Channeling My Greatness - Parshas Emor

[cough] [clears throat] >> Parshas Emor is a haliga haliga haliga parsha. As the Yom Tov in it, so it's a shikul Yom Tov diker parsha. And it has the dinim of dinim of Kohanim in it, so it's a haliga parsha. And um it's a it's like it's a it's it's a massive fountain of satura. Parshas Emor. But we'll start with the beginning of Parshas Emor for tonight. Um and hopefully in the next few minutes be able to connect with some of the sadus of the beginning of Parshas Emor in a way that first of all will be consistent with the with the style the derech the approach that we've taken through other parshas until now. You know to to to connect with our general approach and also to be able to be us as we always try to do to be able to take when we learn of the way I got it to be able to not just even though in itself the value of the wisdom itself is so incredible but how much more powerful is it for us when we could walk out with a direction of how to think about it in a way that it could strengthen us and uplift us. So with that in mind Parshas Emor begins with the fact that the Torah tells us that Kohanim are not allowed to become tamei meis. They can't be in contact with a meis. And the Tanchuma in the beginning of Parshas Emor a haliga Tanchuma um discusses the question that comes up in the words of of of chazal in many ways in the beginning of Parshas Emor cuz Parshas Emor begins with a double lashon. Emor el hakohanim bnei Aharon ve'omarta aleihem. Say to the Kohanim and say to them. Emor ve'omarta. And the Tanchuma brings up that >> [clears throat] >> problem. Why would you say it that way? You don't only need to say it to say it to them once. And the Tanchuma says this goes on this whole description. It says a mashal, I'm sure you're familiar Mordechai with the mashal. It says a mashal that a king wanted to make sure that his his shochet, his his meat guy, kept clean and and away from anything distasteful, and he was goizer on him that he shouldn't be next to any mace, that he should a distance himself from any mace for the rest of his life. And the Lashon Hara and he goizer alecha that you should keep away from any any um any mesa kol yemei chayecha. So too Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells the Kohanim that I want you to separate yourself from mesa, from tumas meis, for your entire life. And I think that it could be the time I think the Tanchuma itself points out, and that's when the Beis Hamikdash is standing and when there's no Beis Hamikdash, so there is no service that the Kohanim need to do for which they need to be tahor in at this time, unfortunately. And yet still, as we know, Kohanim until today will stand outside the the Beis Hakvaros and not walk into a levaya because they're metzuvah ad hayom hazeh, till today, that they can't become tamei because Hakadosh Baruch Hu told them not to be metamei lemeis. So first of all, how does that solve the problem of Amar Veamarata? The Tanchuma doesn't circle back and say how it solves the problem. And second of all, what is the meaning of this prohibition for Kohanim to come in contact with a dead body in a manner that would extend the tuma of tumas meis onto the Kohen, which means, you know what I mean, I mean tumas oil, any kind of contact. What's the meaning of it? What do What do I learn? What is What is What's the point of it? >> if he can't move through the doorway, then what? >> Okay, you also as a Yisrael you're not a Kohen, right? You also as a Yisrael have to go into the Beis Hamikdash sometimes and you also can't go in when you're tamei. And nobody's allowed to go into the Beis Hamikdash when they're tamei. And as Rav Tzadok points out very interestingly, Rav Tzadok says he goes on a different mahalach, but Rav Tzadok says how many times a year did a Kohen go into the Beis Hamikdash to do the avodah? So, the Kohanim every family of kehunah had two weeks that they served in the Beis Hamikdash. Two weeks at two different times. Okay? There were 24 about the avos and there was two weeks a year. Okay? Those two weeks an individual Kohen didn't go into the Beis Hamikdash every day of that of that week. The individual Kohen they were the the the the family of Kohanim was divided up into subfamilies. And many times there are there's extended sugyas that talk about the fact that you like for example at the time that your family was serving in the Beis Hamikdash, you're not allowed to be you're not allowed to become intoxicated even if it's not your day because what if they have a shortfall and they need you and it is your family's week and they'll call you in and you won't be able to serve. There is there are gemaras there are sugyas like that, but in general it's very possible that a Kohen go into the Beis Hamikdash two days a year besides for the shalesh regalim and erev Pesach when all the Kohanim was all hands on deck. >> Eating trumah? >> What? >> Eating trumah? >> Yeah, so