Rabbi Ari Kahn
Parashat Acharei Mot 5776
A Holy, Delicate Land
Perhaps reading the parasha from a post-Pesach
perspective impacts what we see, but there are one or two comments in this
week’s parasha that are particularly apt for this time of year - after the seder,
when all of us felt as if we had been redeemed from Egypt.
The book of Vayikra is almost completely
devoid of chronological and geographical reference points, giving the book a
certain feel of timelessness. Nonetheless, we do know that the context, both
geographically and historically, is somewhere between Egypt and the Promised
Land:
Do not follow the
ways of the Land of Egypt where you lived, nor of the Land of Canaan, where I
will be bringing you. Do not follow [any] of their customs. (Vayikra 18:3)
As an introduction to a set of laws that
create a new morality, the Torah warns against the practices of these depraved
nations, and then proceeds to list forbidden sexual relations and practices. At
the end of the list, an additional consideration is introduced: Not only are
these behaviors wrong from the Torah’s perspective, but the Land of Israel –
the Holy Land - cannot tolerate depravity of this sort:
Do not let
yourselves be defiled by any of these acts. It was as a result of these
behaviors that the nations that I am driving away before you became defiled.
The land became defiled, and I held them responsible for the sins committed
there, and the Land vomited out its inhabitants…The people who lived in
the land before you did all these disgusting perversions and defiled the land.
But [you shall not cause] the land to vomit you out by defiling it, as
it vomited out the nation that was there before you. (Vayikra 18:24-28)
There is a price to be paid for holiness;
the spiritual constitution of the Land of Israel cannot tolerate sin –
certainly not certain types of sin. It was this profound holiness, reflected in
the laws unique to the Land of Israel (particularly the agricultural laws,
designed to create a more caring and cohesive society) that scared off many a
settler throughout the centuries. “Am I on a high enough spiritual level,” they
wondered, “to live in such a holy place?” They additional laws, and the more
exacting level of Divine scrutiny, were frightening. After all, this land is described
as a place of unique character and characteristics:
The land you are
about to occupy is not like Egypt, the place you left, where you could plant
seeds and irrigate it by yourself, like a vegetable garden. Rather, the land
which you are crossing into is a land of mountains and valleys, which can be
irrigated only by the rain. It is therefore a land constantly under Almighty God’s
scrutiny; the eyes of the Almighty your God are on it at all times, from the
beginning of the year until the end of the year. (Dvarim 11:10-12)
God’s constant scrutiny is daunting; who
could possibly live under such pressure? Who would willingly subject themself
to that? Nonetheless, the tradeoff – the opportunity to live in “God’s palace,”
to be close to the Divine, seems like an offer one cannot possibly refuse.
Those who make that leap, those who cross
over and settle in the Promised Land, may be tempted see others in a harsh,
critical light, and to hold them up to impossibly high standards: “Perhaps they
are unworthy, perhaps they will cause all of us to be expelled.” Such
self-righteous posturing was anticipated years ago by a famous Kabbalist, Rabbi
Avraham Azzulai. Looking back at the verses in this week’s parashah, Rabbi
Azzulai drew the opposite conclusion regarding the “others” who live in this
land, those perceived as not that holy enough or deserving enough:
And you should
know that every person who lives in the Land of Israel is considered a tzaddik
(righteous person), including those who do not appear to be tzaddikim. For
if he was not righteous, the land would expel him, as it says “a land that
vomits out its inhabitants.” Since the land did not vomit him out, he is
certainly righteous, even though he appears to be wicked. (Rabbi Avraham
Azzulai, Hesed l’Avraham, ma’ayan 3 nahar 12)
The Land of
Israel is indeed a holy land, and when we look at ourselves, each of us
should make sure that we live up to God’s standards. In order to merit living
in the Holy Land, we must reject the sordid behavior of the Egyptians and the
Canaanites, and follow the way of God. However, when we look at others,
we must never question their right to be in the Holy Land. The fact that
the land “tolerates” their presence is proof enough that they are deserving,
and holy.
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