Weekly Torah portion: Emor

In Parashat Emor three forms of holiness join together: The holiness of the person, of time and of place

Rabbi Orit Weinbaum|Published: 05.04.07 , 07:29

Parashat Emor forms part of the Holiness Code (Leviticus 17-26), which constitutes a separate literary unit in the Book of Leviticus. The laws of the Holiness Code are not anchored in the Sanctuary, as are the rest of the laws of Leviticus, but in God who, alone, is inherently holy. Therefore, it is God who sanctifies the Tabernacle, the priests, Israel, and the festivals that are declared mikra-kodesh - a sacred occasion. Because God is holy, Israel must emulate Him, and must strive towards a life of holiness in accordance with the principles set forth by God in the Holiness Code.

Parashat Emor begins with the holiness of the priests, the Sanctuary, and the offerings (21:1 – 22:33), and constitutes a direct continuation of Parashat K’doshim, which treats of the holiness of the people of Israel. In Parashat Emor, the priests are given restrictive commandments intended to preserve their state of holiness as servants of the Lord. This reaches its apex in the holiness of the High Priest, who is subject to special restrictions.

The section treating of the holiness of the priests, the Sanctuary and its offerings ends ceremonially:

You shall faithfully observe My commandments: I am the Lord. You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelite people — I the Lord who sanctify you.

The text employs the verb ve-nikdashti – “that I may be sanctified” – in the passive form, indicating that God becomes holy as a result of the observance of the commandments and their performance by Israel and the priests. The call to Israel and the priests to be holy is bound up with the observance of God’s commandments and laws. Holiness is not the result of Israel being chosen by a holy God. Holiness begins with the choosing of Israel and is completed with the sanctification of God by means of the fulfilling of His will. Thus the text binds together God, Israel and holiness.

The verse “You shall faithfully observe My commandments: I am the Lord,” is repeated several times in the Holiness Code. The repetition of the verse allows us to view it as thematic idea. Here in Parashat Emor it concludes the section on the holiness of the priests, as well as all of the sections treating of the holiness of every Israelite person.

In examining the repetitions of the verse, we see that additional elements accrue to the initial concept of the nation’s conduct. In the first instance, God imposes a life of holiness upon the Israelites. All of the Israelites together as a nation must live a life of holiness, expressed in fulfilling God’s commandments and laws. The third occurrence adds a threat: If you do not observe the laws and commandments and live lives of holiness, then “the land to which I bring you to settle in spew you out” (20:22). The Land of Israel is a holy place that requires that its inhabitants live in holiness by observing God’s laws and commandments.

Up to now we have looked at the holiness of human beings, and the holiness of the Land of Israel in general and of the Sanctuary in particular. Parashat Emor adds a third type of holiness – the holiness of time:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions. (23:1-2)

The terms mo’ed – “fixed time” – and kodesh – “sacred” or “holy” – are also associated with the Tent of Meeting – ohel mo’ed. Thus, in the description of the regular offering and the dedication of the Tabernacle we find that God’s presence suffuses the ohel mo’ed – the Tent of Meeting - and makes it holy (Exodus 29:42-45). The Tent of Meeting is a means for allowing the people to meet God. The holy place provides an opportunity to encounter the Almighty. In the Festival Chapter, the term mo’ed that is used to signify a festival, a holy day or a fixed time is derived from the same term used in the Book of Exodus to signify “meeting.” The festivals – mo’adim – spoken of in the Festival Chapter are referred to in the future tense:

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving to you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the first sheaf of your harvest to the priest. (Leviticus 23:9-10)

The mo’ed described here is not a place but a time. Just as the Israelites meet God in a fixed holy place – the Tent of Meeting – so they meet God at fixed holy times – the festivals.

In Parashat Emor three forms of holiness join together: The holiness of the person, of time and of place. These forms of holiness are not self-evident. One must observe the commandments that God gave to Israel in order to live a life of holiness. A life of holiness comprises not only the observance of the ritual law, but also the laws that apply to our relationship to our fellow human beings and to our environment.