eating trumah you know, if if first of all any Yisrael that was handling trumah was given from a Yisrael to a Kohen also couldn't be tamei. That was a universal thing. >> Yeah, but you handed it off. This gentleman is eating it all. >> It's true. It's true. So, he could you know, I'm just saying like and even the even the trumah that they were given, you know, some Kohanim got more truma, some Kohanim got less truma. You're not obligated to accept truma. You know, it's not it's not an obligation. And yeah, okay, so a Kohain has to be pure when he accepts truma. What does that have to do with this? And also with Al Parshas Emor, it that still would be true. That in order to accept truma, he needs to be tahor. But that it would be forbidden to become tahor, that's not because he eats truma. Just don't eat truma that week. You know, what about when a Kohain's father passes away where it is permitted for him to become tumah? What does he do about truma? He doesn't eat truma that week. For 7 days he doesn't eat truma. So there must be something here, something deeper here. >> I mean, they were allowed intoxication at any time. >> Yes, other dinim, right? Other dinim they were allowed. They were allowed other dinim. >> They weren't always on call. >> They were not always on call. Except for this. And even when the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, it continues. It's incredible. It's incredible. Okay. So And in addition to that, we know that the Beis Hamikdash and the Mishkan was a place for everyone that you were not allowed to enter while tumah. And that's something that also needs an an explanation. A person is allowed to go into a shul tumah. Okay, it could be that, you know, you have to be careful. You have to know where you're going and how it will affect people and so on and so forth. But you know, it it's um but there's a special issur, an issur misah, to go into the Mikdash tumah, to be nichnas l'Mikdash tumah. What is the pshat in that issur? So I want to go back to understanding what this means for us. And in order to do that, I want to go back to understanding what the point is of tumas meis. What is it? What is it? What is that, tumah? And you will I hope that you'll notice a similarity between what I'm saying tonight and how we explained tumas layda and parshas Tazria a few weeks ago because there's a lot of similarity between the two between those two areas. Hakadosh Baruch Hu created Adam. And the Adam that Hakadosh Baruch Hu created was never supposed to be someone who would die. The Adam the relationship between a person's guf and his neshama was perfect. And when a relationship between two sides is perfect, it doesn't have to ever separate. And it would have been that way had Adam not eaten from the etz hadaas. When Adam ate from the etz hadaas, as we know, I'm just telling you what it says in the Torah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to Adam, um afar ata you are dust, veal afar tashuv. You will return to dust. Adam became a bar misa. He became a candidate for misa because of the hate that he did. And I I'm sure it's not lost upon you that this is not like a minor demotion. This is a an a life history altering event. The [clears throat] entire definition of what it means to be a human being changed. The lashon of the Gemara in Chagiga, we always have to remember the lashon of heniach Hakadosh Baruch Hu kapav alav umia'to. Hashem put kaveyachol his palm on top of Adam and made him smaller. Adam became a shadow of his former self. He became a man who could die. Even though in the early days, maybe they lived a little bit longer than today, but in the big picture, Adam became a bar misa. That was a a that was and it also indicated indicated a tremendous mea, the tremendous um um um smallness in the way compared to the way Adam was meant to be and the way that he was created. And what's incredible is that as we know Hakadosh Baruch Hu never meant to leave Adam in that diminished state. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu chose Avraham Avinu, Asher bachar be Avraham. Hashem chose Avraham Avinu to be the father of the nation that will restore the grandeur of Adam to its former glory. And Adam and Avraham Avinu in fact is called ha-Adam ha-gadol ba-anakim, the great Adam Avraham Avinu is called, because he's part of the process of restoring the ma'alot ha-Adam. And that was a journey, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, 12 shvatim, 70 people going down to Mitzrayim, 210 brutal years in Mitzrayim, the miracles in the end of being in Mitzrayim, finally leaving Mitzrayim under the under the um incredible impact of 10 makot and and Kriat Yam Suf and the unbelievable um um aliyah that they experienced while crossing the yam and the revelations that became clear to them, Ro'eh shefchah al yam, mashah Yira'eh Yechezkel ben Buzi, and ultimately that journey that we're in middle of today, that journey from