Torah

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Bechukotai, and is found in Leviticus 26:3-27:34. This parasha finishes the book of Leviticus, or Vayikra.  Since the majority of the book focuses on mitzvot and the concept of holiness, it is not surprising that the passage here focuses on the outcome of following these mitzvot–peace and prosperity.  The opposite outcomes are portrayed for those who do not follow Gods’ mitzvot–disease, famine, and war.

This passage is somewhat difficult for us today to process.  After all, disease falls on good and bad alike, and so does prosperity.  This concept is lamented in the book of Proverbs as well as Job. However, if we look closer at the passage we will realize that mitzvot–the acts of goodness and moral character that we perform for our fellow human beings and the acts of holiness we perform for God, do put us on a path which makes hard to achieve concepts, like peace, possible. That which we do for God, are things that remind us to think holier thoughts and provide an impetus for holier action so that we do not get dragged down by the negative influences around us. Things we do for others helps them understand their worth, and makes healing and prosperity possibilities in their lives.  Peace is an interesting concept. It is not something that just happens.  It is something that is made.  In both the Scriptures and the prayer book we see references to God making peace.  If making peace requires action on God’s part, then if we are God’s partners on this earth, we can expect that peace is something we will have to work at as well. We may or may not see peace in our lifetime, but if we are committed, we may make peace possible for others.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is Behar, and is found in Leviticus 25:1 – 26:2.  Once they had settled in their land, the Israelites were to plant, harvest, and store the produce of their fields for six years. During the seventh year of the cycle, the shemittah, they were not to plant or harvest or to store produce that grew on its own. However, everyone was free to take and eat whatever did grow on its own.  After seven of these seven-year cycles, the 50th year was designated the yoveil. Not only was farming prohibited, but all Israelite slaves were to be freed and any land sold during the previous 49 years was to revert to its original owners – that is, land was never actually sold, but only leased until the next yoveil. When a person had to sell all or part of his land due to financial need, his relatives were to redeem what he had sold. Houses in walled cities could be redeemed for a year from the date of sale and then passed permanently to the buyer. Houses outside these walled cities and houses in the cities of the Levites could not be sold permanently – they remained subject to redemption and reverted to the original owners at the yoveil. If a person became poor, he was to be loaned money at no interest. If this was not sufficient to allow him to recover financially, he could become an indentured servant who would be set free at the yoveil.

This parasha captures the essence of helping others who fall into hard times and enabling them to gain back what was lost.  By giving a plot of land a year of rest, the soil would be restored of nutrients and any crops that seeded themselves and grew on their own would feed people who did not have food.  Every 50 years, slaves were freed and any property that had been sold under unfortunate circumstances could be returned or redeemed as appropriate, by relatives so that property stayed within the clan.  People who became poor could be given a loan free of interest, and if that was insufficient, they could become an indentured servant who would one day be free. These strategies may not necessarily work in today’s society, but addressing the needs of those who are poor, choosing not to wrong others in monetary exchanges, and helping others out of unfortunate circumstances are still important principles today.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Emor and is found in Leviticus 21:1-24:23. God instructs Moses to teach the priests the laws that apply to their special status. No kohen (priest) may come into contact with a dead body, the principal source of ritual impurity, other than members of his immediate family – parents, children, or siblings (the rabbis included his wife). They were not to shave their heads or make gashes in their skin as expressions of mourning. A kohen may not marry a harlot or a divorcee. Additional prohibitions apply to the High Priest, who may not come into contact with any dead body, even immediate family, or marry a widow. No kohen with a physical defect may offer sacrifices, but he still was permitted to eat the portions of the sacrifices set aside for the priests. A priest who is ritually impure may not eat from these sacrifices. Only priests and members of their households – excluding hired workers and daughters married to husbands who are not priests – may eat the food offerings given to the priests. Also, animals dedicated as sacrifices were not have any physical defect. An animal and its young may not be slaughtered on the same day. God then instructs Moses to teach the people about Shabbat and the festivals – Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. The priests are to light the lamps in the sanctuary and to prepare twelve loaves of bread to be displayed in the sanctuary each week.

