Acharei Mos-Kedoshim - 6th Portion

Join me as we learn Chumash for Friday, the sixth Torah readings of Acharei Mos Kedoshim combined. Yesterday we discussed different laws pertaining the many mitzvahs that are mentioned in this week's Torah reading, whether it's deals of honesty, respect for the elderly. Today we continue with the more mitzvahs that are mentioned in this week's Torah reading. Beginning with those of social behavior. Verse 33 in chapter 19. V'chi yoger itcha ger b'artzechem, when a convert will dwell in your land, lo sainu osite, do you must not taunt him. Verse 33. Rashi, lo sainu, what does it mean you should not taunt him? So Rashi explains as follows. Just one second. Ino'as d'vorim, we're talking about words. This prohibition is talking about do not pain him by saying things which are painful. Lo termali, you shouldn't say, emish, yesterday, hayisa oved avoda zara, you were an idolater, v'achshav atah ba l'lomed Torah she'nitna b'yado shel Hashem, now you want to come and study Torah that was given by God? Where do you have the right to do so? And this is called taunting them and reminding them about their past. Verse 34. K'ezrach mikem yihyeh lachem, rather the convert who dwells amongst you should be like a native. Yihyeh lachem hager hagor itchem, the convert who dwells with you, v'ahavta lo kamocha, and you must love him as you love yourself, ki gerim hayisem b'eretz Mitzrayim, because you yourselves were converts or were strangers in the land of Egypt, ani Hashem Elokeichem, I am God, your God. Rashi, ki gerim hayisem, what's the reason why the Torah adds on a reason to the obligation? Mum sheb'ach al temar l'chavercha, you want to tell the guy, hey, you're a convert, a blemish that you have, don't tell somebody else, don't embarrass somebody about something that you yourself are suffer have the same problem. So the same when you were a stranger in the foreign land and you served idolatry, so too, what are you telling me? Hey, you served idolatry, you did it yourself. And he has like his God and your God the converts as well and therefore you have no right to taunt him. Now we continue into business ethics. Lisa so of all by Mishpat do not perversion and justice by middle of a Mishkal whether it's regard to measures and length of of area and bomb sewer and with weight whether it's liquid or dry volume. Lisa so of all by Mishpat Rashi continues in the day. Number one this has to do with it comes to a case with two people coming in front of you. How do you find a name of Lisa so of all by Mishpat then it already said you should not do corrupt justice when injustice. So now Mishpat so then what is the judgement and justice that's referring here? A middle so therefore the Torah continues to enumerate and says a middle of a Mishkal of a bomb sewer these are that your measurements and your length of area and your weight and the liquid dry volume should all be according to and exactly. Let me show my day nickel dying that teaches us that any person you go to a store and they measure something he's called a judge and you have to make sure that it's done correctly. She in she could be me that are you could die in a calculus of the end because if he lies about the measurement of something it's as if a judge who's perverting justice. Current of all and even worse than that that his sin is considered disgusting or a perversion. So new sunny Mishuk it's hated by say you have something which is loath contested and disgusted by. As we mentioned this by the same way when a judge who perverts justice the guide of the one of them all of them all and he causes those five things that we mentioned by a judge, which is "Metame is a aretz, perverts and he contaminates the land. Mechalel is Hashem, he desecrates God's name. Mesalek is a Shechinah, he causes the divine presence to leave. Umapel Yisrael becharev and causes the Jewish people to be killed. Umaglo Yisrael meartzam and causes them to be exiled from their land." So, too, that we find the same way with this is referred to a judge, this also goes to a person who's measuring and weighing things that this makes a difference as well. What are these different items? Bamidah, zumidah saaretz, this is by measuring the length of something. Bemishkal kemishmoi, which means the weight. Bemesurah midah selach, that's by liquid weight. And that as well that it tells us that this is liquid weight and volume that both of these are a person has to be careful when weighing to make sure he does the correct measures. Verse 36. Moznayim tzedek, avnei tzedek, eifat tzedek, vehin tzedek. You must have accurate scales, accurate weight, and accurate eifah. An eifah is about 24.768 L, which is about 6 and 1/2 gallons. And for measuring volume, you should have an accurate way of measuring as well. A hin that the Torah mentions here is all is about 1 gallon. Yihyu lachem, you should have Ani Hashem Eloheichem asher hotzeiti etchem me'eretz Mitzrayim, that took you out of the land of Egypt. Rashi, avnei tzedek came mishkalot sheyiklu kenegdan, what does that mean? Stones of justice, of righteousness. So, we translated as accurate scales, and that was because the scales have on one side a stone that tells you how much each thing weighs, and therefore it weighs it on the other side. So, if you have an inaccurate stone, then you're going to