Yetziat Mitzrayim to Har Sinai, and then standing on Har Sinai, that excitement when they arrived at Har Sinai on on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, va-yehi ha-yom ha-zeh bo'u midbar Sinai, ve-yom ha-meuchad, and and so on, and the three days preparation for Har Sinai where they they they um purified themselves for three days before the Torah was given, and then the unbelievable unparalleled revelation of Hakadosh Baruch Hu on Har Sinai where every single man, woman, and child heard Hashem. It's hard to imagine what that means even, but heard and experienced the Divrei Hashem to the point that they heard the Divrei Hashem and died and had to be revived twice until they were like, "You know you know something? Moshe Rabbeinu, why don't you take over?" Okay? Because of the and and but and and our neshamos are altered in a positive way from the impact of having heard you and I heard the Divrei Hashem. I get the chills when I say it. Unbelievable. And the Gemara in Shabbos daf pe ches says something incredible. It says that at that moment when we heard the Divrei Hashem, each member each dibbur, it says, filled the entire world. Okay? It was like a a massive maymad. Pascha zu hamasa. At that moment, some of the poison the poison that poisoned man since he ate from the Eitz HaDaas ceased. Klal Yisrael were at a madregah where they were at the at the brink of a actual return to the madregah of Adam, the place that they were. They would not have had misah. Misah was nifsak. Except that they made a fatal, and I mean that literally, a fatal error a few days later when they fell into the trap of the Eitz HaRah and they worshipped the eigel. And ochein ke Adam temusun uche al ke achad hasarim tipolu, you you ochein, unfortunately, you will die like Adam. And Klal Yisrael fell again into that um into that katnus, into that smallness of Adam with one tremendous nafka minah. And that is that although we didn't manage to stay on that unbelievable Madrega, we were changed from those moments. And although as individuals we do not have the Madrega, the level of Adam Harishon before the chet, and every single one of us has to be aware that our lives will end, and if anything that motivates us to work on ourselves harder, but our lives do come to to an end. But no, our lives really don't come to an end. Maybe the initial temporary stay on this world comes to an end, but we know that the time will come, the after mesem, the time will come that we will have a mesem, and we will be resuscitated, and although it doesn't seem possible to the scientific eye, that's why it says it's the only thing it says is the only thing that we have to believe. Because it's something that's hard to see, it's hard to it's hard to find an example of that in in life, you know? But that's a after that we have because we really are connected to eternal life. Not just that, tell us see more like mesem, cloud Israel cannot be eradicated. And boy has the world tried. But we cannot be eradicated. Not only that, the like mesem, even one shave it of cloud Israel the says in Baba Basra cannot be eradicated because there's a certain connection to life that remains, and that is the seed for that ultimate um for that ultimate return that we will return to the Madrega of Adam Kadmon I'm always reminded when I talk about this hell, you probably heard me say this a hundred times, of this story with Rebbe Akiva Eiger and the Beis Hakvaros. My Rebbe told us and told us once that there was a fellow who was a very very very nasty guy and he used to lend money and charge exorbitant interest rates which we know is a very very serious issur um and he was very very mean and stingy and he didn't give tzedakah and he was really really really caused a lot of he he violated a lot of issurim and caused tremendous pain to the Jewish community. And when he died, they did not want to allow him to be buried in the regular cemetery with all the erliche people that spent their lives in poverty trying to serve Hashem. But they couldn't just say you can't be buried here. So what they did was they just charged him 10 times the amount. So if a if a plot was a thousand dollars, when this guy died, they told the family it'll be ten thousand dollars. And of course this family summoned the Jewish community to court and Rebbe Akiva Eiger reportedly was there in court to defend the Jewish community. And when the judge says that this is discrimination, you can't just charge one person 10 times the amount, Rebbe Akiva Eiger said, "No, in fact, actually it makes perfect sense. You see because it says in Chazal that someone who lends money for interest does not get up for techiyas hameisim. So everyone else here, it's only a rental because they're going to get up for techiyas hameisim. So they don't have a permanent state in this land. So that's a tenth of the price. But this guy is going to be here for a long long time. So therefore we're going to charge 