May 11, 2006

Parshas Emor

Rabbi Bar Tzadok of Koshertorah.com has a great essay on this week's parsha.

Parashat Emor deals with the issue of Kedusha (holiness) of the Kohanim (priests). The sons of Aharon were commanded by HaShem to be on a higher level of sanctity than the rest of the nation. The Kohanic level of Kedusha described in this parasha surprisingly does not contain any philosophical elements. The demands of Kohanic Kedusha are exclusively ritualistic. The sanctity of the Kohen limits for him his choice of marriage partners and prohibits his ritual defilement for death other than with the most immediate family. Indeed, the Kohen Gadol is prohibited to defile himself over the dead even for his immediate family. This strict set of ritual behavior sheds a light for us onto the real true meaning of Kedusha.

Click HERE for the rest (.pdf format)

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