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From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -31: Parashat Emor

                     Yeshivat Har Etzion
         The Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
        ********************************************
              Introduction to Parashat HaShavua
                             
                        Parashat Emor
                             
                      The Holiday Cycle
                   By Rabbi Michael Hattin
                             

Introduction

     Following  a  pattern already familiar to us,   Parashat
Emor  begins  with a series of injunctions directed  towards
the Cohanim.  The Torah goes on to describe a number of laws
pertaining  to sacrifice, and then directs its attention  to
the  Holiday Cycle.  The holidays are delineated  one  at  a
time,  but  in  keeping  with the primary  thrust  of   Sefer
Vayikra, the particular sacrifices associated with  each  of
them  are respectively spelled out.  In this week's  lesson,
we  shall  explore  this  holiday cycle  in  greater   depth,
focussing especially on two of the three so-called  'Pilgrim
Festivals'  of  Pesach, Shavuot, and  Succot,  as  they  are
described in this week's Parasha.  Before doing so, however,
we  must first turn our attention to the introductory verses
of  the  passage,  for they shed light on an  important  but
often misunderstood ritual feature of these days.

     Curiously,  the  section  that discusses  the   holidays
begins  with  mention of the Shabbat:  "God spoke  to  Moshe
saying:  Speak  to  Bnei  Yisrael  and  say  to   them:   the
designated  times of God, that you shall observe  as  sacred
convocations, are the following.  For six days you shall  do
work,  but  on  the seventh day it shall  be  a  Sabbath   of
Sabbaths, a holy convocation.  You may not do all manner  of
work ('kol melakha') on it, for it is a Sabbath unto God  in
all  of  your habitations"  (Vayikra 23:1-3).  By commencing
the section of the holidays with a reference to the Shabbat,
the  Torah  emphasizes the primacy of the  latter,  for  the
framework  of observances associated with all of  the  other
holidays  draws its inspiration directly from the  model  of
the  Shabbat.   Nevertheless, although in  terms  of  formal
external    practices,   the   holidays   are     practically
indistinguishable from the Shabbat, there  is  one  critical
distinction.


Shabbat and the Other Holidays

     Reading the text carefully, we notice that with respect
to  the Shabbat, the Torah employs a phrase that is not used
concerning  any  other  holiday  -  "you  may  not   do  'kol
melakha,'  any manner of work."  In almost all of the  other
holiday references in our Parasha, the Torah prohibits  "kol
melekhet  avoda"  but not "kol melakha."   Thus,   concerning
Pesach,  "on  the first day shall be a holy convocation  for
you,  'kol  melekhet avoda' you shall not do" (23:7).   With
respect  to Shavuot, "you shall declare on that very  day  a
holy  convocation, 'kol melekhet avoda' you shall not do..."
(23:21).   Concerning Rosh HaShana, "you shall not  do  'kol
melekhet avoda...'" (23:25).  Finally, concerning the  first
day  of Succot as well as the special eighth day convocation
associated  with  that festival, the Torah  again  prohibits
'kol melekhet avoda' (23:35-36).  While a precise definition
of  "melekhet avoda" is not provided in the text, clearly it
is  some form of labor involving effort, for as we have seen
in other contexts, 'avoda' is often employed by the Torah to
signify  'toil or exertion.'  Thus, although on Shabbat  the
Torah rules out all manner of melakha, on the holidays  only
particular types of melakha, namely those involving "effort"
are  curtailed.   Or, to phrase the matter  differently,  it
follows  that  on the holidays, certain forms  of  'melakha'
must therefore be permitted.  But which ones?

     Although  our  section  is silent  on   the  matter,  an
earlier  text from the Book of Shemot provides  the  answer.
As  the  last  of the Plagues is about to strike,  God  bids
Moshe  to  tell  the people to observe the  Passover.   This
first  and  most  commemorative of the  holidays  is  to   be
celebrated  after  the  liberation  from  Egypt    "for   all
generations  as an everlasting decree" (Shemot 12:14).   "On
the  first and seventh days shall be holy convocations,  all
manner  of work ('kol melakha') is not to be done  on  them,
ONLY  EXCEPTING that which is necessary so that  people  may
eat,  which may be done by you" (Shemot 12:16).   Thus,  the
Torah  prohibits the execution of work on the holiday,  save
that which is needed for the preparation of food.

