In this week's Parsha, Emor, the Jewish holidays (the Chagim) are enumerated. The Torah lists them in the following order: Pesach, Shavuous, Rosh HaShana, Yom Kippur, Succos and finally Shmini Atzeres.  The commentaries tell us that these six holidays correspond to the six days of creation.  Pesach and Succos are each seven days long; Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Shavuous and Shmini Atzeres are all one day long (in Israel) for a total of 18 days.  

Given that 18 is the numerical equivalency of Chai, which means "life" in Hebrew, we can grasp the suggested meaning  that the Jewish holidays give life to each Jewish person.

Another interesting insight is that the six Chagim can be grouped symmetrically into three groups of two.

For example, the first group, Pesach and Succos both begin on the 15^th of the month -  Pesach on the 15^th of Nissan, and Succos on the 15^th of Tishrei.  They both last for seven days and there are exactly six months between them, i.e., there are six months between Pesach and Succos, and six months between Succos and Pesach.

In the second group, Shavuous and Shmini Atzeres, they are similar in that they are both closely related to another Chag.  Shavuous is connected to Pesach because it is the culmination of the 49 days of the counting of the Omer. In addition, our physical redemption from Egypt on Pesach was a precursor to our spiritual redemption on Shavuous when we received the Torah.   Shmini Atzeres is connected to Succos in that it directly follows Succos as the 8^th day after Succos.   Both Shavuous and Shmini Atzeres are kept for only one day (in Israel), and one of the names for  Shavuous is actually "Atzeres" as well, Atzeres meaning "to hold back." The reason that both have this name is that there are no special mitzvos to actually do on either Chag.  On both Chagim, the only requirement is to refrain from work and to sanctify the day with closeness and devotion to the Al-mighty. 

As for the third grouping, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are together called the Yamim Noraim, the days of Awe,  ten days of personal spiritual reflection and teshuva,  starting on Rosh Hashana and concluding 10 days later on Yom Kippur.

One final insight:  Reading the account of the Chagim, it seems peculiar that the Torah interjects a few agricultural mitzvos right between the verses about Pesach and Shavuous and the verses about Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Succos.  In Chapter 23, verse 22, the Torah tells us about the mitzvah of Peah, which commands the Jewish farmer to leave aside a corner of his field for the poor,  and to also leave for them ears of grain, two or less, that fall from his hand during harvesting.   I would have thought this these mitzvos could have been mentioned before or after the passage about the festivals - why smack in the middle?   (Another question is why these mitzvos are mentioned at all when they were already commanded in last week's Parshas, Kedoshim, but we will save that for another time.)

Rashi answers our first question by quoting Rabbi Avdimi in the name of Rabbi Yosef, that the Torah is implying that whoever gives these gifts to the poor properly, it is as if that person built the Bais HaMikdash (the Temple) and brought offerings to the Kohanim, the priests of the Temple, during the Chagim.  The explanation might be that since these mitzvos are sandwiched in between the holidays, they seem to be integral to them.  Being that for Pesach, Shavuous, and Succos, Jews  flocked to Jerusalem and brought offerings in the Temple, the enabling of the poor to receive our gifts from the field is a similar act.  

Making these thoughts relevant to us, we can see that doing acts of chesed and providing for the poor are understood as tantamount to building the actual Temple and bringing our offerings in it.

The Oznaim L'Torah writes that these mitzvos are mentioned right before Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur to teach us that through our acts of mercy and kindness to the poor, we can gain critical merit for ourselves to be judged favorably during these days of judgment.

Even without knowledge of the construction business, we can all be builders of the Bais HaMikdash, and can gain invaluable merit by having mercy and compassion on others in need.

Have a Great Shabbos!

Leviticus: 19:2 "Speak to the entire congregation of Israel and say to them, "You shall be Holy, because I am Holy, Hashem your God."

Why does this parsha, as distinct from all the other parshiyos, tell us that G-d commanded Moshe to speak to the entire Jewish people? The Mizrachi explains that in the other instances, the Jewish people came to Moshe to learn the parsha's teachings in individual groups, one after the other. In this parsha, though, the Jewish people were addressed by Moshe as one entire group because the majority of the Torah's essential, fundamental concepts are found in it.

Rabbi Yaakov Niman has a different approach. He says that people usually associate Kedushah (holiness) with individual saintly people who remove themselves from society and spend their days in prayer, fasting, and the like. This is not, however, the Jewish concept of holiness. As our verse stresses, every single person is given the mandate (and therefore has the capacity) to reach a level of holiness. How? By keeping the mitzvos of the Torah. Before we do a mitzvah, we say a blessing that acknowledges Hashem as our G-d "asher Kidshanu B'mitzvosav v'tzivanu" - "Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to...."

So we see that every mitzvah that we do brings sanctity to us, and elevates us to a higher level of Kedushah - and not just the obviously spiritual mitzvos like keeping the Shabbos, but even the more practical, daily mitzvos taught in the parsha, like having awe and reverence for our mother and father. When a person performs mitzvos out of his devotion to G-d - even the most "mundane" of them - his soul becomes permeated with Kedushah.

