Parshat Emor 5769 - The Omer – Bread from Heaven

Parshat Emor 5769

Rabbi Ari Kahn

 

The Omer – Bread from Heaven

 

Divine Appointments

Parshat Emor includes a list of mo'adim , a term usually translated as "holidays". This word might be more accurately rendered as 'appointed times', times set aside for man to rendezvous with God. Our current parsha is not the first place the word mo'ed is used, but up to this point it has always referred to an appointed place, like the Ohel Moed – the Tent of Meeting, the place where man could rendezvous with the Divine Presence.

 

ויקרא פרק כג

(א) וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: (ב) דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם מוֹעֲדֵי ה’ אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֵלֶּה הֵם מוֹעֲדָי:

1. And God spoke to Moshe, saying, 2. Speak to the People of Israel, and say to them, The festivals of God, which you shall proclaim to be holy gatherings, these are my festivals. Vayikra 23:1,2

 

It should come as no surprise that the list of holidays begins with Pesach (Passover): The Jewish calendar begins in the spring; Nisan is the "first month of the months of the year". Jewish History and our national, collective memory begin with the Exodus:

 

ויקרא פרק כג

(ד) אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי ה’ מִקְרָאֵי קֹדֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר תִּקְרְאוּ אֹתָם בְּמוֹעֲדָם: (ה) בַּחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּאַרְבָּעָה עָשָׂר לַחֹדֶשׁ בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם פֶּסַח לַה’: (ו) וּבַחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה חַג הַמַּצּוֹת לַה’ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים מַצּוֹת תֹּאכֵלוּ:

4. These are the festivals of God, holy gatherings, which you shall proclaim in their seasons. 5. In the first month on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening is God's Pesach. 6. And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to God; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. Vayikra 23:4-6

 

A Quasi-Holiday

In the verses following this description of Pesach, we find something which isn’t quite a holiday:

 

ויקרא פרק כג

ט) וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר: (י) דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם כִּי תָבֹאוּ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לָכֶם וּקְצַרְתֶּם אֶת קְצִירָהּ וַהֲבֵאתֶם אֶת עֹמֶר רֵאשִׁית קְצִירְכֶם אֶל הַכֹּהֵן: (יא) וְהֵנִיף אֶת הָעֹמֶר לִפְנֵי ה’ לִרְצֹנְכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת יְנִיפֶנּוּ הַכֹּהֵן: (יב) וַעֲשִׂיתֶם בְּיוֹם הֲנִיפְכֶם אֶת הָעֹמֶר כֶּבֶשׂ תָּמִים בֶּן שְׁנָתוֹ לְעֹלָה לַה’: (יג) וּמִנְחָתוֹ שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים סֹלֶת בְּלוּלָה בַשֶּׁמֶן אִשֶּׁה לַה’ רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ וְנִסְכֹּה יַיִן רְבִיעִת הַהִין: (יד) וְלֶחֶם וְקָלִי וְכַרְמֶל לֹא תֹאכְלוּ עַד עֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה עַד הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת קָרְבַּן אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם: ס

(טו) וּסְפַרְתֶּם לָכֶם מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת מִיּוֹם הֲבִיאֲכֶם אֶת עֹמֶר הַתְּנוּפָה שֶׁבַע שַׁבָּתוֹת תְּמִימֹת תִּהְיֶינָה:

9. And God spoke to Moshe, saying, 10. Speak to the People of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the kohen; 11. And he shall wave the sheaf before God, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the sabbath the kohen shall wave it.12. And on the day you bring the sheaf you shall offer a male lamb without blemish in its first year for a burnt offering to God. 13. And the meal offering of it shall be two tenth-measures of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to God for a sweet savor; and the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. 14. And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until that very day, until you bring the offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 15. And you shall count from the next day after the sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete. Vayikra 23:9-15

 

Two distinct aspects of this "festival" are delineated: on the one hand, an agricultural celebration, in which the first grain is brought to the Temple. Being an agricultural law, this rite was not performed in the desert. The rule is in force from the time they enter their own land, since in the desert they did no farming, grew no grain. However, once they enter the Land of Israel and activate this law, it remains in effect forever, and everywhere the Jews live. On the other hand, another aspect of this commandment regards the counting of seven weeks, leading to the next holiday, so aptly called Shavuot (weeks): seven weeks are counted, at the end of which the first fruits are brought to the Beit Hamikdash. [1]

It may seem obvious to us that the counting of the Omer, which follows the bringing of the Korban HaOmer on the first night of the Festival of Matzot, leads us to Shavuot. Yet if we look carefully at what we know thus far about the various holidays, the linkage of Pesach and Shavuot is less obvious. Consider the nature of all the festivals: Jewish holidays all possess an agricultural identity, yet to this point, we have been told by the Torah that the timing of Pesach is in the spring because in that season the Jews left Egypt. To this point, Pesach is a holiday that commemorates an historical event. Similarly, Shavuot is purely agricultural in nature; Shavuot is referred to as Chag HaBikurim, the Festival of the First Fruits. No historical event was recorded in the Torah as having transpired on that day. Of course, simple mathematical calculation brings us to the conclusion that an event of singular, supreme importance transpired on that date: the Torah was given to the Jewish People at Sinai. Remarkably, the Torah represses the specific date of the giving of the Torah, leaving it to the Oral Tradition to point out this connection.[2] Pesach, with its decidedly historical identity, appears at first glance to have no intrinsic connection with Shavuot, which follows seven weeks later; rather, Shavuot is simply the next day of significance on the calendar, independent from Pesach.[3]

 

The Omer changes this. The Omer, with its agricultural identity, is a period in our calendar which is unique. Serving as a link between an historical holiday and an agricultural holiday, this period of counting is different from the holiday which immediately precedes it in the text, and the holiday which immediately follows. It is precisely because of this link that we are able to discover the agricultural aspects of Pesach and the historical aspects of Shavuot.

 

The Omer is a strange sort of "holiday"; although a unique period in the Jewish calendar, there is no prohibition of work. Cessation of labor is the benchmark which defines all our other festivals as holy days. The Ramban therefore understands that these intermediate days are no different from the chol hamoed (intermediate days) of Sukkot; the seven weeks counted between Pesach and Shavuot are parallel to the seven intermediate days of Sukkot.[4] This would establish an even stronger connection between Pesach and Shavuot, forcing us to look for a deeper common thread that connects these two distinct holidays.

 

Our search for a connection, for some sort of progression from Pesach, through the Omer period, to Chag HaBikurim, the Festival of the First Fruits, brings more overarching issues come to the surface. The entire progression, the underlying framework of these festivals, begins with a prohibition against leavened bread and all leavening agents: On Pesach, all leavened products are prohibited, and only matzah may be eaten. No explanation is provided for this law. The Talmud implies that the rationale for the prohibition is the correlation between chametz (leaven) and se'or (yeast or other leavening agents) with sin, an association which is found in numerous kabbalistic, midrashic and even halachic writings. The Talmud states:

 

תלמוד בבלי מסכת ברכות דף יז/א

איכא דאמרי הא רב המנונא מצלי לה ורבי אלכסנדרי בתר דמצלי אמר הכי רבון העולמים גלוי וידוע לפניך שרצוננו לעשות רצונך ומי מעכב שאור שבעיסה ושעבוד מלכיות יהי רצון מלפניך שתצילנו מידם ונשוב לעשות חוקי רצונך בלבב שלם.

According to some this was the prayer of R. Hamnuna, and R. Alexandri on concluding his prayer used to add the following: Sovereign of the Universe, it is known full well to You that our will is to perform Your will, and what prevents us? The yeast in the dough and subjugation to foreign Powers. May it be Your will to deliver us from their hand, so that we may return to perform the statutes of Your will with a perfect heart! [5]

          Talmud Bavli Brachot 17a

 

Although widely accepted, this approach leaves us with a major question: If chametz is analogous to sin, to the Evil Inclination which prevents us from performing God's will, why is it permitted at all, at any time of the year? Why are hametz and se'or prohibited for only one week each year, and permissible during the remaining 51 weeks?

 

The Epic Battle

Let us look at the history of mankind's war against the Evil Inclination. The first battle of this war, waged in the Garden of Eden, ended in mankind's defeat. Adam and Eve did not withstand the tactics of the Evil Inclination: they disobeyed God's commandment and partook of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

 

Of all the trees of the Garden, two were singled out. One was the Tree of Life, and the other was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Some of our most ancient sources associate the Tree of Life with Torah, as in the book of Mishlei:

 

משלי פרק ג

(א) בְּנִי תּוֹרָתִי אַל תִּשְׁכָּח וּמִצְוֹתַי יִצֹּר לִבֶּךָ:(ב) כִּי אֹרֶךְ יָמִים וּשְׁנוֹת חַיִּים וְשָׁלוֹם יוֹסִיפוּ לָךְ:…(יח) עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ וְתֹמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר: פ

1. My son, forget not my Torah; but let your heart keep my commandments; 2. For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to you…18. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy is every one who holds her fast. Mishlei 3:1,2,18

 

The Tree of Knowledge was the polar opposite of the Tree of Life. Although knowledge per se sounds good, noble, desirable, this tree was apparently not what it seemed. This was surely evidenced by the caveat with which it was introduced to man: “For on the day you eat from the tree you will die (i.e. death will enter the world)"[6].