     Returning  to our text, the subtlety of the passage  is
now  clear.   On Shabbat, no melakha may be done,  including
that necessary for food preparation.  Provisions for Shabbat
must  therefore be carried out or commenced ahead  of  time,
for  no  exemption at all is indicated by the text.  On  the
other holidays, however, although all other forms of melakha
are  forbidden,  food preparation may be done,  for  as  the
Ramban  (13th century, Spain) points out "work executed  for
the  sake  of  food preparation is beneficial,  rather  than
onerous"   (see   lengthy  commentary  to    Vayikra   23:7).
"Melekhet avoda" or "toilsome labor" is therefore prohibited
on   the   holidays,  but  not  "okhel   nefesh,"  food   for
consumption.

     The   Ramban's  explanation  also   addresses  the  only
holiday  in  our  passage that avoids use of  this  critical
phrase. "God spoke to Moshe saying: 'on the tenth day of the
seventh month a Day of Atonement, a holy convocation,  shall
be  observed by you on which you shall afflict your souls by
fasting.all manner of work, "kol melakha" shall not be  done
on this very day..." (Vayikra 23:26-28).  Why does the Torah
say  that  on  Yom Kippur "kol melakha" shall be  curtailed,
employing  language associated with the Shabbat rather  than
employing   the  phraseology  associated  with   the    other
holidays?  The reason should now be obvious, for since  this
day  is  one of fasting on which no food is to be  consumed,
the   warrant   of   food  preparation   does    not   exist.
Consequently,  "kol melakha" is not to be  done,  after  the
manner of Shabbat.


Pesach   and   Succot  -  Festivals  of  the    Seasons   and
Commemorations of Historical Events

     Now  turning our attention to the holidays,  we   notice
that  the  Torah commences the discussion with the Passover.
This is eminently suitable, for the Pesach is the very first
national festival of our people.

     "These are the set times of God, holy convocations that
     you  shall  declare  in  their proper   times.   On  the
     fourteenth day of the first month at eventide shall  be
     Passover unto God.  On the fifteenth day of this  month
     a holiday of Matzot shall be observed unto God, and for
     seven days you shall consume matzot..." (23:4-6).

     Thus,  the  justifications for the  observance   of  the
holiday   are   the   deeply  ingrained   historical   events
surrounding   the  Exodus.   The  Passover  sacrifice    that
inaugurated  the day of Redemption and the unleavened  bread
that so eloquently captured the spirit of servitude and then
sudden   liberation,  are  here  presented  as  the   central
elements  of the holiday.  No mention is made of the  season
of  the  Exodus,  although on the morrow of that  tumultuous
night,  Moshe  had reminded the people that  "today  you  go
forth, in the month of the Spring" (Shemot 13:5).

     In  a  similar vein, the Torah mandates the celebration
of a seven day festival in the 'seventh month':

     "...on  the  fifteenth day of the  seventh   month,  the
     Festival  of  Succot  (literally  'booths')   is  to  be
     celebrated  for seven days unto God... when you  gather
     in  the produce of the land... for seven days you shall
     dwell  in  booths.in order that your  descendents   will
     know  that  in succot I caused the people of Israel   to
     dwell, when I took them out of the land of Egypt.  I am
     God your Lord" (Vayikra 23:33-44).

     Here again, the Torah indicates a binary foundation for
the  holiday,  for  it is associated with  the  agricultural
ingathering, as well as with the events of the journey forth
from the land of Egypt to traverse the wilderness.

     Considering the matter from a more general perspective,
we  notice that Pesach and Succot are celebrated at opposite
poles  of the year.  Pesach ushers in the season of  Spring,
and  the earnest onset of the growing season.  Succot  falls
exactly six months later and marks the commencement of Fall,
as  the  farmer  gathers in the last of his crops  from  the
field,  leaves  his  temporary booth,  and  begins  to   look
forward  to  the  winter rains.  The  Torah  recognizes   and
emphasizes  these  critical agricultural  aspects  of  these
festivals,  for  elsewhere in Scripture they are  explicitly
connected  to their seasonal anchors.  Thus with respect  to
Pesach, the text states:
    
     "observe  the Festival of Matzot.  For seven   days  you
     shall  eat matzot as I have commanded you, in the  time
     of  the  month  of Spring, for at that  time   you  left
     Egypt..." (Shemot 22:15).

