[Par-reg] For Acharei Mot
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Thu Apr 10 23:35:50 EDT 2014
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag
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for PARSHAT ACHAREI MOT
In the middle of Parshat Acharei Mot, an
abrupt change
takes place in Sefer Vayikra.
Even though its first 17 chapters dealt
exclusively with
laws that relate to the Mishkan, in chapter
18 we find a
complete section about forbidden marital
relationships [better
known as the "arayot"] that appear to be
totally unrelated to
the Mishkan.
Then, in Parshat Kedoshim, we find yet
another set of
laws (mostly ethical) that have almost no
connection at all to
the Mishkan.
So what keeps Sefer Vayikra together?
Should we conclude that it is primarily
laws relating to the
Mishkan plus a few 'add-ons'? Or, is there
some thematic
significance in this transition that could
lead us to a deeper
understanding of what the book is all about.
In this week's shiur, we attempt to answer
this question by
taking a closer look at the nature of this
transition.
INTRODUCTION
We begin our shiur with a quick overview
of Sefer Vayikra
to help clarify our opening statement.
The following table summarizes Sefer
Vayikra according to
its primary topics. As you review this table,
note how chapter
18 marks the beginning of this transition
(from Mishkan
related to non-Mishkan related topics):
PART I - THE MISHKAN AS THE PRIMARY
TOPIC
CHAPTER TOPIC
1-5 MISHKAN/ korbanot of the individual
[ndava and chova]
6-7 MISHKAN/ how the kohanim will offer
the korbanot
8-10 MISHKAN/ its dedication ceremony
[narrative]
11-15 MISHKAN/ "tumah & tahara" [who can
enter...]
16 MISHKAN/ "avoda" of the kohen gadol
on Yom Kippur
17 MISHKAN/ no korbanot permitted
outside the Mishkan
PART II - MISC. TOPICS
CHAPTER TOPIC
18 GENERAL/ prohibited marriage
relationships etc.
19-20 GENERAL/ "kdoshim t'hiyu" [a
variety of laws]
21-22 KOHANIM/ special laws regarding the
kohanim
23 HOLIDAYS/ focus on the agricultural
aspect
24 MISC./ re: Menorah, Shulchan &
capital punishment
25 SHMITA/ the seven year shmita &
Yovel cycle
26 TOCHACHA/ reward & punishment for
keeping the laws
27 VOWS/ "erchin", valuation of
pledges
As the above table shows, the first
seventeen chapters of
Sefer Vayikra form a distinct unit, for that
entire section
discusses various laws concerning the
Mishkan. In contrast to
that unit, the remaining ten chapters
(18->27) discuss a wide
ranges of topics, some Mishkan related;
others not. At first
glance, it is difficult to find a common
theme to this second
section. Nonetheless, it is clearly distinct
from the first
section of the sefer.
To uncover the thematic significance of
this division,
let's take a closer look at the beginning of
chapter 18, i.e.
at the very location where this transition
begins.
A NEW HEADER
For a start, let's read the opening five
psukim of
chapter 18, noting how they form a separate
'parshia':
"And God told Moshe, speak to Bnei Yisrael
and tell them:
ANI HASHEM ELOKEICHEM - [I am the Lord
Your God!]
DO NOT act as the Egyptians did, and do
not act as the
Canaanites... do not follow their laws.
[Instead] KEEP MY
LAWS... for ANI HASHEM ELOKEICHEM. Keep
My laws and My
commandments which man must do and live by
keeping them for
ANI HASHEM." (see 18:1-5)
Review these psukim once again, noting
how they discuss a
very general topic, i.e. how Bnei Yisrael
should conduct their
lives. They must first reject Egyptian and
Canaanite culture
and follow God's laws instead. Clearly, these
psukim form an
introduction to the entire set of mitzvot
that will follow.
[Not only do they 'set the stage' for the
laws concerning
prohibited marital relationships ["arayot"]
that follow in
18:6-23, they also introduce ALL of the
mitzvot that follow
until the TOCHACHA at the end of the Sefer.
To verify this
point, compare phrase "chukim & mishpatim"
in 26:46 with
18:3-5; compare also them of chapter 26
with 18:24-29!]
