Parsha Emor 5766: The Kohen; The Paradigm for Jewish Unity …

Kedoshim teaches “…You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your G’d.” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 19, posuk 1) And we learn that the epitome of this holiness is the principle taught by Rabbi Hillel to the convert, on one foot, says “V’ohavtoh L’reiachoh Komochoh” — “… you shall love your fellow as yourself…” (Sefer Vayikra, Perek 19, posuk 18) The Halachot subsequently taught in Parsha Kedoshim are all built upon the emulation of Hashem.

Following on the heels of learning about the concept of kindness for one Jew to another, in Parsha Emor, we learn about the Avodah, the Service of the Kohanim and how the Kohanim are expected “…to maintain an especially high standard of purity and perfection.” (L’lmod L’Lamed, Rabbi Mordechai Katz, Parsha Emor, page 119)

Shem Mishmuel explains the function of the Kohen and relates to the Kohen’s Kedusha in this way, “The Job of the Kohen is to join the physical world to it’s spiritual counterpart.” He performs the Avodah in the Beit HaMikdash, the place where heaven and earth meet. He brings Hashem’s fire upon the Mizbei’ach (altar) in a service which joins the physical earth to Hashem.

He continues by saying that the co-existence of physical and spiritual is broken by the tumah (defilement) associated with death. Therefore, it is inappropriate for a Kohen to come into contact with death as death tears apart the unity of the physical and spiritual.

He adds, in the name of the Arizal, that prior to death, a person is attacked by impure forces. “The holy soul which rests within a person can’t bear to be connected with those forces and departs from the body to alleviate it’s discomfort. This is the moment of death. The tumah induces a split between the body and soul which is totally opposite of the Kohen’s role as a unifier or ‘joiner.'” (Sefer Shem Mishmuel, Parsha Emor, pages 273-275)

Shem Mishmuel extends the Kohen’s attribute of being a unifier or a “joiner” even to the subject of prohibited marriages and quotes Rabbi Akiva, “a man and a woman, if they so merit, the divine presence rests between them: if they do not merit, fire consumes them.” (Sotah 17a)

Further, Shem Mishmuel relates Chazal tell us that when a couple divorces, the power of divine unity is removed from them leaving both of them with a sense of division and disunity. “Thus a divorced woman is no longer in a spiritual position to marry a Kohen whose very being demands contact with only unifying forces. For a divorcee to have a relationship with a Kohen would frustrate the Kohen’s personal mission.” The divorcee has lost the innate ability to be solely unified with one person and thus may not marry a Kohen.

I’ve often heard it said that the Jews, as a light unto the world, are to the nations as the Kohanim are to the rest of the Jewish people. The point is that the Kohanim are meant to be a paradigm, to set an example for all of B’nai Yisrael; of derech, of midos, of chessed to one’s brothers — ones fellow Jews, and of Avodat Hashem.

To expand on the attributes of Kohanim, the B’nai Yisrael are meant to be the paradigm of Derech Hashem providing light unto the nations. And, indeed history shows the influence and impact of Torah principles in the creation of institutions, laws and government in Western Democracies.

However, what do the Jews show the nations as an example of how man should treat his fellow man, how nation should treat nation when a vindictive, cruel, heartless, dictatorial regime, purporting to embody and exemplify Medina Yisrael, pits Jew against Jew for strictly political expedience and to separate religious Jews as sub-human, asaf suf, rif-raf?

What message does it send the nations when Israel’s bulldozing strongman prime minister, or a previously obscure, incompetent, corrupt politician is put into power to carry out the will of a small group of effete socialists who control the Justice Ministry, the “High Court” and every other governmental and bureaucratic institution in Israel?

What do governmentally-planned and expedited expulsions, Chillulim Hashem; spectacles of Jews hard-heartedly, cruelly, forcefully, vindictively and violently expelling their Jewish brethren from Jewish Land show and tell the other peoples, the other nations about the nature of the Jew? What message do such despicable actions give to the nations as to how Jews value Torah and it’s very first precept; “Breish’t bora Keilokim …”? What does Geirush; Jew vs Jew show the nations regarding a paradigm for treatment of Jews throughout the world?

What contradictory message does Jew expelling Jew hand the nations concerning Hashem’s sovereignty over the universe? Can it bode anything but ill for Jews when the world laughs hysterically and disdainfully at a weak-kneed, weak-willed people, who expel their brethren from any part of Jewish Land?

Finally, just as with the divorcee who is forbidden halachically from marrying a Kohen due to loss of the ability to unify with one person as a result of the divorce, what about the unity of B’nai Yisrael after Jews have divorced themselves from Jews, after purity is soiled by the tumah of division and disunity?

May it be in this year and beyond, that our brethren; the refugee families from Gush Katif and the Shomron (may they soon be restored to new homes and neighborhoods, Bati Knesset, Yeshivot in Gush Katif and the Shomron and only happiness and success for all time), as well as our dear brother, Jonathan Pollard (may he soon know freedom and long life in Eretz Yisrael) be central in our thoughts, prayers, chassadim and actions. May this abominable period of history called hitnatkut be as a bad dream.

May we be zocha in this coming year to take giant steps toward fulfilling Hashem’s blueprint of B’nai Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, “Yom Hashem V’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v’yameinu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!