Parshas Emor
A Meal Unfit for a King
By: Daniel Listhaus
“To be an appeasement for you: unblemished.... Any [animal] in which there is a blemish you shall not offer, for it will not be an appeasement for you”
-Emor 22:19-20
“Bring something which is fit to appease you so that it should be an appeasement for you”
-Rashi 22:19
The privilege and opportunity that we are given to be able to offer Karbanos is tremendous. Each and every Karbon has its own power to aid an individual or tzibbur in seeking mercy, forgiveness, or offering thanks to Hashem. The question which begs to be asked, however, is why it is forbidden to bring an offering with a blemish. Take the Karban Olah, for example. This is a sacrifice which gets completely burned in the fire on the alter for only Hashem. Hashem certainly does not eat the Karbon, to think so would be apikorsas. The Rambam writes that Hashem has no body[1], which we declare in Ani Ma'amin[2] and in the prayer of Yigdal[3]. Even merely ascribing physical characteristics to Hashem such as having a mouth and eating is forbidden. So why is it that when offering a karbon to the One who created it, has no need for it, will not eat it nor sell it for money, it is forbidden to do so if the animal has a blemish?
Let us now take this idea a step further. Earlier in the Parsha, a very similar negative commandment is instructed: “Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aharon, saying: Any man of your offspring throughout their generations in whom there will be a blemish – the bread of his G-d he shall not approach to offer.” The Torah then continues, “...he [the blemished Kohen] should not come to the Paroches, and he shall not approach the Mizbe'ach, for he has a blemish...”[4] Again, Hashem created man and even created this specific Kohen. Furthermore, was it not Hashem Himself who gave this man his blemish? How could Hashem give a stamp of disapproval to something which He created? Is a blemished man somehow second-tiered in the eyes of Hashem?
Regarding the Kohen who has a blemish, Rashi succinctly explains the issue of him being the one doing the service of Hashem. Rashi writes, “It is not proper that he should approach.” Then, Rashi quotes part of a verse in Malachi, “it is like [the concept depicted in the verse of] 'Go offer it to your ruler!'[5]. Let us examine this verse in Malachi more closely. The complete verse states, “ 'When you present a blind animal for sacrifice is nothing wrong? And when you present a lame or sick [animal] is nothing wrong? Present it, if you please, to your leader! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?' Said Hashem, master of legions.”[6]
By quoting this verse, Rashi is teaching us the following. Certainly Hashem has no need for our animals at all, let alone the best of them; however, we cannot give to Hashem something which in our own eyes is not appeasing because, in reality, giving something not appeasing by our standards to Hashem shows that we do not really acknowledge the importance and greatness of Hashem, nor the necessary respect due to Him.
The Misilas Yesharim writes the following, “...One must beautify one's mitzvos...get a nice pair of Tzitzis, nice Tefillin, nice Sefer Torah, nice Lulav, etc.... for it is not enough to do the mitzvah alone, rather one must show respect and beautify it. And one who says, 'Respect [through beautifying and spending extra money on objects] is a materialistic nonsense which exists only to man, but G-d does not care what the condition of or state of beauty something is in; Hashem is above all that and as long as I do the mitzvos with the right intentions, it is enough', is a sinner.” The Mesilas Yesharim continues to explain, “Such a person is called a sinner because Hashem indeed is called 'The G-d of Honor' and we are obligated to give Him this respect even though He certainly does not need it.”[7]
But why is this so? Why is it that Hashem demands of us a respect which does not need nor get benefit from?
The answer is exactly within what the Mesilas Yesharim, the verse in Malachi, and Rashi are trying to describe. We as humans have a certain “currency” we use when it comes to giving honor to those who deserve respect, which is to present things beautifully and nicely even if it means to spend some extra money or go the extra mile. Sending the handsomest individual with the largest lexicon and most oral capabilities, is what a community would certainly do if it wanted to appease a government, board, or influential group. Similarly, if one was to host an eloquent event for a wealthy family, certainly everything would be perfect, and only the best-of-the-best meat and wine would be prepared and served to the royal guests. It is through these methods which we know of to give respect and honor to humans and therefore we must use these same means when serving and sending messengers to Hashem. If we send a messenger or animal with a blemish to Hashem, when we would not do so to our own leader of flesh-and-blood, then we may fool ourselves into thinking that the reason we are doing so is because we think to ourselves, “Hashem is above all these materialistic things anyway”; but in reality there is a lacking of Emunah and Bitachon in Hashem which is powering our rationalizing this argument in order that we should not have to spend the extra money or go the extra mile. Offering something to Hashem which would not appease man is the litmus test which illustrates that we do not really care enough to give Hashem the minimum amount of respect we could; for if we did care to give the utmost honor and respect, the only way to do so would be to use the currency we are familiar with and use when offering honor and respect to worthy human leaders.
Now we could better understand the cryptic words of Rashi which states, “Bring something which is fit to appease you so that it should be an appeasement for you”. Only if we give the utmost honor, as we understand it, to Hashem will Hashem see that we truly respect Him.
[1] Rambam Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah 1:8
[2] Third of the thirteen Ani Ma'amins, commonly known as the thirteen principles of faith.
[3] Third line of Yigdal, Morning Prayer Service. (The thirteen lines of Yigdal follow the thirteen principles of faith.)
[4] Leviticus 21:18
[5] Rashi Leviticus 21:18
[6] Malachi 1:8
[7] Mesilas Yesharim, R' Moshe Chaim Lazzato, Chapter 19
No comments:
Post a Comment