 

Man’s behavior in the Garden of Eden is perplexing: Even if he had an overpowering desire to eat from this tree, he should have taken precautions. The Tree of Life could have served as a prophylactic, protecting against the deathly poison of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil – the tree of death.

 

According to one approach[7], this sequence was the originally intended plan for man's progress; it was God's intention that man first eat from the Tree of Life,[8] and only then, after he was physically and spiritually prepared, partaken of the Tree of Knowledge. The Tree of Life is Torah, and once fortified with Torah, with the understanding and spiritual superiority that Torah imparts, man can face good and evil and successfully grapple with the challenges of this philosophical battleground. Without Torah, man enters the fray unarmed – clearly in no position to face evil and emerge unscathed. Thus, man's sin in the Garden of Eden was one of priorities, of sequence and order: Man ate from the Tree of Knowledge too soon.[9] Man’s age-old need for immediate gratification was what brought about this deadly sin.[10]

 

Fast Food

Matzah is a spiritual antidote, a cleansing agent[11] – or in kabbalistic terms, a tikun[12] – for this sin of haste[13]. Matzah is prepared in haste, lest it become chametz; by ordering Israel to eat Matzah, God co-opts man's sin, and transforms it into an uplifting mitzva.[14]

 

Bread has more to do with the Eden story than we would have first suspected. As a result of eating from the prohibited tree, God says:

 

בראשית פרק ג

(יז) וּלְאָדָם אָמַר כִּי שָׁמַעְתָּ לְקוֹל אִשְׁתֶּךָ וַתֹּאכַל מִן הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ לֵאמֹר לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ: (יח) וְקוֹץ וְדַרְדַּר תַּצְמִיחַ לָךְ וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת עֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה: (יט) בְּזֵעַת אַפֶּיךָ תֹּאכַל לֶחֶם עַד שׁוּבְךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה כִּי מִמֶּנָּה לֻקָּחְתָּ כִּי עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל עָפָר תָּשׁוּב:

17. And to Adam He said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it; cursed is the ground for your sake; in sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life;18. And thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field; 19. By the sweat of your brow shall you eat bread, until you return to the ground; for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust shall you return. Bereishit 3:17-19

 

Before man's sin, in the Garden, all sustenance came directly from God. No effort was required on man's part. Now man would have to work for his bread, sweat for his sustenance. If bread is an element of man's punishment, perhaps it was part of the sin as well.

 

Wheat Tree

We know very little about the deadly Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; the Torah does not record its' specific species, only the result of its ingestion. Perhaps this tree was "one of a kind" - sui generis. The Talmud records numerous opinions regarding the identity of the Tree of Knowledge.

 

תלמוד בבלי מסכת סנהדרין דף ע/א

אמר רב חסדא אמר רב עוקבא ואמרי לה מר עוקבא אמר רבי זכאי אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא לנח נח לא היה לך ללמד מאדם הראשון שלא גרם לו אלא יין כמאן דאמר אותו אילן שאכל ממנו אדם הראשון גפן היה דתניא רבי מאיר אומר אותו אילן שאכל אדם הראשון ממנו גפן היה שאין לך דבר שמביא יללה לאדם אלא יין רבי יהודה אומר חטה היה שאין התינוק יודע לקרוא אבא ואימא עד שיטעום טעם דגן רבי נחמיה אומר תאנה היה שבדבר שקלקלו בו נתקנו שנאמר ויתפרו עלה תאנה

R. Hisda said in R. Ukba's name, and others state, Mar Ukba said in R. Zakkai's name: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Noah: ‘Noah, should you not have taken a warning from Adam, whose transgression was caused by wine?’ This agrees with the view that the [forbidden] tree from which Adam ate was a vine. For it has been taught: R. Meir said: That [forbidden] tree from which Adam ate was a vine.

Talmud Bavli Sanhedrin 70a-b.

 

One would assume that a cogent argument could be put forth for all kinds of fruit, but the suggestion that the Tree of Knowledge was wheat - seems somewhat bizarre. Or is it? As we have seen, bread is part of the punishment; perhaps it was part of the sin[15] as well. Furthermore, this would explain why the bread (matzah) is also part of the Tikun. Before the sin man didn’t need to work; as a resident of Eden everything was provided by God, that utopia was destroyed with one bite. Now work must begin; together with exile. Man sinned with a particular, perhaps unique source of sustenance, and his punishment affected his source and means of sustenance. As mankind is banished from the Garden of Eden, exiled from the source of physical and spiritual sustenance, the decree regarding bread and their wanderings begin simultaneously. Similarly, the prototypical exile of the Jewish People in Egypt is marked by toil and struggle – sustenance is eked out by the sweat of their brow. When they are finally redeemed, the Exodus from Egypt begins the trek back to their spiritual and physical source of sustenance - the Land of Israel, the land of their forefathers. First, they must make a momentous stop at Sinai – a stop which has been foretold to Moshe before the redemption is set in motion: They will, at last, reconnect at Sinai with the Tree of Life.

 

Heavenly Food

On their way out of Egypt, they eat matzah; the sin of eating too quickly is healed.  They prepare bread that does not allow them to tarry, and they are commanded, not merely permitted, to eat this bread of haste. This is the food of their physical and spiritual redemption, bread that heals and elevates.

 

The longer-term solution to their sustenance is revealing: When the Exodus is complete and the Jewish People leave Egypt forever, their source of sustenance changes radically. Their bread is no longer taken from the ground; the healing of the sin of Adam is achieved through the matzah, and now, once again, their sustenance comes directly from God, as it did in the Garden of Eden.

 

שמות פרק טז

(טו) וַיִּרְאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו מָן הוּא כִּי לֹא יָדְעוּ מַה הוּא וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֲלֵהֶם הוּא הַלֶּחֶם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן ה’ לָכֶם לְאָכְלָה:(טז) זֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה’ לִקְטוּ מִמֶּנּוּ אִישׁ לְפִי אָכְלוֹ עֹמֶר לַגֻּלְגֹּלֶת מִסְפַּר נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אִישׁ לַאֲשֶׁר בְּאָהֳלוֹ תִּקָּחוּ:

15. And when the People of Israel saw it, they said one to another, Mahn hu" (literally, What is it) - It is manna; for they knew not what it was. And Moshe said to them, This is the bread which God has given you to eat. 16. This is the thing which God has commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons, whom each of you has in his tent;

Sh’mot 16:15,16

 

The people needed food, and it rained down from the heavens – actually, like dew from the heavens. The people called it mahn – manna in English. The term used by Moshe is omer, referring to a measurement or amount. Surely, the relationship with the other omer cannot be lost upon us.

 

Both the omer of the manna and the Korban haOmer are found within the same timeframe – between Pesach and Shavuot, yet there is an important difference: The omer which is part of an offering is brought only when the people enter the Land of Israel, when they once again become farmers, when their bread comes from the sweat of their collective brow. The omer of manna, on the other hand, is bestowed upon them by God, and they have no need to work for this sustenance.

 

The contrast is stark: bread from heaven as opposed to bread made by great human effort from the fruits of the land. Heavenly bread reminds us of Eden; man’s labor resonates of the expulsion from Eden.

 

Animal Food

There is another, slightly more subtle difference: The omer which is associated with the manna was heavenly food, whereas the omer brought as an offering was brought from barley, food which as far as the Talmud is concerned is fit for animals. Only one other offering is made of barley: the sotah offering, brought by a woman who is suspected of infidelity.

 

תלמוד בבלי מסכת סוטה דף יד/א

משנה היה מביא את מנחתה בתוך כפיפה מצרית ונותנה על ידיה כדי ליגעה כל המנחות תחילתן וסופן בכלי שרת וזו תחלתה בכפיפה מצרית וסופה בכלי שרת כל המנחות טעונות שמן ולבונה וזו אינה טעונה לא שמן ולא לבונה כל המנחות באות מן החטין וזו באה מן השעורין מנחת העומר אף על פי שבאה מן השעורין היא היתה באה גרש וזו באה קמח ר"ג אומר כשם שמעשיה מעשה בהמה כך קרבנה מאכל בהמה

All other meal-offerings require oil and frankincense, but this requires neither oil nor frankincense. All other meal-offerings consist of wheat, but this consists of barley. The meal-offering of the ‘omer, although consisting of barley, was in the form of groats; but this was in the form of coarse flour. Rabban Gamaliel says: as her actions were the actions of an animal, so her offering [consisted of] animal's fodder.

Talmud Bavli Sotah 14a

 

The offering of the sotah is made of barley, of animal feed. The symbolism is blunt and unmistakable: The sin of the sotah stems from that same need for instant gratification that we have seen at the root of an earlier sin. She did not exert her mind, did not distinguish between good and bad. Perhaps because she could not wait for her marriage to be legally dissolved; perhaps she was swept up in a passion that required immediate satisfaction – she acted like an animal and not like a human being. Therefore, the offering she is commanded to bring consists of food fit for an animal.