     Concerning  Succot,  the Torah designates  it   as  "the
Festival of the Ingathering at the end of the year, when you
gather in your produce from the field" (Shemot 22:16).

     At  the  same time, the Torah clearly points  out   that
these holidays have a critical historical character as well,
for  Pesach  celebrates  the Redemption  from  Egypt,  while
Succot  recalls  the journey through the wilderness  in  the
aftermath of that Exodus.  What is the significance of  this
duality,  which  is underscored in almost every  mention  of
these  holidays  in  the  Torah?  Why  do  they   commemorate
agricultural, as well as historical episodes?


The Solar Year and the Phases of the Moon

     Examining  the  issue from a further angle,  we   notice
that the dual aspect of these festivals is suggested by  the
twofold  system  that  is  at  work  for  designating   their
calendar date.  On the one hand, these holidays are tethered
to the Spring and to the Fall, two agricultural seasons that
are a function of the earth's revolution around the sun.  As
the earth proceeds around the sun, with its axis of rotation
lying at a slight tilt to the plane of its orbit, the length
of  the  day increases to usher in the season of Spring  and
decreases  to  announce the onset of Fall.  In other  words,
the seasons are completely dependent upon the sun.

     At  the same time, the actual dates of the holidays  of
Pesach  and  Succot  are spelled out in the  Torah  as   "the
fifteenth day of the first month" and the "fifteenth day  of
the  seventh  month" respectively.  These time  designations
are  functions not of the sun but of the moon, for the Torah
introduces a lunar calendar on the eve of the departure from
Egypt: "This month ('HaChodesh') shall be for you the  first
of  months..." (Shemot 12:2).  As R. Avraham Ibn Ezra  (12th
century,  Spain) points out, the Torah's consistent  use  of
the  term  'chodesh' to describe 'month' points to  a  lunar
count.  The word, he explains, comes from the root 'ChaDaSh'
signifying  'new,' and therefore signifies  'renewal,'  "for
renewal  pertains to the light of the moon, for although  it
has  no light of its own, its appearance waxes and wanes due
to  the  light  of the sun..." (beginning of  commentary  to
Shemot 12:2).


The Directive to Synchronize

     What is singularly striking, however, is that the Torah
insists that both of these time systems be employed  as  the
foundation  of its calendar.  The holidays must fall  during
their  appropriate agricultural seasons,  but  are  formally
reckoned according to the phases of the moon.  This  duality
has the potential to create difficulties, for the solar year
(the  period  of  a single complete rotation  of  the  earth
around  the sun) is approximately 365 ¼ days long,  while  a
period  of  twelve  lunar months is approximately  354  days
long.  This is because each lunar month describes a complete
revolution  of  the moon around the earth,  and  constitutes
about  29 ½ days.  It should be emphasized that both systems
are  actually completely independent, for the periods of the
moon have absolutely nothing to do with the rotation of  the
earth  around the sun.  The fact that we tend  to  speak  of
'twelve months' in a year is arbitrary, and is based upon an
early  recognition  that over the course  of  a  solar  year
approximately twelve lunar renewals would be observed.   For
the  sake of comparison, note that the English word  'month'
is itself derived also from the Old English word for 'moon.'

     The method of synchronizing the seasons of the sun with
the  months of the moon is the basis of the Jewish calendar,
and  explains  the  periodic introduction of  a  'thirteenth
month'  to harmonize the discrepancy.  We may contrast  this
system  with the completely solar calendar employed  in  all
countries  historically  associated with  Christianity  (the
seasons always begin on the same calendar day of the  year),
or  the  exclusively  lunar  calendar  used  in  all   Moslem
countries  (so  that Moslem festivals, over  the  course  of
time, migrate across the seasons of the year).

     To  sum  up  thus far, we have noticed that   the  Torah
unerringly refers to Pesach as associated with the  time  of
Spring,  and  Succot  as the Festival of  the  Fall.    These
designations are seasonally dependent and relate to the sun.
At  the same time, the Torah is always careful to recall the
historical basis of these festivals, and to set their formal
dates as a function of lunar months that, strictly speaking,
are  completely  independent of  the  agricultural  seasons.
What is the significance of this duality?


