We’re going to share a number of thoughts that we find in Parshas Emor, and at first it may feel like they’re out of place or not at the right time because it’s not yom tov. Yamim Tovim are not, necessarily, subject to the time of the year they appear. For example, we just had Pesach. It has a specific date in the Torah, but the lessons of Pesach are ones that could apply at all times. In fact, we think about Yetiyas Mitzrayim and what Pesach represents throughout the whole year, but Pesach is an extra time.  It’s a z’man sh’yeish matza u’maror munachim lifanecha, and we specifically do the mitzvos of that yom tov. Same thing with Succos, Shavuos,Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. All these Yomim Tovim have dates, but their lessons can apply equally throughout the year.

2) Chometz or Honey

The pasuk (Vayikrah 23:17) tells us that all the korbanos that we brought, generally, ones that were brought on the mizbeiach were not ones that were made out of devash, honey, or chometz there as well. Ramban makes a comment as to why chometz would not be allowed on the mizbeiach. What also needs to be explained, and, perhaps, we’ll be able to do this, is that, although most of the breads that were brought in the Beis HaMikdash were not chametz, but when a person brought a Todah, an offering of Thanksgiving to Hashem for one of the four things that he was saved from, he actually had to bring a number of challos that were made out of chametz.  

Spoiled and Din

Ramban says that the word chometz comes from the word chometz, vinegar. It means spoiled, and it’s middas hadin. It’s din because it’s fermented and bad. Hashem doesn’t want things that are being brought as korbanos, which are trying to be mamtik the din, they are trying to calm down any din against us. A korban is something that a person gives as a sacrifice and imagines themselves begin brought. When he watches this animal being slaughtered; it’s supposed to inspire him for teshuva, to repent. We don’t want to bring something on the mizbeiach that hints to middas hadin.

Honey is an Extremity

So too, says the Ramban, we don’t want to bring things that are freakish, strange or weird.  That’s why honey is prohibited also because honey is just so sweet, and, therefore, it’s an extremity. Hashem doesn’t want the extremity. He wants devarim hamezugim. He wants things that are balanced. Not only that, but he says it’s a hint that just like when Hashem created the world there was middas din; Hashem created the world, originally, in din, there’s also middas rachamim. There’s also kindness, and Hashem put the two together, and that’s how he created the world.  So, we don’t want the extremity of chametz, which is din, and we don’t want the extremity of chesed, but, rather, we want rachamim.  Something which is a function of both.

“Smol Dochek Yemin Mikareiv”

From an educational standpoint we talk about that parents don’t want to be too strict, but they also don’t want to be too lenient because they have to educate, they also have to love.  Now, it’s true that in our generation we probably are usually better off airing on the side caution and being more loving and caring, but, nevertheless, there’s still a concept of “smol dochek” and “yemin mikareiv”.  

3) Shavuos Offering

Ramban says what’s interesting is that for Shavuous, which is Yom Matan Torah, there we do have a korban todah which is brought, why? Ramban explains that it’s a yom atzeres and “hamaskil yavin”. I don’t claim to be the maskil that understands that, but what Rav Chaim Shevel, on the bottom brings down, is just an interesting thought about Shavuos based on the Rakanti. A Korbon Todah is made up of both Chometz and Matza. On Atzeres you have to thank Hashem for giving us the Torah, and, therefore, the korban should be a Todah, a Thanksgiving Offering to Hashem with both matza and chometz. The Shtei Halechem were also made out of chometz, but the mincha was made out of matza. What does this mean?

Mekadeish the Extremities

With Torah a person can subdue his yetzer hara, and he could take the extremities of life and live according to the Torah. Hashem wants us to take the chometz of our life and turn it into matza, for us to purify ourselves. He wants us to tame ourselves, and to become subservient to him, and, so too, when a person brings a Todah, he’s able to bring this extremity of chametz, and be mekadeish it because he’s so grateful for what Hashem did for him; Hashem saved him and Hashem changed his life, and so now he has a new insight that he’s able to connect with Hashem and to say thank you, and to even take things that are chametz and to sanctify them as well.

4) Rosh Hashana as Yom Din B’Rachamim; Yom Kippur as Yom Rachamim B’Din

Ramban (23:26) talks about the difference between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He makes a very famous comment which is based on the Zohar and other sources. Rosh Hashana is a Yom Din B’Rachamim.  It’s a day of judgment in mercy. Yom Kippur is a Yom Rachamim b’Din, a day of mercy in judgement. What does that mean?

Rosh Hashana Judgement

My understanding is as follows: On Rosh Hashana, the main thing is din. Hashem created the world in din. That’s hayom haras olam; today the world was created.  But, the world wasn’t able to stand with just din, so Hashem was mishtateif rachamim, he added mercy. Therefore, what Hashem tries to do on that day is that He gives us the opportunity of “min hameitzar karasi kah”  we call out to Hashem from the straights, from a place of din, from the small crack of the shofar.  The area that we blow the shofar, that we put our mouths on, the smallest area. Things are stressed and limited.  That’s din.  But, yet from that call, the shofar calls out and awakens us to teshuva and our sound emanates from the other end which is wide and full of chesed. So fundamentally, it’s a day of din, but Hashem is mishtateif rachamim, and says: please be me’oreir my rachamim, so that I could give you a good gezeira. It is a day of din because the king is being coronated and you need to be able to stand up in front of the King and prove your value to let the king know why he should keep you in His service.

