A Quick Thought -- Parashas Kedoshim

In this week’s parashah (19:31), we are toldאַל תִּפְנוּ אֶל הָאֹבֹת וְאֶל הַיִּדְּעֹנִים אַל תְּבַקְשׁוּ לְטָמְאָה בָהֶם..., Do not turn to Ov and Yidoni [forms of soothsaying through calling up spirits], and do not seek to become impure through them….

The Torah’s choice of the of the wordתְּבַקְשׁוּ , seek or desire seems a bit unusual. It could simply have said, as it does elsewhere, וְלֹא תִטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם, and do not become defiled by them.

Rashi comments do not seek to be involved in these, because if you become involved in them you will become impure. Apparently, Rashi felt that the Torah was adding an additional safeguard here: these practices are so toxic, don’t even want to do them.

However, we can also understand this verse to be teaching us a lesson that applies to everything in life: A person’s aspirations and focus are so inherently powerful, they will affect him. Do not be מְבַקֵשׁ Ov and Yidoni, because the very desire and quest for them has will spiritually corrupt and contaminate the person.

It is axiomatic that middah tovah merubah, whenever there is the power to achieve harm, there is a far stronger potential to do good.

This can give us an insight into a passuk in Tehillim. Dovid Hamelech, said (27:4) אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת ד' אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ, שִׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית ד' כָּל יְמֵי חַיַּי לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ד' וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ:; I ask but one thing of Hashem, it is this that I desire: To sit in the house of Hashem all the days of my life; to behold the splendor of Hashem and to visit His Sanctuary.

Though he never merited to enter the Sanctuary, the Beis Hamikdash, which was built after his passing by his son Shlomo, his very yearning for that level of connection with Hashem brought him, as the next passuk tells us, to be hidden in Hashem’s shelter on the day of evil, to be concealed in the concealment of His tent, lifted upon a rock.

If we aspire and seek to come close to Hashem, the desire itself has the ability to purify, uplift and sanctify us.

May we be zocheh to have the proper aspirations, and to be transformed by them.

Gut Shabbos.

Parashas Acharei Mos

In this week’s parashah, the Torah has two nearly identical pesukim:  אֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תַּעֲשׂוּ וְאֶת חֻקֹּתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ לָלֶכֶת בָּהֶם אֲנִי ד' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם: וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי וְאֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי ד':, You shall perform My statutes and observe My Decrees to follow them, I am Hashem Your G-d. And you shall observe my decrees and My statutes, which a person shall perform, and you shall live by them, I am Hashem.

Chazal expound a number of important lessons from these pesukim, as Rashi notes, but there may be an additional insight to be gleaned from their order and the differences between them.

The first passuk is exhorting us to follow the mitzvos. A person thinking about the mitzvos will accept mishpatim, logical statutes, before the chukim, the decrees we cannot understand. The command to do them all is, however, absolute. Ani Hashem Elokeichem, which throughout the Torah means that He gives reward and punishment for their observance.

The second passuk is discussing the next, more profound level. It is discussing how we should do mitzvos and what that expeience should be for us.

If we realize that the source of the mitzvos is Ani Hashem – the Compassionate Master of all, Who always was, is, and will be – then it makes no difference whether the mitzvah is a decrees or a statute.

Beyond that, the Torah tells us, that if we do chukosai and mitzvosai, My decrees and statutes, if we perform the mitzvos properly and with the recognition of Who the Giver is, then v’chai bahem, we will live through them – they will give us enjoyment, pleasure and delight. If we find the mitzvos a burden, it is because we have not yet reached this level, we are not doing the mitzvosai, the mitzvos as Hashem intended us to do them.

May we aspire to – and experience – the proper recognition and appreciation the greatness, beauty and pleasure of the mitzvos.

Gut Shabbos.

Parashas Metzorah

In this week's parashah, we are told that when a person had a discoloration on the wall of his house that may be tzaraas, he must call the Kohen to come view it and determine its status.

If the kohen determines that it is tzaraas, the house and its contents become tamei as soon as the Kohen announces his decision.  

