doesn’t seem to make sense – it just said to be careful and disciplined about it, and now it’s saying not to make it a fixed form? Then it explains: אֶלָּא רַחֲמִים וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם – Rather, mercy and supplication before the Place – in other words, your prayer must come from your heart, from the very “bottom of your being.” On this level, it is not a fixed form, because each time you must find your way back to your essence, and begin again from there… וְאַל תְּהִי רָשָׁע בִּפְנֵי עַצְמְךָ…הֱוֵי זָהִיר בִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע – Be careful in the chanting the Sh’ma… and do not be wicked to yourself… The Sh’ma is the affirmation of the Oneness of Being, so it is saying: don’t be wicked to yourself by forgetting that you too are essentially part of that Oneness! You must know that, however separate you seem to feel, you can find that Reality of Oneness within your own being, because It is who you really are. And so, while prayer takes us into humility by pointing out our egos, the Sh’ma takes us into Divinity by pointing out our Divine nature. When you have both, you have the preferred path… וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יי אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אַחֲרֵ֣י מ֔וֹת שְׁנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן בְּקָרְבָתָ֥ם לִפְנֵי־יְהוָ֖ה וַיָּמֻֽתו׃ The Divine spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron when they drew close before the Divine and they died… The death of Aaron’s two sons points to the destruction of ego – not the preferred way. It then proceeds to outline a preferable way: אַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכָל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ... וְלֹ֣א יָמ֔וּת He is not to come at any time into the Holy…so that he not die… Aaron is instructed not to come into the Holy בְכָל־עֵת at any time. Meaning, you can’t enter the sacred through time – through the egoic perspective which sees oneself as achieving something over time. No amount of fasting, ritual, or learning – no amount of any accumulation that happens in time can get you there. Rather, it is only in becoming naked of time that we come into the Presence, because the Presence is not something separate from who we are, beneath all the accumulations of ego. That is וְתַחֲנוּנִים לִפְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם רַחֲמִים – compassion and supplication before the Place. “The Place” is a Name for God; it is always the “Place” where we find ourselves Now, the space within which this moment unfolds. Its revelation is rakhamim – compassion – in response to our takhanunim – our genuine longing; in other words, it is an act of Grace. At the same time, that doesn’t mean we are passive; the Grace becomes available when we have the Gevurah – the strength and boundaries to be zahir – to be careful and meticulous in our practice and open ourselves again anew, day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment. In this week of Gevurah and Akharei Mot, may we renew the boundaries of our Jewish meditation practice while going again and again to the depths of our essence within the space of those boundaries.
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