 

The sotah ritual continues: The woman is given bitter waters, mixed with the ashes from the floor of the Mishkan:

 

ספר במדבר פרק ה

(יז) וְלָקַח הַכֹּהֵן מַיִם קְדשִׁים בִּכְלִי חָרֶשׂ וּמִן הֶעָפָר אֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בְּקַרְקַע הַמִּשְׁכָּן יִקַּח הַכֹּהֵן וְנָתַן אֶל הַמָּיִם:

17. And the kohen shall take holy water in an earthen utensil; and of the dust that is in the floor of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) the kohen shall take, and put it into the water;

 

This ritual was first[16] performed after the sin of the Golden Calf:

 

ספר שמות פרק לב

(כ) וַיִּקַּח אֶת הָעֵגֶל אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ וַיִּשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ וַיִּטְחַן עַד אֲשֶׁר דָּק וַיִּזֶר עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם וַיַּשְׁק אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

20. And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it upon the water, and made the People of Israel drink of it. Sh’mot 32:20

 

The Jewish people were guilty of infidelity with the Golden Calf, and the method through which the nation was purified would become the practice associated with individual cases of infidelity – the sotah ritual.

 

Paradise Lost

Like the offering of the sotah, the Korban haOmer is also an offering of barley. Once again, the message is unmistakable: The bread from heaven would end when they arrived in the Land of Israel. Israel is the Promised Land – but it is not paradise.[17] Man would once again work the land; bread would come from the sweat of his brow. Man had sinned, and the clock could not be turned back. They were forgiven, but the price would still be paid.[18]

 

The omer links Passover with Shavuot, the Festival of Matzot with the holiday on which bread is brought as an offering:

 

ויקרא פרק כג

(טז) עַד מִמָּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת הַשְּׁבִיעִת תִּסְפְּרוּ חֲמִשִּׁים יוֹם וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם מִנְחָה חֲדָשָׁה לַה’: (יז) מִמּוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם תָּבִיאּוּ לֶחֶם תְּנוּפָה שְׁתַּיִם שְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים סֹלֶת תִּהְיֶינָה חָמֵץ תֵּאָפֶינָה בִּכּוּרִים לַה’:

(יח) וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עַל הַלֶּחֶם שִׁבְעַת כְּבָשִׂים תְּמִימִם בְּנֵי שָׁנָה וּפַר בֶּן בָּקָר אֶחָד וְאֵילִם שְׁנָיִם יִהְיוּ עֹלָה לַה’ וּמִנְחָתָם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶם אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ לַה’:(יט) וַעֲשִׂיתֶם שְׂעִיר עִזִּים אֶחָד לְחַטָּאת וּשְׁנֵי כְבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה לְזֶבַח שְׁלָמִים: (כ) וְהֵנִיף הַכֹּהֵן אֹתָם עַל לֶחֶם הַבִּכּוּרִים תְּנוּפָה לִפְנֵי ה’ עַל שְׁנֵי כְּבָשִׂים קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיוּ לַה’ לַכֹּהֵן: (כא) וּקְרָאתֶם בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ יִהְיֶה לָכֶם כָּל מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ חֻקַּת עוֹלָם בְּכָל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם: (כב) וּבְקֻצְרְכֶם אֶת קְצִיר אַרְצְכֶם לֹא תְכַלֶּה פְּאַת שָׂדְךָ בְּקֻצְרֶךָ וְלֶקֶט קְצִירְךָ לֹא תְלַקֵּט לֶעָנִי וְלַגֵּר תַּעֲזֹב אֹתָם אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: ס

16. To the next day after the seventh sabbath shall you count fifty days; and you shall offer a new meal offering to God. 17. You shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth measures; they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven; they are the first fruits to God. 18. And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bull, and two rams; they shall be for a burnt offering to God, with their meal offering, and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire, of sweet savor to God. 19. Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20. And the Kohen shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits for a wave offering before God with the two lambs; they shall be holy to God for the Kohen. 21. And you shall proclaim on the same day, that it may be a holy gathering to you; you shall do no labor in it; it shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations. 22. And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not make clean riddance up to the corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning of your harvest; you shall leave them to the poor, and to the stranger; I am the Lord your God.

 

Through all of what we have seen thus far, we are able to track two branches of possibility, two paths that lead to the Land of Israel. The first path, the intended path, leads the people from matzah, through manna, culminating in lechem, the bread brought as an offering at the end of the process. Matzah is bread devoid of leaven – devoid of the Evil Inclination. Matza is a vehicle which leads to the next stage – the stage of heavenly sustenance, bread from heaven. This stage represents the healing of the sin of Eden, eating from the Tree of Knowlege, and a return to an Eden like-existence, in which sustenance is provided directly by God. At this stage, when the Jewish People attain this level of spiritual health and fortitude, they can approach Sinai and accept the Torah – the Tree of Life. Only after being armed with the insight and spiritual strength of Torah could they once again return to human sustenance – to leavened bread, to the challenge of facing the Evil Inclination. Only thus prepared can humanity defeat evil; only the knowledge imparted to us in the Torah enables us to withstand the confusion of good and evil that is embodied in the Tree of Knowledge.

 

But this was not the path that was travelled by the Jewish People on their way to the Promised Land; something went terribly wrong. By the time Moshe came down the mountain with the Torah the people had sinned terribly. Once again, they chose instant gratification. Once again, they could not wait; Moshe had tarried, and was replaced. The people were unfaithful: they "cheated on God", and Moshe instituted the same ritual used in the case of a woman suspected of infidelity.

 

Which brings us to our Parsha: The link between Pesach and Shavuot remains; the path between matzah and bread is not the path originally intended, but the progression is unmistakable. Something has changed[19]: the omer no longer refers to bread from heaven, as with the manna. Now it refers to animal food – the offering of the sotah. The People of Israel were unfaithful to God and man: They created a graven image of a calf, and they rejected Moshe as their leader. Everything had changed: through their infidelity, they altered the course of history:  Animal food replaces heavenly bread, and Moshe will not join them as they enter the Promised Land.  Once again, they will have to work the land; once again, paradise is lost.

 

But even now, God does not abandon them. He gives them another mitzvah – an active measure which will purify,[20] and teach them patience. They are instructed to count: Count the days, count the weeks, count until the next holiday arrives. Seven full and complete weeks of waiting, of anticipating, of contemplating must transpire. Only then can we once again bring an offering of the first fruits. Only then will we have learned to combat our desire for immediate gratification. Only then are we healed from the sin of eating that very first fruit. This is also the point at which we can receive the Torah, and, armed with the ultimate weapon against the Evil Inclination, begin to use bread.

 

The Korban HaOmer serves as a reminder of our baser instincts, of our tendency to impatience, of our desire for immediate gratification which leads us to infidelity. The counting of the Omer, this unique period of introspection and preparation, reminds us that God has given us all the tools necessary to overcome the obstacles of doubt and spiritual immaturity. We need only partake of the Tree of Life, and the wisdom of Torah will enable us to regain the paradise which God always intended for us to enjoy.

---

[1] Lest we think that the counting of the omer commemorates the days between leaving Egypt and the receiving the Torah, this opinion is not reflected in the Biblical narrative, which very specifically describes the counting as reflecting an agricultural phenomenon. On a midrashic level one may posit that perhaps the Jews did count between leaving Egypt and standing at Sinai. The Ra"n, in his comments to the Ri"f at the end of Pesachim, labels such a view as midrash, which he insists does not reflect halachic reality. The context of this discussion regards the level and nature of our obligation to count today, when we do not have the Beit Hamikdash and cannot bring the required offerings: Is the counting a rabbinic ordinance, or still a Torah- mandated commandment?  The Ri"f posits that in present conditions, the counting is rabbinically mandated, instituted in order to retain and maintain our memory of the practice during Temple times. The claim that counting today commemorates the self-motivated counting of the Jews in the desert as they anticipated their arrival at Mount Sinai is described by the Ra"n as “only midrash”:

רבינו נסים על הרי"ף פסחים דף כח/א

ובהגדה גם כן אמרו בשעה שאמר להם משה תעבדון את האלהים על ההר הזה אמרו לו ישראל משה רבינו אימתי עבודה זו אמר להם לסוף חמשים יום והיו מונין כל אחד ואחד לעצמו מכאן קבעו חכמים לספירת העומר כלומר בזמן הזה שאין אנו מביאין קרבן ולא עומר אלא מחשבין נ' יום לשמחת התורה כמו שמנו ישראל באותו זמן וזה ודאי דרך מדרש הוא דעיקרא דמילתא זכר למקדש כדאמר אמימר אבל מ"מ כל זה מוכיח שאין הספירה עכשיו אלא מדרבנן.

[2] For more on the connection between Shavuot and receiving the Torah see my book Emanations.

[3] The first reference in the Torah to Shavuot, calls the day Chag Hakazir, the Holiday of the Harvest. See Sh’mot 23:16. but no date is given!

