The need for boundaries

Shmini

Lev. 9:1-11:47

Précis:  On the final day of the week-long ordination ceremony Moses instructs Aaron and his sons on the proper rituals. Aaron makes his offering. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offer “strange fire” before God. They are slain. Moses tells Aaron that he must not engage in normal mourning rituals. The Priests are prohibited from drinking alcohol while they are engaged in their sacred duties.  Next, God tells Moses and Aaron to instruct the people about the animals they are permitted to eat (part of the laws of kashrut). A general warning to guard against defilement and to be concerned about ritual purity is given.

Lev. 11:3 -7 “Any animal that has true hoofs, with clefts through the hoofs, and that chews the cud — such you may eat. . .. And the swine — although it has true hoofs, with the hoofs cleft through, it does not chew the cud: it is impure for you.”

We completed our observance of Passover last week, a time when some Jews “keep kosher” even when they feel free to eat non-kosher during the rest of the year.  This week, we read about animals which are acceptably kosher, with a specific ban on the arch typical “treif” (non-kosher) food, pork.  

            Why we observe kashrut in general, and avoid pork in particular, is a popular question for debate, both at present and within the centuries of rabbinic exegesis. Some declare that the laws of kashrut are among those mitzvot for which there is no rational explanation. Others, including Maimonides, opine that there is a hygienic basis for the rules. Another school of thought is that the rules of kashrut were designed to prevent social intercourse between Jews and non-Jews.

            As Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin has written (Torat Chayim, 4/22/06), there is another compelling school of thought that suggests that the rules of kashrut are intended to teach us an important lesson:  we need to live within boundaries. As he suggests, “not every appetite is worthy of being satisfied.” I found his thoughts important when I first quoted him in a 2007 d’var, and I find them more compelling now. Our society has coarsened in recent years, and behaviors and language which were previously proscribed are now accepted. I do not cite specific examples, but one needs only glance at a TV, newspaper, or social media to see the truth of this assertion. A loss of propriety and a belief that one is free to ignore boundaries of taste (or truth) is self-evident.

            On one hand, observing kashrut, to me, remains a personal decision. On the other hand, observing boundaries of behavior is a goal which we must all strive for, and one which we must demand of our leaders.  

Gratitude

Tzav

Lev. 6:1-8:36

Précis: The parasha begins with Adonai ordering Moses to command (“tzav”) Aaron and his sons concerning offerings. Requirements for the daily offerings, directions for the meal offerings, instructions for guilt-offerings and thanksgiving offerings are described. The parasha then describes the initial offerings of the Tabernacle made by Aaron and his sons following their consecration to priestly service by Moses. 

Lev. 7:11-12 “This is the ritual of sacrifice of well-being that one may offer Adonai. If he offers it for thanksgiving, he shall offer together with the sacrifice of thanksgiving: unleavened cakes with oil mixed in…”

            The sacrifice of well-being (in Hebrew “todah”) is called a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It may also be a considered a sacrifice of gratitude.

            Our sages taught that one “needs” to bring such a sacrifice, but one is not obligated to do so. Why do we “need” to express our thanks for the blessings of life? Perhaps it is because all too often we overlook the blessings we have and focus on the dangers and threats we see about us. News media of all kinds have long followed the dictum of “if it bleeds, it leads.” It is certainly difficult these days to think about the blessings we enjoy when the front page of today’s newspaper as I write these words has headline stories about Trump’s tweets about the “Mueller witch-hunt,” record numbers of deaths in Syria, families torn apart because of immigration issues, Putin’s win foretelling more tensions between Russia and the West, and a local politician blaming Jews for climate change. Another school shooting. ​Really. Just one day.

            My wife and I have tried this year to focus on “gratitude.” We are thankful for what we have – love, health, ​reasonable financial security, dear friends, the opportunity of helping others in our various communities – and to focus less on what is lacking in our lives. We are not obligated to thank Hashem for these blessings, but we need to do so.