The Duality of the Torah Festivals - 1) Nature

     Early on in human development, mankind recognized  that
survival  was a function of the seasons.  The gracious  rays
of  the sun warmed the earth, the welcome rains revived  it,
and  it  in  turn brought forth its bounty.  When cultivated
conscientiously, its black soil could miraculously transform
seeds  into  sustenance.  But there were other  awesome  and
capricious  forces  at  work, for an  unexpected  period  of
intense  heat  could  burn  up  its  beneficence,    and   an
unforeseen  storm could swiftly sweep it away.  Thus,  early
man,  seeking to relieve himself of the existential  tension
of  his predicament, thought it prudent to seek the favor of
these  natural  forces, whom he primitively identified  with
different  divinities.  The forces of nature were worshipped
as  gods, and these were perceived as at once terrifying  in
their  power,  but  also  munificent  in  their   life-giving
support.

     The  Torah  forcefully parted ways with this conception
of the world, by proclaiming in absolute terms that a Single
God  had  fashioned the cosmos and continued to sustain  it.
The Forces of Nature were not erratic and mercurial gods  at
odds  with each other, but rather the manifestations  of  an
underlying structure to a universe that had been called into
being  by  a  Willful Creator.  The seasons,  paradigms  for
these  manifold powers of nature, were themselves  functions
of  the sun, the most majestic and mighty force of them all.
But  even  this  sun  and all of its host  were,  the   Torah
exclaimed,  not  gods  in  their own  right,  but  only   the
effortless  work  of  an  Absolute Being,  and  consequently
subject  to His rule.  How difficult it is for us to imagine
the spiritual state of humanity three or four thousand years
ago!   We take for granted that we live in a world that  has
already  progressed  to  a  theological  conception  of   the
universe  not that far from the opening verses of Bereishit.
At  that  time  and  for  many, many  centuries   afterwards,
however,  the  Torah's  towering message  must  have  seemed
astonishing and surreal!

     Thus,  the  holidays of Spring and Fall, celebrated   by
humanity from time immemorial as pivotal events in the  life
of  the  gods, were henceforth to be observed as expressions
of  the  Single  Creator's omnipotence.  Pesach  and  Succot
proclaimed   God's   complete  mastery  over    Nature,   His
indispensable  involvement in the processes  of  Cultivation
and  Harvest, Growth and Decay, Life and Death.  The  Torah-
enjoined   festivals  broadcast  for  the  first  time    the
revolutionary message that the contradictory forces  of  the
cosmos,  though  they might seem awesome  and  overwhelming,
were  themselves entirely under the dominion of  a  singular
non-corporeal  God who transcended the inherent  limitations
of matter that held the lesser 'divinities' in sway.


The Duality of the Torah Festivals - 2) History

     But that was not enough, for a God of Nature, mighty as
He  might  be,  was not necessarily a God  involved,  a  God
immediate,  a  God  who  cared.   The  transcendence   of  an
Absolute Deity could easily be mistaken for remoteness,  His
otherworldliness  for abstraction.  The forces  of  creation
might be breathtaking in their grandeur and awesome in their
intensity,  but  they  were also, by the  very  same  token,
impersonal in their expanse.  The seasons progress at  their
own  pace,  seemingly  indifferent to any  human  cares  and
apparently unheeding of our concerns.

     "I  am God your Lord who brought you out of the land of
Egypt!"  thundered the Deity at Sinai, articulating for  the
first in the history of the world, the notion of a God  that
was  aware, attentive, near at hand, and involved.  This was
a God who was aware of oppression, attentive to the cries of
those  in  servitude,  near to their  pain,  and  intimately
involved  in their liberation.  The Exodus was  not  in  the
main  about a God who could overpower, but about a  God  who
could redeem.  Human destiny was no longer to be regarded as
being  subject  to  the  impersonal fates,  but  was   rather
proclaimed  to  be  a function of human  conduct  and  human
choices.  The gods could be bought off with incantations and
bribed  with offerings, but the God of Israel could only  be
supplicated  with deeds of kindness and acts of  compassion.
The  gods  of  Egypt,  among whom the  Pharaoh  occupied   an
honored position, could easily countenance the injustice  of
a groaning humanity enslaved in cruel bondage, for they were
not   particularly  concerned  with  human   destiny,    and,
themselves  subject  to an irresistible Fate,  were  anywise
powerless to affect it.

