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Torah Portion: Emor Vayikra (Leviticus) 21:1-24:23
"You shall not desecrate My holy Name." (Leviticus 22:32)
This is a specific commandment not to do anything to give G-d
or His Torah a bad name. This is know as the prohibition of
Chillul HaShem- which mean profaning G-d's name. "I must be
sanctified among the children of Israel." (ibid.) This is the
commandment of Kiddush HaShem- to enhance the reputation of
G-d and His Torah. This is a specific edict to publicize the
greatness of our faith in G-d and we are taught that this is
even done at the expense of one's life. If one has caused a
Chillul HaShem, one must attempt to sanctify G-d's Name in a
manner similar to his sin.
During the Holocaust, the famed scholar Rabbi Elchonan Wasserman was led with a group of students to what would be their eventual death. On the way, Reb Elchonan began to tell those with him, "You should know that since we are going to be killed because we are Jews, we are on the way to fulfill the Mitzvah of sanctifying G-d's Name. This Mitzvah needs preparation, just as any other Mitzvah." He then went on to explain to them the way one is supposed to give up his life for the sanctity of G-d." Just as one who offers a sacrifice, may not have wrongful intentions, so too we have to make sure that we bear in mind throughout this ordeal, that we are fulfilling G-d's command of sanctifying His Name. He taught them the blessing that one recites before being martyred, and told them to recite the verse of Shema Yisroel." This episode was related by a student who was present at the time, and miraculously survived. Any Jew who was killed because they were Jewish, i.e. during the Holocaust, are characterized as Kedoshim- holy ones, since their lives were taken because they were Jews. The greatest respect is to be paid to the memory of our martyrs.
D'var Torah
Rabbi Shimon Schwalb o.b.m. used the following illustration
to explain the concept of why G-d commanded us not to work on
the holy day of Shabbos.
A wealthy man arrived in a small town, entered into a bank and deposited millions of dollars into an account. The board members and employees of the bank were thrilled to now be considered a "big time bank." To their displeasure, at the end of the week, the man withdrew his money. Their spirits were lifted though, when at the beginning of the next week the wealthy man returned and redeposited the money. When this became his weekly ritual, he was asked, "If you are redepositiong your money anyway, why do you need to withdraw it at the end of every week?" The man answered, "The reason why I withdraw the money, is to make sure that you don't forget that the money belongs to me."
The same is true with Shabbos. G-d tells us, "Six days a week, work and amass your furtune, but on the seventh day, Shabbos, withdraw from creative activities. This is because Shabbos is when we attest and recognize that everything we have amassed during the week belongs and comes only from HaShem our G-d."
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dovid Saks
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Shabbos Candlelighting (for Scranton, PA)
Friday, May 15 at 7:57 PM.
Shabbos ends Saturday night at 8:59 PM.
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In honor of Evan Firestone's pre- Bar Mitzvah Haftorah
By his parents Dr. and Mrs. Alan H. Firestone, and sister Mindy
_______________________________________________________________
529 Wyoming Ave., Scranton PA 18509 (717)346-1321/(717)342-3393
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