שמות פרק כג

(טז) וְחַג הַקָּצִיר בִּכּוּרֵי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע בַּשָּׂדֶה וְחַג הָאָסִף בְּצֵאת הַשָּׁנָה בְּאָסְפְּךָ אֶת מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מִן הַשָּׂדֶה:

[4] See Ramban Vayikra 23:37

רמב"ן ויקרא פרק כג

(לו) עצרת היא - …וצוה בחג המצות שבעה ימים בקדושה לפניהם ולאחריהם כי כולם קדושים ובתוכם ה', ומנה ממנו תשעה וארבעים יום שבעה שבועות כימי עולם, וקדש יום שמיני כשמיני של חג, והימים הספורים בינתים כחולו של מועד בין הראשון והשמיני בחג, והוא יום מתן תורה שהראם בו את אשו הגדולה ודבריו שמעו מתוך האש. ולכך יקראו רבותינו ז"ל בכל מקום חג השבועות עצרת, כי הוא כיום שמיני של חג שקראו הכתוב כן. וזהו מאמרם (חגיגה יז א) שמיני רגל בפני עצמו הוא לענין פז"ר קש"ב. ותשלומין דראשון הוא, כי הוא אצילות הראשונים ואינו כאחדות שלהם. ולכך יזכיר בפרשת כל הבכור (דברים טז טז) בשלש רגלים, חג המצות וחג השבועות וחג הסוכות שבעת ימים, ולא יזכיר השמיני, כי שם אמר יראה כל זכורך וגו', והנה זה מבואר:

[5] See the comments of Rashi to Talmud Bavli 17a

רש"י ברכות דף יז/א

ומי מעכב - שאין אנו עושים רצונך:

שאור שבעיסה - יצר הרע שבלבבנו, המחמיצנו:

 

[6] Bereishit 2:17

[7] Sefer Be'er Mayim Chayim, Parshat Noach chapter 11.

ספר באר מים חיים פרשת נח - פרק יא

והנה חטא הזה הוא ממש כמו חטא אדם הראשון שאכל מעץ הדעת טוב ורע קודם שאכל מעץ החיים ומשאר אילנות אשר נטע ה' בגנו כאשר כתבנו במקומו ובזה הקדים הקליפה לפרי והרע לקדושה להיות ראשונה בכל הדברים

[8] See Rav Zadok of Lublin,  Takanat Hashavim section 15

ספר תקנת השבין - אות טו

אבל החשש פן וגו' גם מעץ החיים היינו שיהיה בו עדיין זוהמת עץ הדעת דידיעת רע שלא נתקן לגמרי ויקח מעץ החיים גם כן מצורף לאכילת עץ הדעת הקודם, וזהו לשון ישלח ידו שלא יתקרב אל עץ החיים עצמו להתדבק ולהתאחד עמו כמו שהיה ראוי לאדם הראשון קודם החטא

[9] See Shem MiShmuel, Vay'chi 5672

ספר שם משמואל פרשת ויחי - שנת תרע"ב

ובזה יובן הפסוק ועתה פן ישלח ידו ואכל מעץ החיים וחי לעולם, וכפי משמעות הכתוב קודם שאכל מעהדטו"ר לא נאסר בעץ החיים, היינו כי בעוד הי' ישר כאשר עשהו השי"ת אם הי' אוכל מעץ החיים הי' קונה טבע עץ החיים שלא ישתנה ולא יתהפך לעלמין, כמו שבאכלו מעץ הדעת קנה טבע עץ הדעת טו"ר, בודאי כן הי' באכלו מעה"ח והי' נשאר לעולם ישר, אך כאשר אכל מעהדטו"ר וקנה טבע השינוי אם הי' אוכל אח"כ מעה"ח והי' נקנה בו גם הטבע לבלי להשתנות ממהותו, הי' נשאר לעולם במהותו זה להתהפך מטוב לרע ומרע לטוב. וזהו הפירוש ואכל וחי לעולם, היינו במהותו זה,

[10] See comments of the Sfat Emet Berishit Liquitim.

שפת אמת ליקוטים - פרשת בראשית

בספר אור החיים הקשה למה לא חש הקדוש ברוך הוא גם מקודם החטא שיקדים לאכול מעץ החיים, ואיני רואה מקום קושיא כי ודאי נראה שכך הי' רצון הבורא יתברך ואם הי' מקיים בזריזות המצות עשה מכל עץ הגן אכל תאכל ודאי הי' נדבק בחיים ולא הי' בא לכלל חטא עץ הדעת, כי כמו שעץ הדעת הי' בו ארס היצר הרע כן עץ החיים מדה טובה מרובה, ובפשיטות נ"ל כי העץ חיים פעולתו ליתן החיים, והלא אדם הראשון קודם החטא הי' בלאו הכי מוכן לחיות ואכילת עץ הדעת הביאתו למיתה ומה נפקא מינה אם הי' אוכל מעץ החיים מאחר שבלאו הכי הי' לו החיים רק [אחר] אכילת עץ הדעת שאבד החיות אם הי' אוכל מעץ החיים החזיר לו החיות כנ"ל:

[11] See Hemdat Hayamim Pesach chapter 6.

ספר חמדת ימים - פסח - פרק ו

 וראוי לכל איש ישראל להיות מכוין באכילת מצה לתקן עון אבינו הראשון חטא באכילת עץ הדעת טוב ורע, למאן דאמר חטה היה, וממנו יקח כופר לנפשו, ושפר התקון לאשר נכשל במאכלות אסורות. כאשר עשה כן יעשה לו ומצ"ה כדי גאולתו:

[12] See Tiferet Shlomo Moadim, Shabbat Hagadol

ספר תפארת שלמה על מועדים - לשבת הגדול

וידוע שכל המצות הנעשים בלילה זאת רמוזים לתיקון פגם אדה"ר. לכן בין למ"ד עץ הדעת חטה היתה ובין למ"ד ענבים סחטה (ברכות מ, א) הנה צוה לנו הש"י בלילה זאת לאכול מצה ולשתות ארבע כוסות יין. מצה עולה גימ' ק"ל ה' כידוע מפגם אדה"ר ק"ל שנים. וע"י אכילת מצה תקון לזה:

[13] See Rav Zaddok Pri Tzadik Essay on eating section 10, who writes that eating Matzah saduring Pesach sanctifies our eating throughout the year, and therefore counteracts the seductive forces of the Evil Inclination.

ספר פרי צדיק קונטרס עת האוכל - אות י

דעיקר היצר רע באכילה כידוע משורש נחש ואמרו ז"ל עץ הדעת חטה היה. ונגדו אכילת מצה נותנת קדושה בכל מאכלי לחם של כל השנה.

[14] Rebbe Nachman explains the Tikun somewhat differently. See Liqutei Halachot Hilchot Netilat Yadayim Shacharit, laws 2 and 5.

ספר ליקוטי הלכות - הלכות נטילת ידים שחרית הלכה ב

 ועקר קדשת האכילה הוא על - ידי הדעת שהוא התגלות ההשגחה. וזה בחינת אכילת מצה בפסח שמגלין ההשגחה על - ידי האכילה דיקא על - ידי שאוכלין מצה כנ"ל. כי אדם הראשון פגם באכילת עץ הדעת טוב ורע. ועץ הדעת טוב ורע זה בחינת חכמת הטבע ששם מערב טוב ורע. והוא דעת דסטרא אחרא פגם הדעת דקדשה. ועקר הפגם היה על - ידי האכילה כי עקר תקון האכילה הוא על - ידי אמונה דיקא בבחינת (תהלים לז) ורעה אמונה כמובא במקום אחר (בסימן ס"ב). כי כשאינו אוכל בקדשה, על - ידי זה נפגם הדעת שהוא בחינת השגחה ונופל לטעות של חכמת הטבע, כמו שכתוב (דברים ח'), "פן תאכל ושבעת ורם לבבך ושכחת את ה' אלהיך וכו'. ואמרת בלבבך כחי ועצם ידי עשה לי וכו'". דהינו שתולה בטבע ח"ו, כאלו הפרנסה בכחו ועצם ידו ואינו מודה בהשגחה. וזה בחינת כחי ועצם ידי, בחינת פגם הידים הנ"ל פגם כ"ח פרקין דידים כ"ח אתון של מעשה בראשית.

[15] Rav Moshe of Cordovero, in the Pardes Rimonim, opines that the word chita (wheat) and the word chet (sin)  are the same.

 ספר פרדס רמונים - שער כג פרק ח

וגם חטה מלשון חטא (בראשית ד ז) לפתח חטאת רובץ (ע' ברכות ס"א). ובזהר (בלק דף קפ"ח ע"ב) פי' חטה ברתא דמתחטאה לקמיה דאבוה ועבד לה רעותא ומאי חטה כללא דכ"ב אתוון עכ"ל והנה בפי' כי כאשר היא כלולה מכ"ב אותיות נקראת חטה. ועוד מלשון געגועין כי היא בת מלך חביבה. ושם פי' כי חטה מלשון מחתה בתי"ו כמו וממחתה כי לא תקרב אליך (ישעיה נד יד), מלשון שברון ע"ש שמשברת כל סטרא דשמאלא בסוד עד דהתגזרת אבן די לא בידין וכו' (דניאל ב). ובתיקונים (תקונא י"ז דף כ"ט:

[16] According to the Zohar, (3:124b) the bitter waters that the people drank at Marah were intended to test the fidelity of each and every Israelite after their slave experience, to purify the community, one household at a time, from the corruption and immorality often engendered by slavery.