get an inaccurate weighing. Eifat tzedek, which is himud sayavish, that's measuring things in dry dry weight. Hin, zumidah selach, hin that's die Messung von flüssigem Gewicht. Ich habe es dir gesagt, es ist einfach, dass du aus Ägypten herausgekommen bist. Dies ist ein Mann aus Kanaan, ich habe dich aus Ägypten diesem Grund herausgeholt. Ich habe zum Zeitpunkt des Todes des Erstgeborenen, der die zehnte Plage war, bemerkt und sichergestellt, den Unterschied zwischen dem Tropfen eines Erstgeborenen Erstgeborenen Juden zu haben den Tropfen eines Erstgeborenen zum Tropfen eines Nicht-Erstgeborenen. Und deshalb könnt ihr sicher sein, dass ich zurückzahlen werde, dass ich Gericht über diejenigen verhängen werde, die versuchen, in Salz zu verstecken und versuchen, Menschen zu betrügen, weil sie denken, dass die Leute nicht bemerken werden. Eine der Möglichkeiten, wie die Leute es tun würden, ist, dass sie das Gewicht in etwas Salz geben würden. Das Salz würde dann dazu führen, dass es sich nicht vollständig anfühlt, und dadurch konnte die Person mehr berechnen, weil sie das Gewicht schwerer gemacht hatte. Es tut mir leid, es schwerer zu machen, und dadurch würde die Person mehr bezahlen. Vers 37, du sollst meine Regeln und meine Gesetze und alle meine Regeln und Gesetze und meine Gesetze und meine Gesetze und meine Gesetze Es tut mir leid, es schwerer zu machen. schwerer, und dadurch würde die Person mehr bezahlen. Vers 37, du sollst meine Regeln und meine Gesetze und alle meine Regeln und Gesetze und meine Gesetze und meine Gesetze Kapitel 20. Die Tora erzählt uns nun von den Gesetzen bezüglich der Gesetze Bestrafung für das Dienen des Molech oder der Wahrsagerei. Und Gott sprach zu Mosche und sagte zu ihm, zu den jüdischen Menschen sollst du Folgendes sagen: Jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch Jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch aus dem Volk Israel, jeder Mensch to death. Am haaretz yurgamu ba'even. The people of the land will pelt him with stones. Why the people of the land? So, Rashi explains as follows. Though the bene Yisrael today may learn to the Jewish people you should say as follows. This Torah reading is coming to tell us about what he said previously in the Torah reading of that we learned in Acharei Mos, where it told us about the prohibited relationship. So, you will notice that the over here a lot of it is a repeat and this is we mentioned many times is because of here it tells us about the punishments. Before was the warning and now tells us about the punishment because there is no punishment unless there's a warning and the obligation and the repercussions from it are set in this week's Torah reading. Most humans he will be liable of capital punishment. Who is going to kill him? Base be besdin, the besdin. Ve'im ein koach be besdin, if the besdin does not have the power to kill him at the time, then am haaretz misayin then the people of the land will help us then by pelting him with stones. Am haaretz, what does it mean the people of the land? The people of the land am she begin nifras aretz, the people that because of them the land was made. Am she see the ladies aretz, this is the nation that because that will eventually inherit and get the land ay day mitzvah by observing these commandments and making sure not to contaminate the land with these impurifications and these terrible i- ideas. Verse three. V'ani etein es panai ba'ish hahu. And if he is not put to death, then I will instead put my attention upon this man. V'ichrati osi mikerev ami, and I will cut him off from amongst his people, meaning that he will die a premature death. Ki mizari nosen la'Molech, because he gave from his children to the Molech, lema'an tame es mikdashi, because he has now contaminated the impurified my sanctuary, ul'challel shem kodshi, and he desecrated my holy name. Rashi. V'nisa etein es panai. What does this mean? Financially, I will pay my attention on him to punish him. I will move away from everything else that I'm doing and deal with this individual and this person only in him. But in this individual not in the community. When it comes to a cutting off meaning that the punishment of God cutting off of a premature death that's only to individuals not to an entire community. Kim is out of the middle of my life. If if from his children he gave to the Moloch. The fish and hammer because we are said because it says in the book of Deuteronomy person who puts his son or daughter by fire. How do I know if it's a grandchild the son of his daughter son or a son of his daughter? Tom will lay more Kim is out of the middle of his children he gave to the Moloch. It doesn't make a difference who it is any of his offsprings. There a possible man how do I know well let's say if it's a child who is born from an prohibited relationship like a momzer. Tom will lay more therefore the Torah says be seated by the very fact giving it no matter who the child is whether it's a legitimate child or not it is still considered part of this prohibition. As we see many times mentioned previously about of community doing a total abrogation of giving their children to idolatry this happened in the time of Jeremiah where many of them burnt their children to the bow and at time and as there they were all deserving of being destroyed because of the terrible behaviors