10 times the amount. Okay? >> [laughter] >> I never told this to him. Yeah. So so that's the but in any event, you can understand why when Klal Yisrael did teshuvah from the cheit ha'egel and as part of their teshuvah the Meforshim say was the Binyan Hamishkan. The Binyan Hamishkan was called the Mishkan Edus. That was a testimony that Hashem was forgiving for the sin of the golden calf, right? Edus that Hashem was forgiving them is one of the definitions of Mishkan Edus. The building of the Mishkan, which happened right after the sin of the golden calf. When Moshe Rabbeinu came down with the second set of tablets on Yom Kippur, the next day he gathered all of Israel together and instructed them on the building of the Mishkan. That's when it began, on that 11th day of Tishrei. So, that Mishkan is a place that's the beginning of our return to the state of someone who's pure cannot go in there. That's a place that's a reflection of a time of great purity of of being free from impurity. And I want to point out the fact that we have impurity is because it represents what's lacking, the life. The life, the power of the life that's lacking when a person is not living a life that's eternal. So, that's what the impurity comes from. And that impurity is very important. And the process of being of purifying from that impurity is very important. But a building that represents the return of Adam to a time where there won't be death cannot have impurity inside of it. And that's why the Temple should You are not allowed to walk into the Temple impure. Okay, that's that's the that's how we understand it. The priests are the ones who serve in that Mishkan. And because they're the ones that serve in that Mishkan, it's very, very important that they also not become impure. And here's where it's very, very interesting. You see from this week's parashah that the understanding is not that while they're serving in the Mishkan, they can't be tamei. Because if so, it wouldn't be assur for them to ever become tamei. The understanding is, and this is what I want to be mechadesh to you today, the understanding is that Kohanim represent that time that we won't have tumah. Because they were the ones chosen to serve in that place that represents the time that we won't have meisa. They are the living examples of life at a time that there won't be tumah. Now, that has to be that that's balanced obviously with the fact that they are physical people who die. But because they also represent that return to a madreigah of kedem machashavah, it's not just that while they're serving in the Mishkan, they can't become tamei, but because they serve in the Mishkan, they become representatives of that level of not being tamei meis, of not having meisa. And that's what it means that your whole life, whether there is a Beit Hamikdash or there isn't a Beit Hamikdash, but Kohanim, it just comes to show how special Kohanim are. Kohanim represent that. What the Mishkan is in geography, the Kohein is in in in >> genealogy >> in genealogy. Thank you. Great. Okay? What the Mishkan is in geography, the Kohein is in genealogy. Okay? The The Kohein represents that world of Adam kedem machashavah. And that's the p'shat of Emor el Kohanim benei Aharon. Emor el Kohanim benei Aharon. Say to the Kohanim, ve'amarta aleihem, and say to them, what does that mean? What that means is as follows. Explain to the Kohanim that they are different. That they are special. And then tell them they can't become tame. Emor is like the promotion. And then the Amarta is what your responsibilities are now that you've been promoted. But that's the point of the double lashon. I believe that's the simple understanding of what the Tanchuma is trying to say. Why does it say Emor ve Amarta? Because the Kohain is never allowed to become tame, even when it's not his turn in the Beis Hamikdash. What does that mean? That means that Emor is not just about the laws of being a Kohain, it's about the identity of the Kohain. Emor el HaKohanim is teach the Kohanim their identity. Ve Amarta aleihem, and then say to them what the laws are. In fact, I want to suggest to you that there is a remez there that we know the word Emor means to say, but you may be aware, as I think the Bible certainly is, that the word Emor has another meaning. As Hashem Emarta Hayom. In other places, the word Emor comes from the word honor. In fact, there's a Rav that I've told you before in Maseches Shekalim, there's a Rav that says that the that the the the Arab world there's something called an Emir. Which is a person who has a certain noble title. He's an honorable person. We hope he is, but but it certainly represents that. Emir, he says, comes from the word Emor. The word Emor, besides the meaning to say, means to give respect, to honor. And I believe that this is under the surface. Emor el HaKohanim bnei Aharon. Give honor. Give a title. Give an identity. Shh. Explain the greatness of the Kohanim