Tag: parshas Kedoshim

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Acharei Mos/Kedoshim – Sacrifice For The Good Of Good

For Food for Thought in Spanish: Haga clic aquí para leer en español. Please share this with your Jewish Spanish speaking family, friends, and associates.

Hashem in His abundance of love and mercy for every human being would rather see even the most despicable of people repent and live, rather than be punished with a gruesome death. We see this from the prayer on the High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur which we say every year: “For you do not wish the death of one deserving death, but that he repent from his ways and live.” There are many times in history where repentance has actually happened. A couple of prominent examples are Pharoah, who enslaved the Jews (as it says in the Yalkut Shimone on Yona chapter 3) and Nevuzraddan, the Babylonian executioner (as we see in Gitten 57b).

However, there comes a point where enough is enough and strict judgement must be meted out. There is no room even for Divine Mercy anymore. The ramifications of this are spelled out in the first Medrish Rabba of parshas Kedoshim, in this week’s double portion of Acharei Mos and Kedoshim. The beginning of Kedoshim states: “Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them, ‘you shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem your G-D.'”

On this pasuk the medrish references another pasuk, “‘Hashem, Master Of Legions, will become exalted through judgment’ (Yeshayahu 5:16). It was taught, Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai said, ‘When is the name of Hashem exalted in this world? At the time when the attribute of strict judgement is meted out for the wicked. There are many pesukim that prove this point. ‘I will be exalted and I will be sanctified, and I will make Myself known before the eyes of many nations’ (Yechezkel 38:23). It also writes, ‘Hashem became known through the judgement He executed’ (Tehillim 8:17). ‘I shall let them know of My hand and My strength’ (Yirmiyahu 16:21). ‘In order to recognize the righteous acts of Hashem’ (Micha 6:5). In this way Hashem, the G-D of Legions will be elevated.”

The Maharz”u asks a very pertinent question based on the pasuk in Kedoshim that this Medrish is going on. The beginning of the pasuk discusses how “You shall be holy,”  and the end of the pasuk says ‘For I am holy.’ What comparison can there be between the holiness of a human being and the holiness of Hashem? And for whatever reason would it be that since Hashem is holy then so too us frail physical beings are holy? This is why the medrish quotes the pasuk in Yeshayahu, ‘Hashem, Master Of Legions will become exalted through judgement, and the Holy G-D will be sanctified through justice.’ He will be sanctified through the righteous deeds that the Jews will do. So to in this pasuk [in our parsha], ‘You shall be Holy,’ you shall do deeds that you will be deserving to be called holy, and through your holy deeds Hashem’s Holy Name will be sanctified, this is because ‘I am holy.'” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see from this Maharz”u that the only way in which we have any potential to be holy similar to Hashem is through our actions. If we do righteous actions then we are sanctifying Hashem’s name, emulating Hashem, who is completely righteous, and that makes us holy, like Him in a sense. What is an example of a righteous, holy deed that the medrish says we are talking about? When strict justice is meted to the wicked; then Hashem is exalted and sanctified, because evil is blotted out of this world.

Imagine all the loss of life, pain, and destruction when going in and wiping out terrorists, even whole terrorist organizations and regimes of terror. And didn’t we say that Hashem would rather not see bad people die but repent and live?

We must say that there comes a ‘point of no return,’ when we can’t wait for repentance any longer and we must defendourselves against evil and wipe it out. What we see from here is that even though we should feel bad for the destruction and loss of life, we can’t have any regrets over the destruction of evil. Because dispensing strict justice when need be, to defend against and obliterate evil ,is sanctifying and elevating Hashem through emulating His will, to only have good in the world. We should have solace in our righteous deeds.

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Kedoshim – More Than Just a Guilt Trip vs. a Threat


For Food for Thought in Spanish: Haga clic aquí para leer en español. Please share this with your Jewish Spanish speaking family, friends, and associates.