זוהר חלק ג דף קכד/ב

מה כתיב, ויבאו מרתה וגו', ויצעק אל יהו"ה וגו', אמר קודשא בריך הוא למשה, משה, מה את בעי, הא כמה חבילין קיימין גבייכו הכא, ואנא בעינא למבדק הכא נשיהון דישראל, כתוב שמא קדישא ורמי למייא, ויבדקון כלהון נשי וגוברין, ולא ישתאר לעז על בני, ועד דיבדקון כלהו הכא, לא אשרי שמי עלייהו:

מיד ויורהו יהו"ה עץ וישלך אל המים, דא שמא קדישא, ההוא דהוה כותב כהנא למבדק נשיהון דישראל, כדין שם שם לו חק ומשפט ושם נסהו:

R. Eleazar adduced here the verse: “And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter.... There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them” (Ex. xv, 23-25). ‘I wonder’, he said, ‘how it is that people take so little trouble to understand the words of the Torah. Here, for example, one should really inquire what is the point of the words “There he made for them... and there he proved them”. But the inward significance of the water mentioned here is this. The Egyptians claimed to be the parents of the children of Israel, and many among the Israelites suspected their wives in the matter. So the Holy One, blessed be He, brought them to that place, where He desired to put them to the test. Thus when Moshe cried to God he was told: Write down the Divine Name, cast it into the water, and let all of them, women and men, be tested, so that no evil report should remain in regard to My children; and until they all be probed I will not cause My Name to rest upon them. Straightway God shewed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters”, the tree being thus identical with the Divine Name the kohen has to write for the testing of the wife of an Israelite. Thus “There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them.  Now it may be asked: This was properly done for the women, but why include the men? But, indeed, the men also had to be probed to show that they had not contaminated themselves with Egyptian women, in the same way as the women had to be probed to show that they had kept themselves uncontaminated by Egyptian men, all the time they were among them. And all, male and female, were proved to be pure, were found to be the seed of Israel, holy and pure.

[17] Had Moshe entered the Land of Israel, it would have been transformed to Paradise and the Messianic Age would have begun.

[18] The Megaleh Amukot writes that the reason Moshe wished to enter Israel, was to re-open access to the Tree of Life.

ספר מגלה עמוקות על ואתחנן - אופן רכט

רצה משה ליכנס לארץ ישראל לתקן חטא אדם הראשון, שמתחילה קודם אדם לא נצטווה רק על עץ הדעת טוב ורע (בראשית ב יז), אבל עץ החיים היה לו רשות לאכול ממנו, לפי שהיה בד' מחיצות של גן עדן, ובלאו הכי היה חי לעולם כמ"ש אני אמרתי אלהים אתם וגו' (תילים תהלים פב [ו]). אבל אחר כך כשאכל מעץ הדעת, נאסר לו אכילת עץ החיים, ונתן הקב"ה את הכרובים את להט החרב לשמור דרך עץ חיים (בראשית ג כד), לכן רצה משה ליכנס לארץ ישראל ולהעביר את הכרובים.

[19] See the comments of the Meshech Chochmah to Sh’mot 23:16, citing a tradition of the Vilna Gaon that the sin of the Golden Calf impacted on the holiday called “Sukkot”. He claims the nature of the holiday was transformed after the sin.

משך חכמה שמות פרק כג פסוק טז

וחג האסיף. וכן ב"כי תשא" (להלן לד, כב). לא כן בדברים (טז, יג) כתיב "חג הסוכות". הטעם על פי דברי הגר"א (שיר השירים ד, טז) כשניתן לוחות השניים ומשה ירד מן ההר וחזרו ענני הכבוד בט"ו לחודש תשרי נצטוו על סוכות כידוע. ולכך, אז קודם דברות שניות נקרא חג האסיף ולא חג הסוכות. ומסולק קושיית ר' חנינא בראש השנה דף יג ע"א יעויין שם והבן, ולא שייך לקרותו חג האסיף על סוכה, ועיין.

 

[20] In the Torah, counting is most often associated with a process of purity. A tradition exist that the counting reflects the 49 levels of impurity that the Jews had sunken to in Egypt; this approach is found exclusively in post- 16^th century sources, originating with the Ariza”l, most probably based on a teaching found in the Zohar 3:97a-b, which connects the seven weeks with the seven days of purification before a women would enter a mikva.

Acharei-Mot/ Kedoshim 5769-In Search of Holiness

Acharei-Mot/ Kedoshim 5769
Rabbi Ari Kahn

In Search of Holiness

Parshat Kedoshim begins with an invitation which includes the entire congregation in a unique directive:

ויקרא פרק יט
(א) וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר:(ב) דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם:
1. And God spoke to Moshe, saying, 2. Speak to all the congregation of the People of Israel, and say to them, 'You shall be holy; for I, The Eternal and Almighty God, am holy.  Vayikra 19:1,2

Instead of the customary “God spoke to Moshe, saying”, the Torah adds the instruction to speak to the entire congregation. Presumably, whatever message is to be shared is of the utmost importance, and concerns the entire congregation. The words that immediately follow are, “you shall be holy…;”, yet the Torah does not define holiness, or even tell us precisely what to do to achieve holiness.

Holiness
There are three possible solutions for this dilemma: First, the concept of holiness has already been defined, and this directive refers to something previously taught to the congregation; second, the concept and precepts of holiness will be taught in the verses which follow. The third possibility requires more careful scrutiny; namely, holiness stands on its own as an independent ethic which operates in the already-familiar framework of Jewish life.

The Ramban,[1] in a celebrated passage in his Commentary on the Torah, argues for this third interpretation. He posits that holiness is an additional dimension realm of performance of existing commandments; in a sense, it is an overarching goal of all commandments. Mitzvot should not be performed in order to provide a perfunctory check on a proverbial checklist. Rather, a mitzvah should be the woof and warp of a profound relationship with God, threads that come together to create a fabric of holiness. The performance of a mitzva should be transformative, helping the individual achieve holiness.

Rashi approaches this passage from a different angle: First, he asks what we can learn about the concept of holiness from the context of this parsha; then, he examines the reason that the entire congregation is involved at this particular juncture.

Rashi looks back to the previous section, and teaches that we must avoid illicit sexual relationships in order to achieve holiness. The section which immediately preceded Kedoshim, the last section of Acharei-Mot, lists the various prohibited sexual unions. This theme connects the two parshiot: The holiness of Kedoshim is achieved by avoiding the relationships taught in Acharei-Mot.

On the other hand, when explaining the reason why the entire People of Israel is gathered, Rashi offers what seems to be a contradictory explanation:

רש"י על ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב
(ב) דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל - (ויקרא רבה. ת"כ) מלמד שנאמרה פרשה זו בהקהל מפני שרוב גופי תורה תלוין בה:

Speak to all the congregation of the People of Israel – This indicates that this was spoken to the entire assembly because the essence of the Torah is dependent on what is taught in this section.

This creates an awkward division between two halves of a verse which otherwise would appear seamless: If the entire nation is gathered to hear something essential, something new - which is not a continuation of the immediately preceding verses, then the commandment to be holy becomes disjointed, disconnected – a dangling modifier of the previous chapter.

Ten Commandments - Repeated
The source of Rashi’s comment is found in the Midrash, where an explanation is provided for what is meant by the “essence” of the Torah.

מדרש רבה ויקרא פרשה כד פסקה ה
תני ר' חייא פרשה זו נאמרה בהקהל מפני שרוב גופי תורה תלויין בה ר' לוי אמר מפני שעשרת הדברות כלולין בתוכה אנכי ה' אלהיך וכתיב הכא אני ה' אלהיכם לא יהיה לך וכתיב הכא ואלהי מסכה לא תעשו לכם לא תשא וכתיב הכא ולא תשבעו בשמי זכור את יום השבת וכתיב הכא את שבתתי תשמורו כבד את אביך ואת אמך וכתיב הכא איש אמו ואביו תיראו לא תרצח וכתיב הכא לא תעמוד על דם רעך לא תנאף וכתיב הכא מות יומת הנואף והנואפת לא תגנוב וכתיב הכא לא תגנובו לא תענה וכתיב הכא לא תלך רכיל לא תחמוד וכתיב הכא ואהבת לרעך
5. R. Hiyya taught: This section was spoken in the presence of a gathering of the whole assembly, because most of the essential principles of the Torah are attached to it. R. Levi said: Because the Ten Commandments are included therein. Thus: (1) I am the Lord thy God (Shmot 20, 2) and here it is written, I am the Lord your God (Vayikra 19, 3); (2) Thou shalt have no other gods (Shmot 20, 3) and here it is written, Nor make to yourselves molten gods (Vayikra 19, 4); (3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain (Shmot 20, 7) and here it is written, And ye shall not swear by My name falsely (Vayikra 19, 12); (4) Remember the sabbath day (Shmot 20, 8) and here it is written, And ye shall keep My sabbaths (Vayikra 19, 3); (5) Honour thy father and thy mother (Shmot 20, 12) and here it is written, Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father (Vayikra 19, 3); (6) Thou shalt not murder (Shmot 20, 13) and here it is written, Neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor (Vayikra 19,16); (7) Thou shalt not commit adultery (Shmot 20, 13) and here it is written, Both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death (Vayikra 20, 10); (8) Thou shalt not steal (Shmot 20, 13) and here it is written, Ye shall not steal (Vayikra 19, 11); (9) Thou shalt not bear false witness (Shmot 20, 13) and here it is written, Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer (Vayikra 19, 16); (10) Thou shalt not covet... any thing that is thy neighbor's (Shmot 20, 14) and here it is written, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Vayikra 19, 18). Midrash Rabbah Vayikra 24:5

Although Rashi quotes only the opinion of Rav Hiya, that essential aspects of the Torah are included in our parsha, Rav Levi's opinion is more specific: This section is a restatement of a very essential aspect of the Torah indeed: the Ten Commandments. There seems to be no contradiction between these two opinions; Rav Levi specifies the essential aspect of the Torah that Rav Hiya refers to generally. How does this impact our discussion of holiness? Apparently Rav Levi understands that the holiness referred to in our verse is achieved by adhering to the laws that follow, “the essential laws of the Torah” – the Ten Commandments.