     With  the same suddenness as the Act of Creation,  this
new  understanding burst forth on the world, carried forward
by  a  freed people of Israel still too spiritually inchoate
to  fully internalize its significance.  In order to impress
it upon them, they were given new observances to commemorate
the   great   historical   events  that    surrounded   their
deliverance,  to  recall  God's  intimate  involvement    and
ongoing  concern that had brought them forth from Egypt  and
sustained them during the course of their wanderings.  There
was  thus an intrinsic aspect to these events that  did  not
relate  to the seasons of the year at all, to the events  of
nature  or the cycles of agriculture, but only to the unique
relationship  between  God  and  man.   This  was   a   facet
particular  to  humanity and did not  seek  to  address  the
larger   framework  of  a  cosmos  that  was  by   definition
transcendent and impersonal.  It was an aspect that was best
expressed by coupling it to the phases of the moon, for  the
lunar  calendar  (in contrast to its solar counterpart)  was
about man's history and life.


The Sun and the Moon - Two Types of Marking  Time

     If  the  seasons of the sun are about God's mastery   of
nature,  the phases of the moon are about man's  imprint  on
time.   The solar seasons have their own rhythms that unfold
independent  of  our existence, but the  lunar  calendar  is
artificial  and contrived.  It is an expression  of  how  WE
mark  time  as  human beings and gauge the progress  of  our
lives,  for  according to astronomical reality there  is  no
such  thing as a 'lunar year.'  We create the artifice of  a
lunar  year  and we assign it validity, for its  conventions
are   products   of  our  ingenuity.   By   remembering   the
historical  and  momentous  events  of  our  national   birth
according to a lunar reckoning, we celebrate man's  role  in
the  world, and especially his privileged status as the most
precious  subject of God's concern.  The solar  calendar  is
about  God's  involvement  with the  world,  but  the   lunar
calendar is about God's involvement with man.  By dating the
holidays of the Exodus and the Wilderness according  to  the
lunar cycle, the Torah is insisting that we remain cognizant
of  God's  other aspect of connectedness, His immediacy  and
intimacy, His ongoing involvement in the ebb and tide of our
unfolding  human  lives.  There is a God  of  Creation,  but
there  is  also  a God of History; the revolution  that  the
Torah  unleashed  was  the idea that these  two  fundamental
aspects are in truth a perfect Oneness that is inseparable.

     Thus, Pesach is the Holiday of the Spring, but also the
season  of  our  redemption from Egypt.   Succot  celebrates
harvest,  but  also recalls our traversing  of  the  hostile
wilderness.   The seasons of the sun and the phases  of  the
moon  must be synchronized, for they speak of a unified idea
that  alone has the power to transform us.  Most of  us  are
probably  comfortable with the notion  of  a  Creator,  even
perhaps an all-powerful one, but we would prefer to keep Him
at  arm's length.  God may have created the cosmos, but  (we
surmise  with  relief) He has fortunately receded  into  the
shadows  of  time,  transcendent, absolute  but  irrelevant.
Conceptually, not much separates the notion of no  God  from
the  notion of an unaware, uncaring and removed God, for the
impact  on  our  lives is practically negligible  in  either
case.  Only the idea of an omnipotent AND concerned God, who
is  capable  but who also demands, who is strong  enough  to
intervene  but who also takes account, who nurtures  but  at
the same time obligates us to grow, can make a difference to
our lives.  This then is the true significance of Pesach and
Succot, the festivals not only of the fruits of the soil but
of the fruits of the soul as well.

Shabbat Shalom

YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved

********************************************************************

From:          "Ohr Somayach" <ohr@virtual.co.il>
To:            weekly@vjlists.com
Subject:       Torah Weekly - Emor

* TORAH WEEKLY *
Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion
Parshat Emor
For the week ending 8 Iyar 5760 / 12 & 13 May 2000
================================

OVERVIEW

The kohanim are commanded to avoid contact with corpses in order to
maintain a high standard of ritual purity.  They may attend the
funeral of only their seven closest relatives:  Father, mother, wife,
son, daughter, brother, and unmarried sister.  The kohen gadol (High
Priest) may not attend the funeral even of his closest relatives.
Certain marital restrictions are placed on the kohanim.  The nation is
required to honor the kohanim.  The physical irregularities that
invalidate a kohen from serving in the Temple are listed.  Terumah, a
produce tithe given to the kohanim, may be eaten only by kohanim and
their household.  An animal may be sacrificed in the Temple after it
is eight days old and is free from any physical defects.  The nation
is commanded to sanctify the Name of Hashem by insuring that their
behavior is always exemplary, and by being prepared to surrender their
lives rather than murder, engage in licentious relations or worship
idols.  The special characteristics of the holidays are described, and
the nation is reminded not to do certain types of creative work during
these holidays.  New grain may not be eaten until the omer of barley
is offered in the Temple.  The Parsha explains the laws of preparing
the oil for the menorah and baking the lechem hapanim in the Temple.
A man blasphemes Hashem and is executed as prescribed in the Torah.