Yom Kippur Forgiveness

Whereas, Yom Kippur, the main thing is rachamim.  Hashem says: I just want to forgive you.  But, nevertheless, Hashem says: You have to do something.  Yes, it’s true there are some tana’im who hold that “itzumo shel yom is mechapeir”, but, certainly, even with that opinion, it’s a beautiful, amazing thing, but it’s still mechapeir, but a person could still enhance that even, according to that opinion, could certainly enhance that with teshuva.

Hashem says: The main thing of the day is rachamim.  I want to forgive you; I want to forgive all your aveiros.  Of course, there’s still din because there’s still expectations of life and what the king expects of you. It’s not a free for all.  But, a person that turns to Hashem in these two days, of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Aseres Yemei Teshuva in between, it’s such a powerful thing. So too, we should just know in life, not just on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and in Elul, a person always has the opportunity to turn to Hashem and say: I know that You judge the world with din; I know that you judge the world with rachamim, so please forgive me.  I understand that there’s a din and there’s a dayan, and I understand that You want to have rachamim, and I want to turn to You with teshuva.      

The Challenge

The yetzer hara likes us to believe that yeah, there’s a din against us, and, therefore, it’s hopeless. That’s how he tries to prevent us from doing teshuva. When he’s trying to convince us to do an aveira, he tells us: Hashem forgives you.  It’s fine.  But, that’s why the Mishna says, “haomer echtah v’ashuv”.  If a person says: I’m going to sin and repent, Hashem says: I’m not going to give you the opportunity to repent because that’s not what I’m looking for.  Hashem is not looking for us to do bad things and then repent.  But, of course, anyone who does any aveira, even that aveira, the sefarim say, he could still repent.  But, the idea is that we should, of course, try to improve ourselves before we get to that point.

5) Sukkos and Shavuos

Ramban (23:36) talks about a very famous concept of Chol HaMoed. Hashem was mekadeish the Yom HaShemini, and the Ramban explains, al pi kabballah, that “atzeres he” is very significant.  He says that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, and that’s Shabbos, but Knesses Yisrael, the Jewish people are the ben zuggo of Shabbos.  All the other days are matched up: Sunday with Monday and Tuesday with Wednesday and Thursday with Friday.  Shabbos has Klal Yisrael. Yom HaShemini, the eight day, comes after that. It is the level of pure holiness and connection to Hashem. After you match up and Klal Yisrael connects, then you get Shavuos, and so, the Ramban says that the first seven days of Pesach, the first seven days of the Yom tov, but the eighth day, so to speak, of the Yom Tov is Shavuos.

Days In Between

Shavuos is 50 days after Pesach. Ramban says those days between Pesach and Shavuos are like a Chol HaMoed. Really there’s a beautiful connection between Pesach and Shavuos. They are one long holiday of going out of Egypt and accepting the Torah to become servants of Hashem.

What’s the purpose of Chol HaMoed? We try not to work and instead we spend time learning and with our families. The Yerushalmy says that the purpose of Chol HaMoed in general is to spend time with your family and to spend more time learning.  So, this is the time period of the year where we need to be working on ourselves.  The talmidim of Rebbi Akiva died because they weren’t nohagim kavod zeh bazeh.  It means because Torah wasn’t impacting them.  It wasn’t turning them into different people.  It wasn’t making them better people

Ramban explains al pi remez, that’s what “Shmini regel bifnei atzmo hu” means. It really refers to Shemini Atzeres for Succos, but it’s hinting that there’s actually a Shemini Atzeres, a second days after Pesach called Shavuos as well! It’s interesting because they (Simchas Torah/Shemin Atzeres and Shavuos) are both a form of matan Torah.

6) Succos - Hashem Takes Care

Ramban (23:43) talks about the succah. What’s this zicaron, this memory “ki b’succos hoshavti es Bnei Yisrael”?  You’re supposed to remember that Hashem put us in succos.  What is that?  You should always know that the Jews were in the midbar. The Jews weren’t in a settled land for forty years.  “Hashem hayah imahem. Lo chaser davar.” Hashem was taking care of them.  They never lacked anything. 

That’s the entire yesod about what Succos is all about.  Succos is to recognize that Hashem is taking care of us. “Ki yitzpineini b’succo.”  A person should know that Hashem is always taking care of us, and always watching over us. That’s the lesson. The Jews were there for forty years, but they weren’t missing anything. They had their own drycleaning system that Hashem provided them with. They had the mann, their food and the be’er for water.  They had protection.  They had clothing that grew with them.  They never had any problem.  They didn’t have to go to the bathroom. If they only ate mann, they never had to go to the bathroom. It had full nutrients and no waste. We are told to remember how the Jews were living, with such a deep connection to Hashem. This is very inspiring.

So, I hope that we’ll take these ideas of the Yomim Tovim and, first of all, apply them at the appropriate Yom Tov.  But, more importantly, let them enhance our lives, even today.

-

Rabbi Yosef Tropper is a rav and psychotherapist. Learn more and subscribe at ParshaThemes.com