Identifying Holiness
What bothers Rashi and the Ramban, what bothered the Talmudic scholars before them, is the difficulty in identifying holiness: Despite the centrality of the concept of holiness to Judaism, up until this point of the Torah "holiness" as a concept has been remarkably scarce. The first use of the word is in the context of the Sabbath day, blessed and consecrated by God in the opening chapters of Bereishit. The holiness with which the seventh day has been endowed is theocentric, without a human side or element. Shabbat is holy because God created and God rested; God deemed it holy. Man is not involved, not part of the equation. Only much later in history is man commanded, or even permitted, to take part in the holiness of Shabbat.[2] In this context, holiness is time – oriented, as is the case regarding the various holidays.

In the Book of Shmot, we find holiness related to space: Moshe is told that the land on which he stands is holy[3]. And when Moshe and the Jews break into ecstatic song after the Splitting of the Sea, they express their vision of the Promised Land as a place of holiness:

 ספר שמות פרק טו
(יג) נָחִיתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ עַם זוּ גָּאָלְתָּ נֵהַלְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ אֶל נְוֵה קָדְשֶׁךָ:
You in Your mercy have led forth the people whom You have redeemed; You have guided them in Your strength to Your holy habitation. Sh’mot 15:13

Up to this point, the Jewish People have been given an understanding of the holiness of time and the holiness of place, both stemming from God's involvement in history. Yet in each of these, man is an onlooker, at best. Man may appreciate, benefit, or even partake of these types of holiness, but holiness is external to him. Man himself is not holy, but is given an opportunity to approach holiness. The first time we find holiness connected to man is the law taught in connection with the Exodus, regarding the special status of the firstborn.
שמות פרק יג פסוק ב
קַדֶּשׁ לִי כָל בְּכוֹר פֶּטֶר כָּל רֶחֶם בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָדָם וּבַבְּהֵמָה לִי הוּא:
Sanctify to Me all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the People of Israel, both of man and of beast; it is Mine. Sh’mot 13:2

In this case, holiness is connected to the Plague of the Firstborn, in which the Egyptians were smitten and the Jewish firstborn were spared. The holiness of the firstborn seems less a change of status than the repayment of a debt incurred when their lives were spared. This holiness is not achieved, nor is it an innate quality.

The first instance of the type of holiness discussed in our present parsha appears in God's words to the People of Israel just before giving them the Ten Commandments:

שמות פרק יט
(א) בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי לְצֵאת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּאוּ מִדְבַּר סִינָי:(ב) וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרְפִידִים וַיָּבֹאוּ מִדְבַּר סִינַי וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר:(ג) וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו ה’ מִן הָהָר לֵאמֹר כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב וְתַגֵּיד לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:(ד) אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי לְמִצְרָיִם וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים וָאָבִא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָי:(ה) וְעַתָּה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ בְּקֹלִי וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת בְּרִיתִי וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים כִּי לִי כָּל הָאָרֶץ:(ו) וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר תְּדַבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:
1. In the third month after the People of Israel left the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. 2. For they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the desert of Sinai, and had camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. 3. And Moshe went up to the Almighty God, and the Eternal God called to him from the mountain, saying, 'Thus shall you say to the House of Yaakov, and tell the People of Israel; 4. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Me.5. Now therefore, if you will truly obey My voice, and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own treasure among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine; 6. And you shall be to me a kingdom of kohanim, and a holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the People of Israel.

Holiness of man is connected to keeping the commandments – specifically, the Ten Commandments, the "essentials of Torah". It should therefore come as no surprise that the theme of holiness reappears in Parshat Acharei Mot when the Ten Commandments are reiterated. Quite the contrary: Whereas in Shmot the Ten Commandments are stated, here in Vayikra, the Ten Commandments are explained, expounded upon, the ideas developed and applied. The call to holiness that introduces this section seems most appropriate.

In fact, the concept of holiness is an overarching theme in the book of Vayikra; often referred to as Torat Kohanim, Vayikra is comprised of laws of ritual purity. The commandment to be holy is articulated as early on as Chapter 11, in the context of the prohibition of non - kosher animals:

ויקרא פרק יא
אַל תְּשַׁקְּצוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם בְּכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵץ וְלֹא תִטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם וְנִטְמֵתֶם בָּם:(מד) כִּי אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי וְלֹא תְטַמְּאוּ אֶת נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם בְּכָל הַשֶּׁרֶץ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל הָאָרֶץ:(מה) כִּי אֲנִי ה’ הַמַּעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי:
43. You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled by them. 44. For I am the Eternal, your Almighty God; you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy; nor shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. 45. For I am the Lord that brings you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Vayikra 11:43-45

In Chapter 20, sandwiched between laws pertaining to idolatry and a repetition of laws of illicit relationships, we find holiness once again:

ויקרא פרק כ
(ז) וְהִתְקַדִּשְׁתֶּם וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם: (ח) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם אֲנִי ה’ מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם:
7. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Eternal, your Almighty God. 8. And you shall keep My statutes, and do them; I am the Eternal God who sanctifies you. Vayikra 20:7,8

We have seen, then, that the Book of Vayikra is not unique in its concern with holiness, nor is our present parsha unique in its communal, all-inclusive commandment to be holy. If anything, these insights might bring us to this point in the text even more perplexed than before our survey of the known categories of holiness: We do not understand the source of this holiness, the connection it creates between God and the community, or how to attain this mandated holiness. Our confusion is quickly resolved. The Torah supplies us with practical steps, active measures to help us create this new category of holiness; the laws taught in this section, the commandments that are attached to this commandment to be holy, are considered the essence of Judaism. Within this essential section we find one commandment which is considered the essence of all the others:

רש"י על ויקרא פרק יט פסוק יח
ואהבת לרעך כמוך - אר"ע זה כלל גדול בתורה:
Love your neighbor as yourself – Rabbi Akiva taught: This is the greatest principle of the Torah. Rashi on Vayikra 19:18

While this commandment is clearly central and important, it is unclear how the fulfillment of this commandment brings holiness; it seems to be “only” a question of basic interpersonal behavior, of decency.[4] Additionally, a priori we would have thought that holiness, defined by Rashi[5] as "separateness", would be more aptly expressed in precepts that address man's relationship with God than in a principle of interpersonal conduct.

Standing On One Foot
How does Rabbi Akiva arrive at his conclusion that this is the most central principle of the Torah? It is safe to assume that Rabbi Akiva extrapolated from the famous story of Hillel the Elder's meeting with a potential convert:

תלמוד בבלי שבת לא.
שׁוּב מַעֲשֶׂה בְנָכְרִי אֶחָד שֶׁבָּא לִפְנֵי שַׁמַּאי. אָמַר לוֹ, גָּיְּירֵנִי עַל מְנָת שֶׁתְּלַמְּדֵנִי כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָה כְּשֶׁאֲנִי עוֹמֵד עַל רֶגֶל אַחַת, דְּחָפוֹ בְאַמַּת הַבִּנְיָן שֶׁבְּיָדוֹ. בָּא לִפְנֵי הִלֵּל - גַּיְּירְיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, דַּעֲלָךְ סְנֵי לְחַבְרָךְ לָא תַּעֲבִיד, זוֹ הִיא כָּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָה, וְאִידָךְ - פֵּירוּשָׁא הוּא, זִיל גְּמוֹר.
On another occasion it happened that a certain heathen came before Shammai and said to him, ‘Make me a proselyte, on condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.’ Thereupon he repulsed him with the builders cubit which was in his hand. When (the non-Jew) went before Hillel, the latter said to him, ‘What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor: that is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary; go and learn it. Talmud Bavli Shabbat 31a

While Hillel’s statement is framed in negative language and Rabbi Akiva’s is in the positive, they seem sufficiently similar to convince us that Rabbi Akiva's source is Hillel's teaching.

Be that as it may, Hillel's response is neither simple nor easily understood. It is more minimalistic than the approach of Rabbi Akiva, for Rabbi Akiva's statement engenders action, whereas Hillel instructs only passive behavior, avoiding what is distasteful.[6]

In fact, Shammai's response may actually have been the correct one – despite the fact that a rather negative reputation has been developed for Shammai and his school, who were seen as intolerant and impatient in this case. Indeed, we have every reason to believe that Shammai was a wonderful person, a welcoming and sociable scholar. His favorite phrase[7], his watchwords, are recorded in the Ethics of the Fathers as follows:

משנה מסכת אבות פרק א משנה טו
שמאי אומר עשה תורתך קבע אמור מעט ועשה הרבה והוי מקבל את כל האדם בסבר פנים יפות:
15. Shammai used to say: Make thy [study of the] Torah [a matter of] established [regularity]; speak little, but do much; and receive all men with a pleasant countenance.

