KEDOSHIM, LEVITICUS 19:1–20:27, YOM HASHOAH

 KEDOSHIM, LEVITICUS 19:1–20:27

The essential principal of the Torah, according to Rabbi Akiva is “Love your neighbor as yourself”, Leviticus 19:18. 

Kedoshim means holy, stated n the plural refering to all Jews.

The parashah tells of the laws of holiness and ethical behavior, repeats the ten commandments, and describes penalties for sexual transgressions.

The Parshah of kedoshim begins with the statement: “You shall be holy for I, the L‑rd your God, am holy.” This is followed by dozens of  commandments through which we Jews sanctify ourself. 

Kedoshim begins with the statement (19:2):

דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם--קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ:  כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. 

"Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy".

This is followed by dozens of mitzvot through which we Jews are able to relate to the holiness of Hashem.  Among these laws are commandments about loving your neighbor, Shabbat, charity, honesty in business, sexual morality, respect and honor of parents, idolatry, equality before the law and the sacredness of life.

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 When the Haftarah portion for Kedoshim stands on its own, in Sephardic communities, the Prophet Ezekiel is read.  At 20:19-20 the Prophet says:

 אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ אוֹתָם

וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם--לָדַעַת, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“I am the Lord your God: walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances and fulfill them. And keep My Sabbaths holy so that they be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God”.

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For Ashkenazi Jews the haftarah selection from Amos, 9:7-15.

14 - "And I will return the captivity of My people Israel, and they shall rebuild desolate cities and inhabit [them], and they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their produce.

15 - And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no longer be uprooted from upon their land, that I have given them, said the Lord your God".

Unless you are in a state of complete denial, it is very difficult not to believe that we are living in miraculous times, a time of redemption.

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In the Torah portion at 19:18, HaShem says:

וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ: אֲנִי, יְהוָה

 “…and you shall love your neighbor as yourself I am the Lord.”

In order to understand how to do this it is very important for us to know what the word “love” means.  After all, every day at least twice a day we say “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart….” (Devarim 6:5).

“Love” in the context of Vayikra 19:18 and Devarim 6:5 is not romantic love.  It is not a Hallmark greeting card message for Valentine’s Day.  The subtext of “Love” in the Chumash of 3400 years ago is loyalty in the extreme and nothing more.  

The proclamation, “I am the Lord,” underscores that loving one’s neighbor is tantamount of our duty to love God.

Hashem’s demand for loyalty is a reflection of His fiercely protective right to Israel, His possession.  In Exodus 20:5 and 34:14 we see: 

“You shall neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God…”

“For you shall bow down to no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God”.

People: You have been warned. Best watch your step.

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At 19:4 Hashem says: 

“You shall not turn to the worthless idols, nor shall you make molten deities for yourselves. I am the Lord, your God”.

This is one of many times when we are prohibited from worshiping idols.

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At 19:9-10 we learn:

וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת-קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם, לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ לִקְצֹר; וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ, לֹא תְלַקֵּט.

וְכַרְמְךָ לֹא תְעוֹלֵל, וּפֶרֶט כַּרְמְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט:  לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם.

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not fully reap the corner of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.

And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you collect the [fallen] individual grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am the Lord, your God".

OMER COUNT, Week 2

Following the thoughts of Rabbi Simon Jacobsan:

We are entering into the 2nd week of counting the Omer.   The emphasis is on Gevurah or Discipline, ShebeGevurah, 

 Discipline is the channels through which we express love. It gives our life and love direction and focus. Take a laser beam: Its potency lies in the focus and concentration of light in one direction rather than fragmented light beams dispersed in all different directions.

Discipline and measure concentrates and directs our efforts, our love in the proper directions. Another aspect of gevurah is respect and awe. Healthy love requires respect for the one you love.

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 YOM HASHOAH

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2022 will be begin at sunset on Wednesday, April 27th. 

Yom Hashoah is a national day of commemoration in Israel, on which the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust are memorialized. It is a solemn day, beginning at sunset on the 27th of the month of Nisan and ending the following evening,  Places of entertainment are closed and memorial ceremonies are held throughout the country.

There will be a sounding of a siren for two minutes throughout the entire country. For the duration of the sounding, work is halted, people walking in the streets stop, cars pull off to the side of the road and everybody stands at silent attention in reverence to the victims of the Holocaust. 

Throughout the day, both the television and radio broadcast programs about the Holocaust.

To their shame, some Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis have never endorsed this memorial day.  The moment of silence is by some purposely ignored because of the non-Jewish origins of this sort of memorial.