================================

INSIGHTS

THE ETERNAL FLAME

"Command the Children of Israel ... to kindle a continual lamp."
(24:2)

Go into any Synagogue when it's dark and you will see a small lamp
shining above the Holy Ark.  It's called the ner tamid -- the eternal
flame.

That lamp is a memorial of the ner ma'aravi (western lamp) of the
menorah which the kohanim lit in the Beit Hamikdash.  The ner ma'aravi
burned miraculously.  It never went out.  Every evening, when the
kohen came to kindle the flames he would find the ner ma'aravi still
alight from the previous evening.  He would remove the still-burning
wick and oil, clean out its receptacle and then put back the burning
wick and the oil.  Then he would kindle all the other lamps with the
western lamp.

However, when the Romans destroyed the Beit Hamikdash it seemed that
the little solitary flame had been put out forever.

In Rome, there stands a triumphal arch built by the Emperor Titus.
One of its bas-reliefs depicts the menorah being carried through the
streets of Rome as part of the booty pillaged from the Beit Hamikdash.
 All its lamps are dark.  It looks like some expensive antique, soon
to languish under the dust of ages in some Vatican vault.

But did Titus really extinguish that eternal flame?

The Beit Hamikdash is a macrocosm of the human body.  If you look at a
plan of the sanctuary in the Beit Hamikdash, you will notice that the
placement of the various vessels -- the altar, the table, the menorah
-- corresponds to the location of the vital organs in the human body.
Each of the Temple's vessels represents a human organ.

The menorah corresponds to the heart.

Why is it that so many young people today are choosing to return to
the beliefs and practices that their parents had forgotten, and their
grandparents despaired of seeing continued?  It is as though some
mystical force is transmitted in the spiritual genes of every Jew.  A
light burning on the menorah of the Jewish heart across the millennia.
 A light which can never be extinguished, which burns miraculously,
even without replenishment of the oil or wicks of mitzvah observance.

So, in a mystical sense, the light Titus tried to put out continues to
burn in the menorah of the Jewish heart.  But there's more.

It would come as a great disappointment to Titus, but the menorah that
is collecting dust in the Vatican is not the original menorah.  It is
a copy.  The original menorah was hidden away (together with the other
vessels) in the caves and tunnels under the Temple Mount.

If while the Temple was standing the western lamp of the menorah
burned miraculously without human assistance, so why shouldn't it go
on burning even after it was buried?

That western lamp continues to "burn" under the Temple Mount
throughout the long dark night of exile.  It continues to "burn" to
this day.  And it will continue to "burn" until Mashiach comes.  Then,
the light of the menorah of the Jewish heart will be revealed as
identical to the light of the menorah in the Holy Beit Hamikdash.

Sources:
* Sfat Emet, Rabbi Akiva Tatz

================================

HAFTARA: Yechezkel 44:15-31

This prophecy relates to the future Sanctuary and narrates many of the
special laws of the priests and the sanctuary worship.  This
corresponds to the numerous priestly laws in Parashat Emor.

BLOOD AND FAT

The parts of the sacrifices mentioned in the Haftara as including the
whole concept of sacrifice are blood and fat (44:15).  Sprinkling the
blood on the corners of the altar and burning certain fats are the
major obligation in all sacrifices.

The evil inclination is a combination of two types of passion, that of
physical enjoyment and that of nonphysical desires like honor and
pride.  Fat symbolizes the physical gain of gluttony and other
materialistic pleasures, while blood represents the dynamic greed for
glory and the endless pursuit of honor, which is often associated with
bloodshed -- the destruction of a fellow human.  The idea of
sacrifices is for us to connect our cerebral, abstract repentance with
a physical action; we therefore offer up to G-d tangible entities
corresponding to the two parts of our evil inclination we wish to
overcome in order to refine ourselves and come closer to G-d.

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Written and Compiled by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
General Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman
Production Design: Michael Treblow
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Ohr Somayach International
22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103
Jerusalem 91180, Israel

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