We will now show how 18:1-5 serves not only
as an
introduction to chapter 18, but also forms
the introduction to
the entire 'second half' of the Sefer
Vayikra.
We begin our discussion by paying special
attention to a
key phrase that is repeated several times in
this
introduction, and that will appear numerous
times again in the
second half of the Sefer.
ANI HASHEM
Review 18:1-5 once again, noting the
Torah's repeated use
of the phrase ANI HASHEM [or alternately ANI
HASHEM
ELOKEICHEM]. Not only is this phrase
mentioned THREE times in
these opening psukim, it is also repeated
over FIFTY times
from this point in Sefer Vayikra until the
end of the sefer.
Furthermore, this phrase is included in most
every pasuk that
introduces or summarizes a key topic!
[See, for example, 18:30;
19:2,3,4,10,12,14,16,18,30 -32,36-
37; 20:24-26; 22:2,3,16,31-33; 23:22,43;
24:22;
25:17,38,55; 26:1-2,13,44-45 & their
context (that will
keep you busy).]
In contrast, this phrase is found only
once in the first
half of the Sefer. [See 11:44-45/ note that
even here it is
used in relation to the laws of kosher
animals, which
themselves are only tangentially related to
the Mishkan.]
This emphasis upon the phrase of ANI
HASHEM may provide
us with a clue toward understanding the
overall theme of the
second half of the sefer.
LIMITATION OR EMANATION
At first glance, it seems rather absurd
that when Sefer
Vayikra describes the laws concerning the
"korbanot"
[sacrifices] that were offered in the Mishkan
- the site where
God's SHCHINA is present - the phrase ANI
HASHEM [lit. I am
God] is barely mentioned; yet when it
discusses various laws
which must be kept OUTSIDE the Mishkan, the
phrase is
emphasized over and over again! Considering
that the phrase
"ANI HASHEM" serves as a reminder that we
stand before God, we
would certainly expect to find it mentioned
more often in
relation to the Mishkan!
One could suggest that the Torah wishes
to emphasize
precisely the opposite! The Torah may fear
that this intense
level of "kedusha" caused by God's Presence
in the Mishkan may
lead to the misconception that God's Presence
is LIMITED to
the Mishkan! Therefore, as it describes the
laws of daily
life that Am Yisrael must keep when they are
outside the
Mishkan, the repetition of the phrase "ani
Hashem" becomes
quite meaningful.
[We are all too familiar with the
consequences of this
'mistaken conclusion', i.e. where one's
spiritual behavior
is meticulous while visiting God's
residence (be it the
Mishkan, or a synagogue), in contrast to
the more secular
nature of his behavior once he leaves its
environs.]
The very structure of Sefer Vayikra (i.e.
its two halves, as
noted above) may come to counter this
misconception - for it
emphasizes that the Mishkan does not LIMIT
the "shechina" to
its confines, rather, it serves as conduit to
allow God's
presence to EMANATE. Ideally, man's
experience in the Mishkan
should leave a profound effect on his way of
life outside the
Mishkan. As we will soon explain, this
concept relates to the
very essence of KEDUSHA.
From a thematic perspective, one could
apply this
explanation to the two halves of Sefer
Vayikra. Even though
the primary topic of Sefer Vayikra may be the
laws relating to
the Mishkan, the second half of the sefer
intentionally
includes numerous mitzvot that serve as an
example of how we
TRANSLATE the intense level of SHCHINA found
in the Mishkan
into the daily walks of life.
In the Mishkan itself, the concept of
"ani Hashem" is so
clear, that there is no need for a constant
reminder.
However, outside its confines, man must be
constantly reminded
that God's Presence remains everywhere.
[This concept of the Mishkan serving as a
funnel to bring
the 'shechina' from heaven to a
fountain-like source on
earth from which it can emanate to all
mankind is reflected
in the prophecies of Zecharya (see 14:8-9)
and Yeshayahu
(see 2:1-5).]
A THEMATIC PROGRESSION
To better appreciate the meaning of
these two sections,
it is helpful to first review our earlier
observations
regarding Sefer Vayikra (as we discussed in
our introductory
shiur).