The theme of holiness is evident in this parasha, emphasizing two main areas: ways the priests must live to maintain a standard of purity and be an example of holiness, and ways all Israelites should celebrate the festivals of Passover, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot to remember the holiness of these days.  Clearly prescribed activities and rituals such as specific sacrifices or consecration of certain crops, are included in the celebration of these festivals as well as things to set aside (like work obligations) in order to focus attention on the importance of the holy days. Holiness reminds us to challenge ourselves to live to a higher standard and to pay attention to what is important.  It is easy in the “hustle and bustle” of everyday life to let the urgent and immediate take our focus. While many of these things may actually be important, sometimes they keep us from focusing on the seemingly less urgent but equally important things–family, friends, times for ourselves, or connecting with spiritual renewal.  This parasha reminds us to take time, and specifically, set aside time throughout the year to focus on what is important. During this week, may we be able to refocus our attention on what is truly important.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Achrei-Mot and is found in Leviticus 16:1-18:30.  In this passage God instructs Moses about the Yom Kippur rituals during which the High Priest was to cleanse and purify the sanctuary from the effects of the sins of the Israelites. Only on that holiest of days was Aaron permitted to enter the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary. He was to dress in special linen garments and to bring a purification offering on behalf of himself and his household. The people were to observe Yom Kippur each year as a day of fasting and abstinence from work so that their sins might be forgiven. Moses tells the people that animals, whether they were intended for food or as sacrifices, were to be slaughtered only at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, rather than outside the camp, and that they were strictly forbidden to eat blood since it represented the life force. God instructs Moses to tell the people that they are not to copy the practices of the Egyptians or the Canaanites. Finally forbidden sexual relationships are specified as being degrading to those who commit them.

Since we talk about the Yom Kippur rituals during Yom Kippur, I will choose to focus on the remainder of the passage which focuses on the importance of respecting life. When animals are consumed, the Israelites are not allowed to eat blood out of respect for the life force of the animal.  This is consistent with other regulations in the Torah regarding animal life. For example, only certain animals and birds that are not scavengers or are vicious may be eaten and they must be killed humanely so as not to cause them to suffer.  If one is hungry and wishes to take an egg from a nest, he or she must wait until the mother bird is gone so that her pain of seeing the egg taken is lessened.  Likewise, the last section of the parasha also forbids certain sexual relationships, listing several examples of incest, because it shows a lack of respect for the other person and is unnecessarily degrading.  From this passage then, we are reminded to respect other living things, both people and animals, because God created them both and both carry the life force in them.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Metzora and is found in Leviticus 14:1-15:33.  The passage is a continuation of last week’s portion about tzara’at. God gives Moses instructions for the rites of purification and the sacrifices that the m’tzora (person afflicted with tzara’at, or potentially contagious skin diseases) must bring in order to complete the process of ritual purification. Provisions are made so that a poor person can bring less costly sacrifices. God also tells Moses that once the people have settled in the land of Canaan a person may discover some sort of tzara’at (mold, in this case) on the walls of his home. A priest must examine it; if he declares that the house is afflicted with tzara’at, the affected stones must be removed and replaced. If the tzara’at returns, the house must be demolished. If it does not return, the priest performs the specified ritual of purification.  The passage also includes rituals of purification regarding certain body fluids of men and women.

In this passage, like in last week’s passage, we see rituals of purification to allow people who have been temporarily isolated from the community to become part of the community again.  We also see that sacrifices included in the purification process were adjusted so they were affordable for all.  Everyone had the opportunity to be right with God and connected to the community.  It is important to note that when a person was in a state of impurity, a priest would meet with them outside the camp to meet with that person in order to decide if they were healed and could come back to the community. This required the priest to feel what it was like to be outside the camp and to walk in the shoes of the person that had been isolated. Only then could the person be healed.  Likewise, it is important for us today to walk in other people’s shoes and to understand their circumstances before passing judgment.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tazria and is found in Leviticus 12:1-13:59. God instructs Moses and Aaron about tzara’at, a scaly skin disease traditionally translated as “leprosy” but clearly not the condition we call leprosy today. When a person developed a rash or other signs of skin disease, the priest was to examine it and determine if it was in fact tzara’at, which would render the person ritually impure (not the same as sin). If the diagnosis was uncertain, the priest was to quarantine the person for seven days and then examine him again. If the diagnosis was still uncertain, the person was to be isolated for another seven days; if the rash had not spread, he was declared ritually pure. Once a person was determined to have tzara’at, he was declared ritually impure and sent to live outside the camp. Tzara’at could affect fabrics as well as people. Once a priest had determined that an article of cloth or leather was affected it was to be burned.