that they were doing. The man tell me as Miktashi because they have contaminated my sanctuary as Knesset Israel is referring to the entirety of the Jewish people which are sanctified to me they are considered my sanctuary. Colossally got you like he continues to say they should not desecrate my my sanctuary. For what happens now specifically the people who ignore him how do I know if the people will ignore if the people of the land will ignore from this man giving his offspring the seed of his desire giving his children to the Molech and therefore they will not put him to death even though they witnessed it. Rashi, meaning of here is a double terminology, if they will ignore if they ignored one and therefore they allowed the person to go on with a sin and not give him punishment, safe shall he if you allow one thing to go by then all the other things are going to happen as well. And if the small Sanhedrin, the Sanhedrin of 23 will allow this person which is in every city and they ignore what's happening then eventually the great Sanhedrin of 71 which is by the holy which is by the holy temple, they will ignore it as well because they were responsible for doing things like if the entire city does idolatry. Verse five, and I will set my attention upon that man and by his family and I will cut him off his colors and all the people that follow along with him who stray after him who follow astray go according to the follow the Molech we can have from amongst their nation. Rashi, the what did his family do wrong that they are going to be punished as well? To teach you you don't have a family where there's only one person and none of them are considered as the word comes from the word a person in charge of the taxes meaning there if they if they're one person's dealing, that means the rest of them are also part of it. The idea was that if a person's a thief, then you have many of them. The very fact that they're covering for him, that means that they're part of that thievery. "Should a column a happen all of because all of them are covering for him, and they threatened that any person that will touch him, they'll take revenge." So therefore, they even though they may not be the one actually committing the crime, they are uh the ones that are so to speak protecting that individual. And because that people are afraid to meet punishment on them, and therefore they are become part and an accessory of the crime as well. The terminology that um Rashi is using here is from the Talmud that at the time there were people who used to go collect uh taxes, and they wasn't considered the most honest way of collecting it. They would use their authority uh in more ways than one, and they would steal from the people without any righteousness. They decided that this person has to give more for whatever reason cuz they got a commission on it, whatever taxes they brought in. And therefore, the Talmud says that these are people that the whole people anybody that's associated with them is liable just like them and cannot be trusted. I say, "Why does it say I say him?" It says the family already. Why does it say him and his family? Cuz he is the one that gets the courage to dies prematurely. The rest of the family just goes through pain and suffering. Because they were covering for him, so therefore they're not exactly like him. So therefore, the punishment is a little different. Why does he mention and he continues to say again the same uh the Moloch? And this is telling us that there are many different um many different types of idolatries, and not all idolatries are the same. In order to be considered that you're serving that idolatry, you have to serve it the way they serve the idolatry. And therefore, he brings about the Molech because the Molech, the way you serve the idolatry was by putting your children passing them through this kind of fire. And even those which uh and this was such a very uh abhorrent type of way of doing it and therefore the Torah states it clearly. So, even if he did it for other idolatries, even if it wasn't for the Molech specifically, if he did this kind of terrible behavior for any other idolatry, he would also be liable as well. Verse seven. Uh verse six. The nefesh asher tifneh. And the person who will then turn to el ovos v'el yede'onim, to other divinations and the yede'onim, like we mentioned previously what it was that they put something in their mouth, whether it was a bone that spoke, different types of magic that were saying things of the future. Liznos achareihem, to go astray after them. Venosati es panai banefesh hahi, I will put my attention on that individual. Vehichrati oso mikerev amo, and I will cut them off prematurely from amongst our nation. Verse seven. V'hiskadishtem, you should be sanctified. V'yisem kedoshim, and you should be holy. Ki ani Hashem Elokeichem, cuz I am God. Rashi, v'hiskadishtem. What is the word v'hiskadishtem? Why does it say v'hiskadishem, you should be sanctified and then it says you should be holy? What's the two? The word sanctification, the word kadosh in Hebrew means to be separate. Prishus avodah zarah, to separate yourselves from idolatry. And therefore, by the very fact that you are segregated, you are separate, you then become holy and sanctified to God. This concludes the sixth Torah reading of parshas Acharei Mos Kedoshim.