STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
EMOR 5778
“IN
ALL DIRECTIONS”[1]
Rabbi Yisroel Saperstein[2]
related that one of the many chesed organizations in Monsey provides volunteer
drivers to help people without means of transportation to get to needed
destinations, such as doctor appointments, hospital visits, etc.
On one occasion, when Rabbi Saperstein was being
driven to visit someone in the hospital, the chassid driving him related that
on one occasion he received a call in the middle of the night that there was a
family who needed to get to Baltimore as quickly as possible for a medical
procedure. The man agreed to take them (!), and after dropping them off, he
went to a nearby shul in Baltimore to daven shachris.
Being that he had rushed out in the middle of the
night, he didn’t have his talis or tefillin with him. He saw someone who was
finishing davening with a pervious minyan and asked if he could borrow his
talis and tefillin. He assured the man that as soon as he finished davening, he
would bring the talis and tefillin wherever he wanted them to be brought. At first the man was hesitant. He wanted to
know why the chassid had come to shul without his own talis and tefillin. When
the chassid explained the predicament, the man couldn’t get over the extent of
the chesed he had done, driving over three hours in the middle of the night to
help a family he never met. He told the chassid he would be happy to let him
use his talis and tefillin. He told the chassid where to leave it in the shul
when he was done.
Sometime later this chassid, a salesman by trade,
arranged an important meeting with the wealthy owner of a large company. It was
a potentially lucrative deal for the chassid and he was eager to make the connection.
He walked into the meeting and immediately recognized the owner as the person
whose talis and tefillin he had borrowed a few days earlier in shul. The owner
recognized him as well and reassured him that he was eager to give such a ba’al
chesed his business, and he placed a large order.
The Meshech Chochma notes that there are certain
mitzvos, such as mezuzah, tefillin, and tzitzis, that inspire us and draw us
closer to Hashem, while other mitzvos, such as tzedakah and chesed, serve to promote
social connections that draw us closer to each other.
On Shabbos there are numerous prohibitions that
restrict us from “expanding outwards” and promoting social connections[3].
It is prohibited to cook food for a guest on Shabbos, nor may one carry gifts
or food out of one’s home. Essentially then, Shabbos is a day of introspection,
when we are meant to reflect inwardly upon our personal relationship with
Hashem. We celebrate and observe Shabbos together, but everything must have
been prepared beforehand.
Rabbi Shimshon Pincus zt’l compared Shabbos to our
‘honeymoon with Hashem’, as it were. When a couple is on their honeymoon, and
are sitting together enjoying watching a magnificent sunset, and the groom
takes out his cell phone to make a call, it is insulting to his bride. This
time was set aside for them to spend together and any distractions take away
from that bonding.
During the Yomim Tovim however, when it is
permitted to cook and to carry, our main focus is external - towards our fellow
Jew, promoting unity and love.
Although Pesach marks the genesis of our
nationhood, at the time of the exodus we hadn’t fully become a nation. This is
manifested in the fact that although the Korbon Pesach must be eaten as part of
a chaburah (a group), the chaburah had to be arranged beforehand. In addition,
one was not permitted to leave the home where his chaburah was eating the
Korbon Pesach.
At the time of the exodus we began building
connections with each other, but we did not yet achieve national unity. That
would only happen at the foot of Sinai at the time of the revelation and giving
of the Torah.
The restrictions regarding the Korbon Pesach
symbolize that although Pesach is a Yom Tov, it bears certain similarities to
Shabbos. This is reflected in the fact that when the Torah instructs about the
mitzvah of Sefiras Haomer, it refers to the first day of Pesach as Shabbos. “And
you shall count for yourselves on the morrow of the Shabbos, from the day when
you bring the Omer that was waved, seven complete weeks they shall be.”[4]
It was seven weeks later, when the nation stood
around Har Sinai in complete unity that they truly became a nation. The gemara[5]
states that Moshe Rabbeinu added a day and ‘pushed off’ the giving of the
Torah. When the nation followed his lead with complete allegiance, that too was
a symbol that they had achieved unity and nationhood.
The counting of the Omer symbolizes the
transformation from quasi-nationhood to complete nationhood.
Although there is some controversy regarding
determining the proper balance between physical celebration and spiritual
service during the other holidays of the year, on Shavuos one must display and
enjoy physical celebration. Regarding Shavuos, the gemara states “all agree
that on Shavuos you also need a component of lachem- for you”[6],
i.e. physical enjoyment. On Shavuos we must celebrate together! On Shavuos we
as a nation accepted the Torah in complete unity, and therefore we must
celebrate together in unity.
When the Torah commences its discussion of the
laws and mitzvos of the holidays of the year, it begins with Shabbos: “Speak to
B’nei Yisroel and say to them- these are my fixed times… for six days work
shall be done, but on the seventh there shall be a Shabbos of complete rest…”[7]
Rashi, quoting Sifra, comments, “What is the relation between Shabbos (whose
sanctify is affixed by Hashem) and the holidays (which are affixed by the
Sanhedrin)? To teach you that anyone who desecrates the holidays it is
considered as if he desecrated the Shabbos; and anyone who fulfills the
holidays, it’s as if he has fulfilled the Shabbos.”
We often think of Judaism as being a G-d-centered
religion, that a Jew must live his life focused on his obligations and
responsibilities in his service to G-d. But the truth is that a Jew who learns
Torah with intensity, davens, and performs mitzvos, yet cannot get along with
others, is severely remiss in his observance.
Shabbos represents the ultimate in one’s service
with Hashem. It is a day spent completely focused on spiritual pursuits, when
we question ourselves whether we are living up to our own spiritual
responsibilities throughout the week. It is a day to put our spiritual lives in
order.
Yomim Tovim represent the ultimate barometer in
how we are connecting with others. As we able to celebrate with others, or is
our holiday observance a selfish experience?
One desecrates the spirit of the holidays by
denigrating the importance of his “social Judaism”. Such a person isn’t
striving to improve his interpersonal relations with others. He is also
desecrating the spirit of Shabbos, because his relationship with Hashem cannot
be as it should be, if he isn’t trying to grow in his interpersonal
relationships as well. Conversely, one who sustains the holidays, by promoting
unity and love among other Jews, is fulfilling the spirit of Shabbos, and
bringing tremendous nachas to Hashem as well.[8]
The compete Jew isn’t only growing horizontally –
in his striving to grow closer to heaven and to make this world a conduit for
holiness, but also vertically - by building relationships and caring for his
fellow Jew, and seeking to ease his burdens and empathize with his plight.
A Jew must strive to grow in all directions, for
Hashem is to be found not only in heaven but also in the heart of his fellow
man.
“Speak to B’nei Yisroel and say to them these are
my fixed times”
“You shall count for yourselves on the morrow of
the Shabbos”
Rabbi Dani Staum,
LMSW
Rabbi, Kehillat New
Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance
Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr
Naftoli- New Windsor
[1] Based on the lecture given at
Kehillat New Hempstead, Shabbos Kodesh parshas Emor 5773 in honor of the bar
mitzvah of Refi Minsky.
[2] A
fellow Rav in New Hempstead, Rabbi Saperstein is the Rav of Kehillas Ohaiv
Shalom
[3]
Unless pre-arranged before Shabbos
[4]
Vayikra 23:15
[5]
Shabbos 87b
[6]
Pesachim 68b
[7]
Vayikra 23:2-3
[8] I
heard this explanation of Rashi from my dear friend Rabbi Yosef Bendrihem
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