For those of us in the 21st century, this passage can be difficult, although it makes sense in an era when people are living in close proximity where medical science is limited. It was important to keep the spread of potential disease or sickness, either from persons with certain contagious skin diseases or from articles of clothing (even the materials on houses) that may be effected with what is likely mold, mildew, or a similar substance.  The person’s isolation would be important if something was contagious. If the area was not spreading or seemed to be healing, the person would be welcomed back into the community.  Likewise, it would have been difficult for the people to remove mildew or similar substances from leather or other types of cloth; therefore, burning would have probably been the healthiest response.  Today we know that molds can make people ill.

The important message of the passage for us today is to realize that, while we do not generally isolate people today who have certain types of skin diseases, we still have a tendency to isolate people we feel are “unclean” for a variety of reasons. It may be someone’s health condition, lifestyle, or social situation that creates a stigma, and subsequent isolation.  The role of the priest in the passage was to make sure that people who had been separated from the community could be restored to the community.  Likewise, we should reach out to those in our community who are isolated and connect them to the community.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called  Shmini and is found in Leviticus 9:1-11:47. In this parasha, God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat. Land animals must have cloven hooves and chew their cud. Animals that have only one of these signs and therefore are not permitted are listed. Sea creatures must have fins and scales. No signs are given for birds; forbidden species are listed. Permitted insects are listed; all the rest are forbidden.

The passage focuses on a list of animals that may or may not be eaten. These guidelines provide support for our practices of kashruit today. Whether we follow these rules literally or symbolically, the selection of what we eat is still important. How balanced is our diet?  Are we promoting life and health? Are we respecting ourselves?  If we were with Moses in the desert today, what kinds of dietary guidelines might be included?  Would they involve trans-fats, cholesterol, and refined foods?  In addition to selecting foods that promote our health and well-being, the passage also challenges us to think of our treatment of living things. How are the animals we eat treated? Is it in a way that respects life?  How do we treat the soil and land we get our food from?  Is it in a way that preserves the earth or weakens it?  This week, may we remember that even the little things we do each day can impact our lives and the lives of those around us.

The Torah portion, or parasha, this week is called Tzav and is found in Leviticus 6:1-8:36.Last week’s parasha gave a description of the different types of sacrifices and their uses. Parashat Tzav provides instructions on how the kohanim (priests) are to offer the various sacrifices. We also learn that the zevah sh’lamim, the offering of well-being, was to be brought for three reasons – for thanksgiving, in fulfillment of a vow, or as a freewill or voluntary offering. A person in a state of ritual impurity was not allowed to eat from any of the sacrifices. No one is permitted to eat chelev (the fat covering an animal’s internal organs) or blood. Portions of these offerings were to be set aside to be given to the priests. God instructs Moses about the ceremony of consecration of the priests. Aaron and his sons are washed, dressed in their ceremonial garments, and anointed. Moses offers sacrifices on their behalf. The ritual of ordination continues for seven days.

There are a couple of things we can learn from this passage. First, we learn that the rituals the priests perform are done in a way as to allow the person who brought the sacrifices to be accepted and respected (not judged), and that casual observers of another person’s sacrifice would not necessarily know why the other person was bringing a sacrifice. This would help others not to judge their fellow beings. Another thing we learn is that no matter how menial the priests’ tasks appeared to be, every act performed for God was considered holy.  From this passage, we learn the importance of respecting others, not judging people’s past lives, and learning to forgive ourselves.  We also learn that no matter what small tasks we do each day, they can be holy.