In contrast to the other books of
Chumash that are
'narrative based' (i.e. they begin and end
with a story),
Sefer Vayikra is 'commandment based' (i.e. it
contains a
collection of various mitzvot which God
commanded Moshe and
Aharon to teach Bnei Yisrael). Therefore, the
progression of
parshiot in the sefer is thematic as opposed
chronological.
We also explained that the sefer,
referred to by Chazal
as TORAT KOHANIM, begins as an 'instruction
manual' for the
Mishkan. Even though we expected that Sefer
Vayikra would deal
exclusively with Mishkan related
commandments, as was the case
in the first seventeen chapters, the second
half introduces a
wide range of mitzvot which must be kept
outside the Mikdash
for they reflect how God's Presence in the
Mishkan should
affect our behavior in all aspects of life.
This can explain the internal
progression of parshiot as
well. For example, in chapter 18 we are told
how one should
not act, while in chapter 19 we are
instructed how one SHOULD
ACT, i.e. Parshat K'DOSHIM T'HIYU - acting in
a sanctified
manner in all walks of life.
KEDUSHA
This concept, i.e. SETTING ASIDE one
special site (e.g.
the Mishkan) where God's Presence is more
intense - IN ORDER
to bring sanctity to all surrounding areas,
can be understand
as the most basic concept of KEDUSHA.
For example, we can explain the
"kedusha" of SHABBAT in a
very similar manner, i.e. we set aside one
day of the week,
sanctifying it with an increased level of
God's "shechina"- in
order to elevate the spiritual level of each
day of the week -
for our experience on shabbat will affect our
behavior on each
weekday (as we anticipate shabbat). [See
Ramban on Shmot 12:1
in his explanation of KIDUSH ha'CHODESH!]
One can explain the KEDUSHA on AM
YISRAEL in a similar
manner, i.e. God SET ASIDE a special nation
(see Sefer
Breishit), sanctifying it with special
mitzvot (see Sefer
Shmot) - IN ORDER to deliver God's message of
sanctity to all
mankind (see Devarim 4:5-8).
Note as well how these three examples,
Mishkan, Shabbat, and
Am Yisrael - reflect the three basic
categories of KEDUSHA in
the realms of space, time, and matter:
kedushat MAKOM (place) - the Mishkan
kedushat ZMAN (time) - Shabbat, &
kedushat ADAM (man) - Am Yisrael.
A THEME FOR SEFER VAYIKRA
With this background, we can suggest a
common theme for
all the mitzvot in the second half of the
sefer, as well as
their relationship to the first half of the
sefer. Note how
these final ten chapters of Vayikra can be
divided according
to these three basic realms of "kedusha"
(sanctity or
holiness):
1) KEDUSHAT ADAM - man / chapters 18->22
e.g. kedushat Am Yisrael and/or
kohanim
2) KEDUSHAT ZMAN - time / chapter 23
e.g. shabbat and "moadim"
(holidays)
3) KEDUSHAT MAKOM - place or land /
chapters 24-26
e.g. the laws of SHMITA in the land
of Israel
However, "kedusha" can also be
considered the primary
theme of the first half of Sefer Vayikra as
well, for the
Mishkan itself is also referred to as a
MIKDASH. The word
"mikdash" evolves from the same shoresh -
k.d.sh. [as in
"kedusha"], implying the setting aside of
something for a
special purpose (see Breishit 2:3, 38:21 and
Shmot 13:1!) for
a divine purpose. The Mikdash is a special
sanctuary set
aside for the worship of God.
Likewise, in "kedushat adam", Am Yisrael
is set aside to
serve God; so too the kohanim etc. In
"kedushat zman",
"shabbat" and the "moadim" are set aside from
the other days
of the week for a divine purpose. In
"kedushat makom", the
land of Israel is set aside from all others
as God's special
land.