Perhaps we should see Shammai's response not as an expression of antipathy towards a man in need, but as a defense of the honor of Torah and Judaism. Shammai clearly felt that the very question was impudent and insulting; to attempt to sum up any religion or system of thought in a few sentences is chutzpah. For this reason, the Talmud specifies that Shammai rebuffed this impudence "with the builder's cubit”, a critical tool in construction of solid buildings. Any sturdy edifice needs a good foundation; Shammai's lesson seems to be, if you stand on one foot you will soon fall down. A building built on one foot will not stand; a philosophical and religious education requires dedication, real study, real open-minded enquiry. Therefore, Shammai chastises the fellow with a builders' tool: Learn Torah properly; do not settle for fleeting "sound bites". Start with the essential foundations and build upon them systematically. Conversely, it is hard to believe that any Jewish court would accept a convert whose only knowledge of Jewish thought is expressed by Hillel's three-word-long axiom; surely Hillel’s parting words – “the rest is commentary, go and learn” are, in terms of the potential conversion, more important than the elevated thought which precedes them.

Your True Friend
How does this help us to understand the relationship of loving one's neighbor to the central topic of the discussion, the holiness of the community?[8] We may find an answer in Rashi's comments on this Talmudic story. When Rashi explains Hillel's statement, “what is distasteful to your friend (chavercha),” Rashi writes:

רש"י שבת לא.
דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד – ריעך וריע אביך אל תעזוב (משלי כז) זה הקדוש ברוך הוא, אל תעבור על דבריו שהרי עליך שנאוי שיעבור חבירך על דבריך…
'Your friend (neighbor) and your father’s friend (neighbor) do not abandon (Mishlei 27);' this refers to God. Do not go against His word, just as it is distasteful to you when your friend goes against your words…Rashi Talmud Bavli Shabbat 31a

By citing a verse in Mishlei, Rashi brings God into the equation which otherwise would have referred only to the relationship between two people. Hillel uses the word chaverecha, your friend, whereas Rashi introduces a similar but not identical word to describe this relationship – re'echa. In this way, Rashi opens a window to his own understanding of Hillel's statement: the Torah verse "Ve'ahavta lre'acha kamocha"- Love you re'ah as yourself – was on Hillel's mind when he formulated this as a central principle of Torah. In fact, this is Hillel's explication of that Biblical verse: The shift of language between haver and re'ah serves to include commandments between man and man as well as commandments between man and God – all in one short statement.

Neither Rashi nor Hillel took undue liberties when choosing their words. Their inclusion of God in this principle is not at all forced or far-fetched once we recall that the Biblical verse does not end with the words “as yourself”; rather, the conclusion of the verse is, “I am God”. God is part of the equation. God is involved in the man-to-man relationship. God is manifest when neighbors and friends get along, when people treat one another with mutual respect and caring. The "greatest principle of the Torah", then, must be read as a rejoinder to behave towards one another in a manner that brings God into our personal and collective lives. This is the path to holiness; indeed, loving your neighbor as yourself becomes the epitome of holiness. The centrality of this brotherly love is such that we would expect to find this element at Sinai itself; as we shall see, the concept of "ve'ahavta l're'acha kamocha" is, indeed, evident at Sinai, though not in as explicit a form as the statement here in Vayikra.


Dayenu!
At the Pesach seder, as we recount God's many acts of kindness to us, one of the more curious statements is, “Had we been brought close to Mount Sinai and not been given the Torah – Dayenu, - it would have been enough." Yet what value would the encampment at the foot of Mount Sinai have had without the Revelation for which that encampment prepared us? What is the value of being near the mountain – if not to receive the Torah?[9]

The description of the scene at the foot of Mount Sinai includes a textual oddity which is difficult to detect in translation:

שמות פרק יט
(ב) וַיִּסְעוּ מֵרְפִידִים וַיָּבֹאוּ מִדְבַּר סִינַי וַיַּחֲנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר וַיִּחַן שָׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶגֶד הָהָר:
2. For they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the desert of Sinai, and had camped in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.” Sh’mot 19:2

Each verb in this verse is conjugated in the plural, with the exception of the encampment at the mountain, which is conjugated in the singular. They encamped as one. At the foot of the mountain, the Jewish people found unity.

רש"י שמות פרק יט פסוק ב
ויחן שם ישראל - כאיש אחד בלב אחד, אבל שאר כל החניות בתרעומת ובמחלוקת:
Insert translation: And Israel camped there: As one man with one heart…
Unity and love are mandated by the Tenth Commandment (as taught by Rav Levi), but the Revelation itself was predicated on the unity that the People of Israel displayed at the foot of Mount Sinai. More than just an introduction to the giving of the Ten Commandments, the Revelation was all about unity.[10] When this unity was fractured, the results were catastrophic: When there is no appreciation of kedushat ha'adam – holiness of man, kedushat hamakom – the holiness of place- is lost. The Mishkan and the Beit HaMikdash, which housed the holiness of Sinai, could not endure without the unity of Sinai.[11] Our service of God is predicated on our love for one another. For this reason, we preface our morning prayers with a statement of our willingness to accept upon ourselves the commandment to love our neighbors.

The idea of loving our fellow man is expressed by the verse “Love your neighbor as yourself”. The expression of our love of God is the Shma: “Hear O Israel, the Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One," followed by the verse "Ve'ahavta et Hashem" . Both of these statements, the foundation stones of our faith, are profoundly intertwined in the life of Rabbi Akiva -- the same Rabbi Akiva who established that loving one's fellow man was "the most important essential principle of the Torah", and the very same Rabbi Akiva who died with the final word of the Shma on his lips – "echad", One.
Rebbi Nachman of Breslov notes that there are 49 letters in the first two lines of Shma ("Shma" and "Baruch Shem"). These represent the 49 days of the Omer, the days between Pesach and Shavuot when the Jewish People march toward Mount Sinai to accept the Torah. This spiritual journey is arduous; it is made of hard work on our interpersonal relationships, for we cannot receive Torah until we are unified. Until we have ahava, (love) for one another, we cannot declare God as One – Ehad (One). The Hebrew word ahava has a numerical value of 13, equal to the numerical value of the word Ehad.[12] The parallel is instructive: One who truly loves God will love[13]. Rabbi Akiva was such a person; such was his love of God, and so his love of all mankind.[14]
The main symbols of our relationship with God are intertwined with the symbols of unity: The Beit HaMikdash was built in the area which united the Twelve Tribes, and within the Beit Hamikdash stood the Keruvim, a physical representation of the love between God and the Jewish People. The hands of the Keruvim were raised toward heaven, representing our love of God, but they faced one another, representing our love for one another. When the Jewish People ignored the Word of God, ignored holiness, the Keruvim turned their backs to one another. Most significantly for our discussion, the Keruvim stood on one foot: While focused on one another and on Heaven simultaneously, they did not fall. Perhaps we, too, can learn the entire Torah while standing on one foot – by behaving like the Keruvim, focused both on heaven and our fellow man.
[1] See Ramban Vayikra 19:2
רמב"ן ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב
והענין כי התורה הזהירה בעריות ובמאכלים האסורים והתירה הביאה איש באשתו ואכילת הבשר והיין, א"כ ימצא בעל התאוה מקום להיות שטוף בזמת אשתו או נשיו הרבות, ולהיות בסובאי יין בזוללי בשר למו, וידבר כרצונו בכל הנבלות, שלא הוזכר איסור זה בתורה, והנה יהיה נבל ברשות התורה:
לפיכך בא הכתוב, אחרי שפרט האיסורים שאסר אותם לגמרי, וצוה בדבר כללי שנהיה פרושים מן המותרות. ימעט במשגל, כענין שאמרו (ברכות כב א) שלא יהיו תלמידי חכמים מצויין אצל נשותיהן כתרנגולין, ולא ישמש אלא כפי הצריך בקיום המצוה ממנו. ויקדש עצמו מן היין במיעוטו, כמו שקרא הכתוב (במדבר ו ה) הנזיר קדוש, ויזכור הרעות הנזכרות ממנו בתורה בנח ובלוט. וכן יפריש עצמו מן הטומאה, אע"פ שלא הוזהרנו ממנה בתורה, כענין שהזכירו (חגיגה יח ב) בגדי עם הארץ מדרס לפרושים, וכמו שנקרא הנזיר קדוש (במדבר ו ח) בשמרו מטומאת המת גם כן. וגם ישמור פיו ולשונו מהתגאל ברבוי האכילה הגסה ומן הדבור הנמאס, כענין שהזכיר הכתוב (ישעיה ט טז) וכל פה דובר נבלה, ויקדש עצמו בזה עד שיגיע לפרישות, כמה שאמרו על רבי חייא שלא שח שיחה בטלה מימיו:
באלו ובכיוצא בהן באה המצוה הזאת הכללית, אחרי שפרט כל העבירות שהן אסורות לגמרי, עד שיכנס בכלל זאת הצוואה הנקיות בידיו וגופו, כמו שאמרו (ברכות נג ב) והתקדשתם אלו מים ראשונים, והייתם קדושים אלו מים אחרונים, כי קדוש זה שמן ערב. כי אע"פ שאלו מצות מדבריהם, עיקר הכתוב בכיוצא בזה יזהיר, שנהיה נקיים וטהורים ופרושים מהמון בני אדם שהם מלכלכים עצמם במותרות ובכיעורים:
[2] Bereishit 2:1-3
בראשית פרק ב
(א) וַיְכֻלּוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וְכָל צְבָאָם:(ב) וַיְכַל אֱלֹקִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה: (ג) וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקִים אֶת יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא אֱלֹקִים לַעֲשׂוֹת: פ
[3] Sh’mot 3:5
שמות פרק ג
(ה) וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם שַׁל נְעָלֶיךָ מֵעַל רַגְלֶיךָ כִּי הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עוֹמֵד עָלָיו אַדְמַת קֹדֶשׁ הוּא:
5. And He said,' Do not come any closer; take off your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.'
[4] See Rav Zadok, Hakohen in Pri zadik Kedoshim, section 11, and Kli Yakar Vayikra 19:18
ספר פרי צדיק פרשת קדושים - אות יא
והנה אמרו ז"ל [בתורת כהנים ומובא ברש"י] ואהבת לרעך כמוך זה כלל גדול בתורה, ומה שייכות זה לכלל כל התורה הלוא היא רק מצוה שבין אדם לחברו. ובגמרא (שבת לא.) בגר שבא להתגייר שילמדו כל התורה כולה על רגל אחת ואמרו לו דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד פירש"י ז"ל לחברך זה הקדוש ברוך הוא,
כלי יקר על ויקרא פרק יט פסוק יח
ואהבת לרעך כמוך. ארז"ל זה כלל גדול בתורה. ובמס' (שבת לא.) מעשה בההוא גר שאמר למדני כל התורה כשאני עומד על רגל אחד ולמדו הלל פסוק ואהבת לרעך כמוך כל דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד ואידך פירושא זיל גמור. וכפי הנראה שהגר היה גר צדק ולא היה מהתל התולים לומר בדרך שחוק שילמדו כל התורה בעוד שהוא עומד על רגל אחד ממש, אלא ודאי בקש ממש שיעמיד לו כל מצות התורה על יסוד אחד דהיינו רגל אחד אשר עליו יעמיד לו כל המצות כדי שלא יבא לידי שכחה המצויה בגר אשר לא למד מנעוריו כלום ממצות התורה, ע"כ בקש ממנו שימסור לו כלל אחד הכולל כל התורה ועל דרך המליצה אמר כשאני עומד על רגל אחד, וכוונתו למסור לו דבר הנאמר מהרה בלשון קצר והיינו ג"כ יסוד ורגל אחד וע"י שיזכור כלל זה יזכור את כל מצות ה':
ולמדו פסוק ואהבת לרעך כמוך אני ה', כי כבר ארז"ל (מכות כד.) בא חבקוק והעמידן על אחת שנאמר וצדיק באמונתו יחיה (חבקוק ב ד) וזה אינו סותר דברי הלל כי כל מצות התורה הם על שני סוגים האחד הוא, המצות שבין אדם למקום ב"ה ויסוד לכולם האמונה בה' השני הוא, המצות שבין אדם לחבירו ויסוד לכלם פסוק ואהבת לרעך כמוך. ומטעם זה היו הכרובים פורשים כנפים למעלה מחוי כלפי מעלה כנגד המצות שבין אדם למקום, ופניהם איש אל אחיו כנגד המצות שבין איש לחבירו, וכשאמר כאן על רגל אחד היינו יסוד אחד לכל סוג וע"כ אמר לו פסוק ואהבת לרעך כמוך ועל רגל זה העמיד לו כל המצות שבין אדם לחבירו, ואמר לו גם סוף הפסוק אני ה' דהיינו היסוד שעליו העמיד חבקוק כל מצות התורה והיינו האמונה בה', ומאמר אני ה' דוגמת דבור אנכי הכולל כל דברות ראשונות שבין אדם למקום ב"ה וחותם לכולם כבוד או"א כי מסוף דברו ניכר שראש דברו אמת, יען כי יוקח ק"ו מן כיבוד אב ואם אל כיבוד השותף הג' ית' שמו הלא הוא אביך קנך:

