Iyar 10, 5784 / May 17-18, 2024
Torah: Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31
-------------------------------------------------------
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah and a speedy and safe return of all the hostages being held by Hamas.
This d’var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for all who have been wounded in the terrorist attacks and in fighting against the terrorists, as well as innocent non-combatants caught in the crossfire.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lunch and Learn meets Mondays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. NO Lunch and Learn on May 20. We will resume on May 27 (yes, Memorial Day), and we'll be at BT Shabbat 152b, page 211of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 1:
'...א"ר אבוהו כל שאומרים בפני המת'
"R. Abuhu said: "Whatever is said in the presence of a dead body..."
Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at: https://hebrewbooks.org/9630
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at:
Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at:
------------------------------------------------------
Please pass this on to a friend - and please cite the source.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SPEAKING AND SAYING
And the Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the priests the sons of Aaron, and say to them, 'None may be defiled for the dead among his people.'" Leviticus 21:1
Rashi, quoting B. Talmud Yevamot 114a: "Speak" and "say" - to admonish the big ones regarding the little ones.
Porachat Altah Nitzah: This is to warn leaders (literally, "those standing at the head of the people") to make themselves small, so that they do not step on the heads of this holy people, that they not be prideful and lord it over the people. (Commentary quoted in Itturei Torah)
Our commentators see in the linguistic redundancy a hint at something more. Rebbe Elimelekh of Lizhensk (1717 - 1787) is even more forceful. He suggests that the more powerful and influential one is, the more scrupulous one needs to be about even the least significant obligation or character fault. (Quoted in Itturei Torah).
All our commentators are describing the same thing: leaders who practice ego reduction. Talk about great expectations!
More and more frequently, it seems, we hear political leaders, captains of industry and other powerful figures in our society tell us we must "tighten our belts" even as they make excuses for their excesses (that necessitated the belt tightening!) and justify them as entitlements that come with their positions. Even worse, they all too frequently demand sacrifices of others while carving out exemptions from those sacrifices for themselves and their friends. In Porachat Altah Nitzah's terms, they "lord it over the people."
Lord Acton wrote: "Historic responsibility has to make up for the want of legal responsibility. Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He might have been referring to this week's parashah - the unbridled exercise of power causes one to be defiled, one whose sacrifices (and good works) are thereby unacceptable to God, one whose soul can be irreparably damaged.
We need leaders - but we need leaders who understand and respect their limits (personal and legal), and who accept full responsibility for their actions and the actions of those they employ. How much more so as we in the United States go deeper into this year’s political season, and all that is riding on the upcoming elections. Authority without limit or responsibility is a license to do unmitigated damage. When will we ever "get it"?
Perhaps we should begin by demanding more accountability and some humility by reminding our "leaders" that they are actually servants of their constituencies! (h/t John Echeto for this idea)
Speak to our leaders, and say to them.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom
Rabbi Emeritus, Temple B’nai Hayim
"From the place where we are absolutely right, flowers will never grow in the spring."
"מן המקום שבו אנו צודקים לא יצמחו לעולם פרחים באביב"
Yehuda Amichai
----------------------------------------------------
My weekly divrei torah are available through free subscription to the Cyber Torah e-mail list. No salesman will call! Cyber Torah list management:
To subscribe to Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Subscribe Cyber Torah”.
To unsubscribe from Cyber Torah, send an e-mail from the receiving address to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Unsubscribe Cyber Torah”.
To dedicate a Cyber Torah in honor of a simchah in memory of a loved one or for a refuah shleimah, send an e-mail to: ravflom@sbcglobal.net with the heading “Dedicate Cyber Torah” and provide details in the message body.
