Emor

EMOR TUESDAY, MAY 9 13 IYAR, 5777 ב"ה וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (ויקרא כב, לב) SELF-SACRIFICE WITH A CAPITAL "S"   Self-Sacrifice with a Capital "S" The Torah's directive to cause G-d to be sanctified teaches us the obligation of mesiras nefesh, meaning that in certain situations we must sacrifice our lives in order not to disobey G-d's commands. When a Jew exhibits his commitment to G-d to the point that he is willing to surrender his life for Him, his devotion causes G-d to be revered and sanctified. Now, from the verse in Tehillim (147:19) "He declares Hiswords to Yaakov, His rules and His ordinances to Yisrael," the Midrash understands that "All that G-d instructs the Jewish people to do, He Himself fulfills as well" (Shemos Rabbah 30:9).Accordingly, if G-d commands the Jewish people to sacrifice their lives for the fulfillment of a mitzvah, it must be that G-d, too, observes this commandment! Where do we see this? In the mitzvah of examining a woman who is a sotah, a woman accused of immoral behavior, who is prohibited to her husband until she is proven innocent.  In order to restore their marriage, the Torah provides a process in which a portion of the Torah, containing several mentions of G-d's name, is erased into water for the sotah to drink. The water will affect her negatively only if she is guilty. If it has no adverse effects on her, we consider her innocent and she may return to her husband.  It can thus be said that G-d too sacrifices Himself, as it were (since "G-d is One and His name is One" [Zechariah 14:9]), for the fulfillment of a mitzvah. In the words of the Talmud (Shabbos 116a), "G-d declares: My Name, written in sanctity, shall be blotted out in water in order to make peace between a man and his wife!" —Sefer Hasichos 5749, vol. 1, p. 290, fn. 68 Sponsor a Lightpoints email   לעילוי נשמת מרת רחל לאה בת ר' שלום ישעי' ע"ה שוסטערמאן נלב"ע ביום ד' ניסן ה'תשמ"ו תנצב"ה   A project of Or Hachassidus ביוזמת ולזכות הרה״ח הרה״ת ר' ישעי' זושא ווילהעלם שליט״א להצלחה רבה לו ולכל משפחתו בגו״ר

---

This email is sent from Machon Or Hachasidus - Likras Shabbos. We'd love to stay in touch with you, but if you wish to be unsubscribed from this list please click here, or click here to manage your subscriptions.

Sent via ChabadOne Communicator

Sent from my iPhone

The Power of Judging Favorably

ב"ה

בְּצֶדֶק תִּשְׁפֹּט עֲמִיתֶךָ (ויקרא יט, טו)

You shall judge your fellow with righteousness. (Vayikra 19:15)

 

The Power of Judging Favorably

This verse commands us to judge people justly and righteously. Rashi suggests an additional interpretation: "Judge your friend toward the scale of merit," meaning, judge others favorably.

Generally, "judging toward the scale of merit" refers to presuming a person's innocence before passing judgment (see Talmud, Shabbos 127b). Even if their conduct seems wrongful, consider the innocent or even virtuous intentions that may have motivated their behavior.

The Tanya (chapter 30), however, takes this a step further and says that even when you are certain that your friend has acted sinfully, you should not rush to condemn him. Rather, you should consider the difficult circumstances that may have led him to act in this manner, in light of which you can regard his behavior more forgivingly.

Although the scenario addressed by the Tanya differs from the classic case of judging favorably, (for in this instance you must concede that your fellow is indeed guilty,) by following the Tanya's approach and acknowledging his spiritually challenging circumstances, you not only diminish his degree of fault, you also "judge him toward the scale of merit" quite literally—you make him more meritorious. This is because G-d certainly grants every person the necessary strength to overcome his set of challenges (see Bamidbar Rabbah 12:3), and by identifying and acknowledging another's struggle, we reveal the unique gifts and strengths he can use to battle and overcome those challenges. In this way, we tip him "toward the scale of merit," and bring out the best in him.

This idea is hinted at by the Rambam, who writes that a wise person "Judges every person toward the scale of merit, he speaks of his fellow's praise, and never of his shame." Upon recognizing someone's struggles, the wise man identifies and speaks about the unique strengths that that person has obviously been granted by G-d, thereby ensuring that ultimately there will be nothing shameful to say about that person at all.

—Likutei Sichos, vol. 27, pp. 164-165

Fwd: Homeward Bound

And he will initiate atonement for himself and for his household. (Vayikra 16:6)

 

Homeward Bound

One of the integral components of the Kohen Gadol's Yom Kippur service was the bull offering, the blood of which he sprinkled in the Kodesh Hakadashim, the Holy of Holies, to atone "for himself and for his household." His household, explains the Mishna (Yoma 1:1), refers to his wife. The Mishna deduces from here that an unmarried Kohen Gadol was not suitable for the Yom Kippur service.

The requirement that the Kohen Gadol be married contrasts the mistake made by Nadav and Avihu, whose deaths are mentioned at the beginning of this parsha. They were punished, according to one opinion in the Midrash, because they never married, or according to another opinion, because they (consequently) never had children (see Vayikra Rabbah 20:8). As Chassidus explains, Nadav and Avihu sought spiritual ecstasy and rapturous love of G-d to such an extent that they lost sight of G-d's desire that we all sanctify our physical lives, not abandon them. As a result, they neglected the Divine precept of marrying and building a family, opting instead for a more spiritual existence—a choice for which they were ultimately punished. Conversely, the Kohen Gadol must predicate his extraordinary spiritual service on a commitment to G-d's desire that we fuse our spiritual pursuits with our physical lives. His entry to the Holy of Holies is therefore not in contrast with his family life; it is contingent upon it.

The Kohen Gadol's synthesis of his extraordinary spiritual life and his more mundane family life serves as a lesson to us all. Our physical lives and our spiritual experiences must not be mutually exclusive; in our moments of spiritual excitement and inspiration—"in the Holy of Holies"—we must plan concretely how we will translate these spiritual highs into enhanced Torah observance in our mundane day-to-day lives. At the same time, we must imbue our families with the conviction that an increase in spiritual wealth, such as devoting additional time to prayer and Torah study, is not a cause for financial concern; on the contrary, this will bring us abundance and prosperity in our physical and material lives as well.

-Likutei Sichos, vol. 3, pp. 989-993