[5] As we saw above, Rashi states that holiness is defined by separateness from sexual sins. See his commentary to Vayikra 19:2, also see the comments of the Ramban, who notes that the Sifri makes a general correlation between holiness and separateness.
רש"י על ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב
קדושים תהיו - הוו פרושים מן העריות ומן העבירה (ויקרא רבה) שכל מקום שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה אתה מוצא קדושה:
רמב"ן על ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב
קדושים תהיו - הוו פרושים מן העריות ומן העבירה, שכל מקום שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה אתה מוצא קדושה, לשון רש"י אבל בתורת כהנים (פרשה א ב) ראיתי סתם, פרושים תהיו וכן שנו שם (שמיני פרק יב ג), והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים כי קדוש אני, כשם שאני קדוש כך אתם תהיו קדושים, כשם שאני פרוש כך אתם תהיו פרושים:
[6] The negative formulation may be in line with the teaching cited above in the name of Rav Levi (Midrash Rabbah Vayikra 24:5), where he showed that the teachings of Parshat Kedoshim are parallel to the Ten Commandments. The teaching which is aligned with “Love your Neighbor” is not to covet anything of your fellow man, a negative formulation.
“Thou shalt not covet... any thing that is thy neighbor's (Shmot. 20, 14) and here it is written, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Vayikra 19, 18).”
[7] The teachings included in Avot were the favorite statements of each particular Sage. See Yehoshua Heshel HaLevi of Vilna in Shoresh Davar, p.8, which is his introduction to his Ma'ayanei haYeshua.
[8] The Targum (pseudo) Yonatan incorporates Hillel's dictum in his commentary to the verse “Love your neighbor as yourself”.
כתר יונתן ויקרא פרק יט פסוק יח
… ותאהב לחברך, שמה אתה שׂנוא לך, לא תעשׂה לו אני ה':
[9] For a more extensive discussion of this idea, see my Notes on Parshat Yitro, 5769.
[10] See Sfat Emet Parshat Bhar 5641.
שפת אמת ספר ויקרא - פרשת בהר - שנת [תרמ"א]
הענין הוא כמאמר חז"ל ואהבת לרעך כמוך זה כלל גדול בתורה שהתורה ניתנה לכלל בנ"י שהיו באחדות כמ"ש ויחן שם ישראל פרש"י בלב א'.

[11] See Ramban Sh’mot 40:34
רמב"ן שמות פרק מ פסוק לד
(לד) ויכס הענן את אהל מועד - אמר כי הענן יכסה את האהל מכל צד והוא מכוסה וטמון בו. וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן - כי תוכו מלא הכבוד, כי הכבוד שוכן בתוך הענן תוך המשכן, כענין שנאמר בהר סיני (לעיל כ יז) אל הערפל אשר שם האלהים.
[12] See Liqutei Halachot, Laws of Bircot Hashachar - 5.
ספר ליקוטי הלכות - הלכות ברכת השחר הלכה ה
שמע וברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד הם מ"ט אותיות. כ"ה וכ"ד, בחינת מ"ט ימי הספירה…
ואז סופרין המ"ט ימים הנ"ל וכנ"ל, ועל - כן מתו כ"ד אלף תלמידי רבי עקיבא בימי העמר (יבמות סב) כ"ד דיקא כי לא המתיקו הכ"ד בתי דינים. והעקר מחמת שלא היה בהם אהבה שהוא בגימטריא אחד, כי אי אפשר להכלל שם כי אם על - ידי אהבה ואחדות שבישראל, כי אחדות שבישראל הוא אחדותו יתברך בחינת אתה אחד ושמך אחד ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ וכו'

[13] See Rav Tzadok M’Lublin Maamar Kedushat Hashabbat Maamar 5
ספר פרי צדיק מאמר קדושת שבת - מאמר ה
כי זהו שורש חיות הלב הישראלי בלב חכם לימינו וכמו שאיתא בשיר השירים רבה על פסוק ולבי ער, דהקב"ה לבן של ישראל כמו שכתוב צור לבבי. וצור הוא החוזק והתוקף שבלב היהודי שלא ינתק אפילו נוטלין את נפשו או יהודי או צלוב. וזה שאומרים אחר יחודא תתאה דברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד ואהבת וגו', בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך דאז מתיחדים כל חלקי לבבו ונפשו להיות דבוקים רק באהבת השם יתברך. ועל זה אמר בבראשית רבה ואהבת לרעך כמוך כלל גדול בתורה. ובפרק במה מדליקין דעלך סני לחברך לא תעביד זהו כל התורה כולה ואידך פירושה. ופירש רש"י דלחברך קאי אהקב"ה דכתיב רעך וריע אביך. ומכל מקום אין יוצא מפשטיה ריעך ממש גם כן והכל אחד, כי מי שאוהב השם יתברך בכל לבבו ובכל נפשו ובכל מאודו להתאחד שורש נפשו במקורה. היא מתאחדת ממילא גם כן עם כל הנפשות דישראל שהוא שורש הכנסת ישראל שהם קומה אחת שלימה ברזא דהאדם היה כאחד כיחודו של עולם יחיד בתחתונים. דקודם החטא היה בו רק שורש הקדושה דנפשות הקדושות דכנסת ישראל. רק אחר שעירבב טוב ורע נכנס בו כוחות חיצונים שמהם נשתלשלו נפשות עכו"ם שיצאו גם כן מזרעו:

[14] It is important to note that in Pirkei Avot (3:14) Rabbi Akiva teaches: The reason man is to be loved – is because he was created in the image of God.
משנה מסכת אבות פרק ג משנה יד
הוא היה אומר חביב אדם שנברא בצלם.

Tazria Metzorah 5769

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