bnei Aharon. Ve Amarta aleihem, and then say to them le nefesh lo yitama ba'amav, you can't become tamei. Incredible. Incredible. I want to just before I before I go on, I want to share with you a interesting back and forth that we had here in Waterbury many years ago. Um there's a very interesting Das Kein mi'Baalei ha'Tosafos. Um Um Mayor, you remember when Reb Keilisch used to live across the street from me, right? So, there was a lot of traffic back and forth at the two sides of the street. So, the guys once came into my house from Reb Keilisch's house and they told me that um Reb Keilisch just asked them a question and he told them that whoever could give him an answer You remember this? Whoever could tell Reb Keilisch an answer, he will give him his dining room table. Okay, that's a pretty pretty hefty promise, okay? You want to hear the question? Okay? The question was as follows. The question was that the question is asked when when it says that a Kohen should not become tamei, it says that the Kohen is permitted to become tamei to his relatives. If a close relative of a Kohen passes away, he is permitted to to become tamei. And it says ki im le'sha'er ha'karov eiv eilav le'imo ule'aviv. First it says his mother and then it says his father. Le'imo ule'aviv. However, a few pesukim later, when it's talking about the halachos of the Kohen Gadol, it says that the Kohen Gadol should should not become tamei to a meis and the Kohen Gadol is different than the regular Kohen. The Kohen Gadol is not allowed to become tamei even to his close relatives, because of the higher, much higher stature of the Kohain Gadol. And in light of what I explained to you tonight, you can understand that the Kohain Gadol even more embodies that level. That even to his close relatives he can become tummy. And over there, it says the father before the mother. It says al kol nafshos meis lo yavo, l'aviv u'l'imo, to his father and to his mother. So the question is asked, why is it that by the Kohain Hedyot it says the mother and father, and by the Kohain Gadol it says father and mother? So, you're familiar with this? What? So the Das Kein says, that the truth is they're very consistent. Cuz by the Kohain Hedyot it says, yes, be metame to your mother and to your father. So when the yes, be metame, the mother comes first. By the Kohain Gadol it says, don't be metame, it's the other way, to your father, and not only that, don't be metame to your mother. In other words, if it let's say the mother is more obvious that you should be allowed to become tummy, so when I'm saying be metame, not only to mom, but even to dad. But when it's the other way around, it's don't be metame to dad and not even to mom. So it's kind of it's kind of reflection of each other. Why would a mother be more obvious than a father? Says the Das Kein, because how do you know it's that he's the father? You're just assuming there's a chazaka that he's the father. You don't know for sure that he's the father. The mother, you know for sure this is the mother, she gave birth to him. But who the father is, we kind of assume that her husband is the father, but we don't know that with 100% certainty. So therefore there's a little bit of a little bit there's a little bit of a lack of certainty on the father more than on the mother. Okay? So therefore by the K Hadaya it says you could be Matami not only to the mother who you're 100% sure is the mother, but even the father who you're 95% sure you could also be Matami. And by the K Gadol it says you cannot be Matami. Not only can't you be Matami to the father that's only 95% sure, but even to the mother that you're 100% sure you can't be Matami. Okay, that's what he says. Fregt Rebbi Akiva, one second. How do you know that you're a K Hadaya? Because your father is a K Hadaya. So to whatever degree I don't know that it's your father, you're not a K Hadaya. So even if it's a 95% chance that you're a K Hadaya and therefore uh you know, uh and there's a 5% maybe you're not a K Hadaya, but that's not more of a reason to not be Matami to him. In other words, the the K's mother is for sure his mother, of course he could be Matami. The father, I don't know there's a 5% chance it's not the father. Yeah, but on that 5% chance that it's not the father, HE'S NOT A K HADAYA. BOOM. The guy's cave in, stuck. But of course with the Hinukh that uh that that I had from Yeshiva, I understood as Rebbi Yosef was thinking that this was not a Halakhic um not a Halakhic statement on the part of the Tatzkainin, but it was saying the following. It was saying that when you say that you the K a K is not supposed to touch Tumah because a K represents Adam Rishon kind of a HaKait, because that's the status of a K. And but he is he does have a physical body, he he will die, and therefore his relatives, which are all kind of like an extension of him, when they die, he does become tame to them. Because it's like it's his own personal