Based on this analysis, we can suggest
an overall theme
for Sefer Vayikra. Recall that at Har Sinai,
before receiving
the Torah, Bnei Yisrael entered a covenant to
accept God's
laws in order to become a "mamlechet kohanim
v'GOY KADOSH"
(see Shmot 19:4-6). Sefer Vayikra explains
HOW Bnei Yisrael
become this "goy kadosh" [holy nation], not
only by worshiping
God in the MISHKAN, but also by keeping the
daily mitzvot of
kedushat ADAM, ZMAN, & MAKOM - the constant
reminders of God's
Presence - as emphasized by the phrase: ANI
HASHEM ELOKEICHEM
- in their daily lives.
TORAT KOHANIM
This observation can help us appreciate
the name that
Chazal use to describe Sefer Vayikra - TORAT
KOHANIM [Laws for
Priests]. Based on our original analysis
this name would
appear to be a bit inaccurate, for Sefer
Vayikra includes many
laws that have nothing to do with Kohanim
and/or the Mishkan.
However, based on this deeper theme in second
half of Sefer
Vayikra, the word 'KOHANIM' in the name TORAT
KOHANIM may
refer not only to the KOHANIM who work in the
Mishkan, but
also to the entire nation of Israel who serve
as a MAMALECHET
KOHANIM v'GOY KADOSH - a nation of priests in
service of God -
working towards bringing God's Name to all
mankind.
This recognition of ANI HASHEM,
experienced at an intense
level when one visits the Mishkan, must be
internalized to
affect one's conduct, even outside the
Mishkan, and in all
walks of life.
In our shiur on Parshat Kedoshim, we will
explain how this
distinction can enhance our understanding
of chapter 19 and
its connection to the Ten Commandments.
Till then,
shabbat shalom,
menachem
FOR FURTHER IYUN
=================
TUMAH OF THE LAND
A. Read 18:24-30, the concluding psukim of
chapter 18. Do
these psukim simply summarize the chapter or
serve as a
continuation of the introductory nature of
18:1-5?
Where else do we find a concept of being
banished from a
land in punishment for sinful behavior? (See
Vayikra 18:28/
See also Ramban!! - be careful, it's very
"tzioni")
Relate this to the situation in Gan Eden
and Vayikra 26:3-13.
Based on your answer, why do you think
that the Midrash
equates Eretz Yisrael with Gan Eden?
Relate also to Vayikra
18:5, Devarim 30:15-20 and Mishlei 3:18.]
In the above mentioned psukim we also
find a concept of
"tumah" (18:24-28). In what manner is this
concept of TUMAH
different that the laws of TUMAH found thus
far in Sefer
Vayikra?
In what manner is it similar?
B. AVODAT KOHEN GADOL ON YOM KIPPUR
It is interesting to note that on Yom
Kippur shacharit we
read Vayikra chapter 16, while at mincha we
read Vayikra
chapter 18. Now the reason why we read
chapter 16 is simple,
for it details the special AVODAH of the
Kohen Gadol on Yom
Kippur in the Bet ha'Mikdash. However, why do
read
specifically chapter 18 for mincha? After the
prohibition of
"arayot" (the primary topic) contains no
obvious connection to
Yom Kippur?
Some explain that this custom is simply
for convenience;
i.e. as we may be too tired to roll the
'sefer' to another
location, we simply read a chapter nearby to
what we read in
the morning. However, based on the above
shiur, we can offer a
more significant explanation.
As we explained above, chapter 16
constitutes the climax
of the first half of Sefer Vayikra for on Yom
Kippur, as the
"kohen gadol" enters the "kodesh ha'kdoshim"
on the "shabbat
shabbaton", Am Yisrael ascends to the
highest level in all
three realms of "kedusha":
1) "kedushat adam" - kohen gadol
2) "kedushat makom" - kodesh k'doshim
3) "kedushat zman" - shabbat shabbaton
However, it is just as important to
remind ourselves that
these concentrated levels of "kedusha" must
be incorporated
into daily life. As Yom Kippur draws to its
close, or
possibly its true climax, we must remind
ourselves of this
hashkafic message of the second half of Sefer
Vayikra. This
may be the reason why Chazal saw it
appropriate that we read
this pivotal chapter (18:1-30) at Mincha
time, for Yom Kippur
marks not only the culmination of the year
which has passed,
but also sets us in the proper direction for
the new year
which is about to begin.
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