This being the case, the Torah tells us that, before going to look at the house, the Kohen should have the house emptied of its contents, to prevent the possessions becoming tamei. Rashi quotes the Mishnah in Negaim that makes the following observation: Almost all the objects in the house – anything made of fabric, leather, wood or metal – can be purified through immersion in mikvah. The only utensils that would actually be ruined through tumah were the most inexpensive ones, those made of earthenware. The Torah was concerned that the home-dweller should not lose even those inexpensive utensils;  “HaTorah chassah all memonan shel Yisrael; the Torah had pity on a Jew’s resources.

The Torah does not merely advise that the person should remove his possessions from the home; it seems to insist that the Kohen should tell him to do so. It seems to be saying that the Kohen can’t simply go check and hand down his decision; he must first do what he can to help the person mitigate the possible damage. There’s an important lesson to be learned from this: When doing someone a favor, it isn’t enough to do the minimum; we must look at the whole picture, and try to help the person with every detail.

Secondly, if the Torah was concerned that insignificant earthenware vessels should not go to waste, how much more must we be concerned not to waste – and to properly use – the most valuable resources we have been bequeathed, our natural talents.

May we use those talents to make the most of ourselves and to help others in every way, even beyond what they asked us to do.

Gut Shabbos

Parashas Tazria

In this week’s parashah we learn that a woman who has given birth must bring two offerings: a sheep as an Olah (burnt-offering) and a bird as a Chatzas (sin-offering) (12:6). If the mother cannot afford a sheep, she may bring a bird as an Olah as well (12:8).

An Olah is generally brought for failing to fulfill a positive commandment, for improper thoughts, or by one who simply wants draw closer to Hashem; it is not an offering of atonement (see, for example, Makkos 17b, Zevachim 5a) , but one of uplifiting. The Chatas, however, is brought to achieve atonement for sins.

Considering that is it is brought to “cleanse” the person, would it not make sense to bring an animal – a more expensive and significant offering – for the Chatas?

These pesukim offer us some insight into the general dynamic of teshuvah and spiritual growth, beyond the context of a new mother bringing these offerings.

The person bringing a Chatas has already made an important first step – recognizing that he or she has sinned. They must bring an offering for atonement, but sometimes even a token offering is enough, just to concretize their sense of contrition. The person bringing the Olah, on the other hand, may have little or no inherent sense of remorse for their failings; they may think of  themselves as righteous, as people on the level of offering a sacrifice only for the sake of draw close to Hashem.

For a wealthy person, bringing an inexpensive bird may simply be an easy shortcut to achieve “spirituality,” and that would defeat the essential purpose of the offering. He or she must therefore bring a more expensive sheep, to demonstrate – even to themselves – their commitment and sacrifice. To a poor person, bringing even a bird is a challenge, and it is therefore sufficient.

There is another question however: In both pesukim, the Torah first mentions the Olah before the Chatas. However, when birds are brought for both offerings, the Chatas is actually sacrificed first.^* Why, then, does the Torah mention the Olah before the Chatas in that passuk?

In Tehillim (85:15), Dovid Hamelech enjoins us: סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב, abandon evil and do good. Ideally, a person life should follow the pattern of this verse in his life: first abandon evil and then do good. Thus the Chatas, which represents a person’s repentance from sin, precedes the Olah, which represents his actively pursuing good deeds.

However, the fact is that this is not always possible. If we were to wait until after we abandoned all sin before we pursued proper behavior, we may never come close to Hashem. Therefore, on a practical level, we often have to pursue our spiritual growth even before we have succeeded in fully cleansing ourselves of sin. Although the Chatas must be offered first, the verse is alluding to the fact that there are circumstances when our own personal Olah, our positive efforts toward spiritual achievement, must come before we have offered our Chatas, our full repentance for our past misdeeds.

May we all be zocheh to true and complete teshuvah and to draw close to Hashem.

Gut Shabbos.

* When an animal is brought for the Olah, it is brought first because an animal is more significant than a bird (Sifsei Chachamim).