experience with mesa that he does have. Because I'm sure you might you may have noticed the Kohanim do die. Even though they represent that level and therefore they have this this increased responsibility to distance themselves from tuma, but in terms of their own sense self and their own body, they have the same zayrus mesas anyone else and the being metame to their relatives is an extension of that. The fact that you don't know that someone is someone's father is not just a halachic thing. It means that the connection between a mother and son and father and son are different than each other. The connection between a mother and son is like a far more visceral physical connection and the connection between a father and son because you need das because you need an assumption to connect the two that represents the fact that it's more of an abstract relationship. It's that much more abstract. It's that much more a level of das. And therefore we say to the more physical the mother he he he was born from her. He's an extension of her. He could be metame because that's like part of his guf, but not only that, even the father. That's a little bit more of an abstract relationship, but he too is an extension of him. The Torah is saying, "No, don't say that the father is also an extension." And then by the Kohain Gadol the other way around. Don't be metame. Not only shouldn't you be metame to the father who's maybe a little bit removed in terms of the visceral physical connection because you need a koach hadas to connect them, but even the mother he should not be metame to. Okay, hello. Just a shtickel there. That's what I suggested. I still think till today that I deserve a Michaela's dining room table, but I have not placed a claim for it. I just want to say I just want to say that there is one more thing that we learned from MRV Amar to besides for this time of that we've discussed. And that is a famous in the Torah of the here that the older the older people should teach the younger people and this is a part of the Torah that it's our obligation to teach our children to follow the Torah and to not do this and it's a a large area of Torah the responsibility of parents to train and to teach their children the Torah and the Torah But that idea that older mature people should teach the younger less mature people >> [snorts] >> is an idea that could have been taught to us in the context of many in the Torah But the Torah chose specifically the Torah of of the Torah of the Torah to be the vehicle to teach me this idea that the older should be teach the Torah and the reason for that is because I believe that that's what's going on in this whole Torah We have a part of us that's Torah That's the part of us that's connected to the Torah of the Torah The part of us that will never die that was the Torah and like that the Torah story The part of us that's connected to the Torah to something greater to the fact that we heard from the Torah of the Torah We also have a smaller part of ourselves the part of us that did the Torah The part of us that gets trapped in with the Torah the part of us that maybe has a more petty or childlike view of things The Torah tells us the Torah because while it's it's true in life that there are the Torah in life the older people the mature people, the people that have daas, that have to have an influence on the younger, less mature, less intelligent people. But that's also something going on within us in this parsha, that following the halachas of tumah is allowing the godol within us to have an impact even on our katan lives. And that's the chizuk that I wanted to end with, that this is a power that we have, all of us have within us. It's well documented both in the sifrei of machshava and chassidus and the sifrei and the sifrei mussar and even in the secular world, it's well documented that there are different modes within us. There's a mode of godless sometimes where we have the ability to look at things from a with a from the a big picture and with maturity and with a sense of things and and with a confidence and with and a long view. We also have parts of ourselves that are small-minded and petty and get insulted and and and and annoyed and and in fact sometimes on Monday we're a little embarrassed of who we were on Sunday. And sometimes on Tuesday we look back and be like, "Wow, Monday I hit it out of the park." I don't feel that right now, right? But there's that koach that we have emor ve amarta le hazir gedolim al hakatanim that we can allow with with with with a gentleness and with a confidence to identify, to start from this greatness within us and to bring in and to educate and to give to in a kind and gentle way [clears throat] even the immature parts of ourselves to join in the journey of serving Hakadosh Baruch Hu and taking another step forward to that ultimate day when we will be umalah ha'aretz de'ah Hashem and all tumah will be eradicated be'ezras Hashem.