This realization, that our actions are significant, that through them we can create holiness in ourselves and in the world, has the potential to make us truly happy and to value each and every day of our life. The Rambam (Maimonides) writes that every person has the ability to become as righteous as Moshe. Going further, the sages say that a person is obligated to say to himself, "When will my actions reach the level of the actions of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov?" What? How in my wildest dreams could my actions ever approximate those of the saintly patriarchs? The answer is that yes, they can! Each of us has the capability to reach their lofty heights!

Going even further, the Medrash comments that from the verse, "You shall be holy," we might think that a Jew can be as holy as G-d Himself; therefore the verse concludes, "...because I am Holy"......The Medrash expounds: "My Holiness, says G-d, is above your holiness." According to the understanding of this Medrash, if not for the conclusion of the verse that separates G-d's holiness from ours, we would have a valid reason to think that we could approach the Holiness of G-d Himself. This is astounding! Me as holy as the Al-mighty Himself? Yes, indeed! Based on the teachings of Judaism, we would have thought it possible for each of us to actualize our latent greatness and become as "holy" as G-d, if not for the verse limiting this possibility.

It is axiomatic, says the Rabbeinu Yona, that the first step on the path of a Jew's life is to realize one's self worth; to recognize the greatness of our pedigree; and to know, with an experiential knowing, just how beloved in G-d's eyes are the people we come from and are a part of. We should feel special that G-d gave us mitzvos to make us holy, to enable us to grow in our connection to Him, transforming our daily, mundane actions into vehicles of sublime importance!

Understanding our spiritual potential can also help us as we struggle to overcome our more selfish and baser tendencies. Based on our verse, when faced with a challenging choice, we can strengthen ourselves and remind ourselves of who we truly are. We can ask ourselves, "How can a person like me, with such a great legacy, and with so much latent holiness, do something as unholy as I am about to do?" This realization of our greatness can help us get back on track.

May these thoughts fill us with pride, enthusiasm, and optimism as we go from mitzvah to mitzvah.

Have a Great Shabbos!

The Talmud says that one of the reasons people were afflicted with Tzaras in olden times, the subject of this week's Parshiyos, was for speaking "Loshon Hora."  Loshon Hora is derogatory speech about another person even if it is true.  Unless there is truly a constructive purpose in speaking negative about another person, we are in violation of a Torah law if we do so.  A person who contracts Tzaras is called a "Metzorah." which is composed of the words, "Motzei Ra," one who lets out bad (language).

There is a well-known Medrash about a peddler who was traveling through different cities near Tzipori in the land of Israel and would proclaim "Who wants to buy a potion for long life?"   Many people crowded around this man to buy it.  Rabbi Yannai who was learning Torah in the vicinity wanted the peddler to sell it to him.  The peddler told him that someone like Rabbi Yannai didn't need it.  Upon some persuasion, the peddler pulled out a book of Tehillim (psalms) and showed him the verse in Chapter 34, "Who is the person who wants life....?   It is one who guards his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit."   This peddler was teaching people that the key to long life is not to speak ill of others.

Upon hearing this, Rabbi Yannai exclaimed, "I have read this verse my entire life, but until this moment, I didn't realize its full meaning."

Many commentators are puzzled at what was so novel about the peddler's message that evoked this reaction from Rabbi Yannai?

Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer, of blessed memory, explains that most people understand "Loshon Hora" to be a transgression, and like other transgressions, if one violates it,  he is subject to punishment.  If one does not violate it, there is no consequence, but there is also no  reward either.   This might have been Rabbi Yannai's prior understanding but when the peddler taught that a person will acquire the elixir of life for merely refraining from speaking Lashon Hara, Rabbi Yannai gained a whole new understanding that holding oneself back from speaking ill of another is tantamount to actually performing a positive mitzvah that has infinite merits.

Before the great Vilna Gaon departed for Israel, he wrote a letter to his family to convey what ethical behavior they should focus on.  Most of his words centered on being careful with their words.  He told his family that the most important factor in "earning the world to come" is in guarding ones mouth from speaking Loshon Hora.  It is even more important than all of the Torah one learns and all of the mitzvos one does.  This astounding statement of the Vilna Gaon shows us just how paramount this matter is.

The Talmud also says that the entire world exists only in the merit of people keeping their mouths closed during an argument.

Rav Pam, of blessed memory, goes a bit deeper however and says that simply focusing on what goes out of our mouths is misguided.  The cause of Loshon Hora, he says, is how we think and feel about other people.  If a person truly cares about another, he will try his hardest to see their positive aspects and defend their actions in his mind.  He will give them the benefit of the doubt and even if they have done wrong, he will be compassionate and forgiving, as the verse says in Proverbs 10:12, "Love covers all offenses."  If one takes this verse to heart, the love and goodwill that one should have for others will preempt the possibility of speaking bad about them.

May we all stock up on the elixir of life!

In this week's Parsha, Parshas Shemini, the Torah lists the twenty- four birds that are not kosher.  One of them is the "Da' ah."  In Sefer Devarim, (the Book of Deuteronomy),  when the Torah reviews these birds again for us, it calls this same bird, the "Ra'ah."   The root of the word "Ra'ah" means "to see." The Talmud says that this bird is called the "Ra'ah" because it can stand in Bavel (Babylonia, today's Iraq) and see a carcass all the way into the land of Israel.