One of the positive mitzvos, as enumerated by the Sefer Chareidim (5:35), which can apply every day of one’s life and are done with one’s hands or body is having honest scales, weights, and measurements in business. As the Torah says: “righteous scales, righteous stones etc” (Vayikra 19:36) . Indeed, the punishment for faulty calculations in business is more severe than for incest, and one who is dishonest in business in this fashion, it is as if he is denying the exodus from Egypt. (Click here for Hebrew text.)
What does dishonest business dealings have to do with the exodus from Egypt?
This mitzva is found in this week’s Torah portion of Kedoshim: “You shall not commit a perversion of justice with measures, weights, or liquid measures. You shall have true scales, true weights, a true ephah, and a true hin. I am Hashem, your G-D, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Vayikra 19:35, 36).
Rashi gives two explanations to why the Exodus from Egypt is specifically mentioned here: “’Who brought you out’: on this condition [i.e., to observe this mitzva]. — [Toras Kohanim 19:87] Another explanation: [G-D says,] In Egypt, I discerned between the drop of a firstborn and the drop not of a firstborn. [Likewise,] I am the One faithful to exact punishment upon someone who secretly stores his weights in salt [thus altering their weight] in order to defraud people who do not recognize them [as weights that have been tampered with]. — [Bava Metzia 61b]”
The two explanations Rashi gives for why the Torah mentions the exodus from Egypt in relation to this mitzva, is that there are two methods of reinforcing oneself to be sure to adhere to the mitzva of honest business dealings. The first reason is focusing on the fact that one of the conditions for taking us out of Egypt was our scrupulousness in business dealings and how can we go against that condition. The second reason is more of an emphasis on reward and punishment; just as Hashem delved into the most minute details and punished the Egyptians, He will do the same for us and uncover even the most hidden and subtle dishonest business practice.
The first reason is based on a Sifra (another name for the Toras Kohanim) who specifically says, “‘I am Hashem your G-D who took you out of Egypt’ on this condition did I take you out of Egypt. On condition that you will accept upon yourself the mitzva of measurements. For all who admit to the mitzvos of [honest] measurements acknowledges the exodus from Egypt, and whoever denies the mitzva of [honest] measurements denies the exodus from Egypt.”
The Malbim, explaining this medrish, says that in many places the Sifra points out that there are other mitzvos that were given as a condition for leaving Egypt, like sanctifying Hashem’s Holy Name (kiddush Hashem), the prohibition of charging interest to a fellow Jew, and eating bugs and creepy crawlers. The Malbim then quotes the gemara in Bava Metzia 61b which Rashi quoted in his second answer, seemingly incorporating it into this answer, “Rava said that because interest and weights are things which could be elusive to the naked eye and people wouldn’t pick up on it, for example charging interest to a Jew through a non-Jewish party, or hiding weights in salt that could cause the weight to weigh less or more than what it is supposed to weigh, therefore the exodus from Egypt is mentioned for then Hashem’s involvement with every individual, and knowing that which was hidden was highlighted, as its written, ‘I am the one that was able to differentiate between the drop of the firstborn’ (who was a firstborn Egyptian and who wasn’t).” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
We see from this Malbim, explaining the Sifra that Rashi quotes, that Hashem took us out of Egypt on the condition we keep the mitzvos of honest measurements. The miracles that took place in Egypt epitomized Hashem’s hashgacha pratis, Divine intervention, in the most minute and finest ways; therefore by transgressing or denying this mitzva it is as if one denies the exodus from Egypt, which represents a fundamental and basic belief in Hashem’s existence and intervention in this world.

But is it really true if a head of a household spends hours on the seder night going through all the miracles of the Jewish redemption from Egypt and is singing and rejoicing over gratitude for Hashem saving us and taking us in as His children and nation, and he shares these feelings and depiction of Hashem’s hand in the exodus with his family and guests, that if he is also a sly business man who isn’t 100% honest in business, does that really mean he denies the exodus from Egypt and the fundamental belief in Hashem’s divine intervention? How can that be?

The answer is yes! He does in fact deny the exodus from Egypt, because he might be able to intellectually, and maybe on some level emotionally, express his belief in the exodus and Hashem’s part in it, but if he doesn’t actively live by what he preaches then he is a denier of the exodus from Egypt.

We see from here a very profound and chilling lesson in emuna, belief in Hashem. The ultimately true litmus test is how one lives one’s life. Does he apply what he says he believes to his life? Does he live by it? For if he doesn’t, if he says I’ll do whatever is needed to make an extra dollar, especially if it is to take care of the family, even if it means charging interest or using unlawful weights, this is in fact a denial of Hashem’s Hand in the exodus from Egypt.