Emor - 3rd Portion

Join me as we learn Homish for Tuesday the third Torah reading of Parshas Emor. Yesterday we were learning about the prohibitions and the of and the careful rules that the coin had to watch to make sure that the truma, the special food was only eaten by a coin and no stranger is allowed to eat it. Today we continue with the disqualifications of sacrifices because of their blemishes. Chapter 22 verse 17. Vayidaber Hashem el Moshe lemor and God spoke to the Jewish people to Moshe saying, "Daber el Aharon vele el banav speak to Aaron and his sons vele el kol benei Yisrael and all to the Jewish people veamarta aleihem and you will tell them, Ish ish mibnei Yisrael any person from the house of Israel umigey na ger b'Yisrael or any convert amongst the Jewish people asher yakriv karbano that will bring a sacrifice lechol nidreihem to any of their vows lechol nidvotam or to any of their donations asher yakrivu la Hashem that they will bring it as a sacrifice to God leolah as an ascent offering. Nidreihem, what's the difference between a vow or a donation? Nidreihem means if a person says "Harei alai I take upon myself that I will bring a sacrifice X." Nidvotam is a donation when a person says "This sacrifice should be as a sacrifice." The difference would be that if a person takes upon himself to bring a sacrifice and the for example the animal gets lost, gets killed, dies, he know he still has to bring a sacrifice because he took it upon himself. If he says "This animal should be a sacrifice." and then the animal gets lost or wounded or anything of that nature, then he no longer has to bring that sacrifice. Verse 18. Lirtzonchem tam lirtzonchem it must offer up the animal that will attain God's favor for you. Tamim in order for that to happen it has to be unblemished. Zachar a male babakar in the cattle bakasavim and the sheep and izim by the goats. Lirtzonchem Rashi says what does this mean? L'ratzon chem doesn't mean that it has to be according to the will of the individual. A view davar l'ratzon chem l'fanei brings something that I will desire. She'eilu chem l'ratzon and therefore it should be for good for you. In the word of Rashi in Old French, appeasement. When you want to appease somebody, you're not going to bring something that you like, you're going to bring something that that individual likes. Eizehu ratzon l'ratzon? What is something that I would like? Tamim zachar baqar tzon u'yizim. It has to be something unblemished. Aval ba'eilu seif, however, when we're talking about an ascent offering of the bird, ein tzarich tamim u'zachrus, it does not have to be unblemished or male. V'neifsal b'mum and does not become unfit with a blemish. Al b'chasron eiver, the only time that a bird would be considered unfit is if it's missing a limb. Verse 20. Kol asher bo mum, anything that has a blemish, lo yakrivu, do not bring it as a sacrifice. Ki lein l'ratzon lachem, it will not be for God's favor. Verse 21. If ish ki yakriv zevach shlamim, a person would bring a peace offering l'Hashem, to God, l'falei neder to uh fulfill a vow o il u'nedava, to fulfill a donation, baqar by whether from the cattle of the flock o batzon, or the sheep, tamim yihyeh, it must be complete unblemished. L'ratzon, so it should find favor by God. Kol mum lo yihyeh bo, there should not be any blemish in it. Rashi, l'falei neder, l'hafrish b'dibbur that he uh says with his mouth, he clearly states that he would like to bring a sacrifice. What is considered a blemish? Verse 22. Iveres, if it's the animal that's blind, o shover, if it has a broken bone, o charutz, or it has a split in its eyelid, o ya'abeles, or it has warts on it, o ingarov, or it has dry boils, o ya'alefes, or oozing boils, lo yakrivu, do not bring any of these as a sacrifice. V'ish lo ya'aseh es mehem, and do not bring them up as an offering may have almost l'Hashem on the altar to God. Rashi going through all the different ones so raw which means a very good one of them is bigger than I'm sorry Rashi before it a verse Shame double shall move even and this is a noun of a kind of which is blindness. Bless you in the cave in the female term. Shall I buy more not have a blemish of blind a shovel meaning it should not have any any broken limb. What this shall lie in that is the eyelid. A split eyelid that was taken if it was either split or injured and that was either injured or blemish. One of the things that we found for example the time it tells us that when By a counter was the one that went to bring a blemish to bring a blemish animal to the altar and show that the Jewish people weren't getting along with the Roman Empire one of the things that he did was that he made a blemish in its lip which to anybody else it would have been considered a blemish but according to the Torah it's considered a blemish. Yabala's meaning that there's there's a wart that's coming out of the animal that is like a boil that it has until it dies which this is an oozing boil. This is talking about a boil that it has until it dies which this is an oozing boil. This is talking about a boil that it has until it dies which this is an oozing boil. Three times to tell us number one you should not make it holy number two don't slaughter it and number three don't even sprinkle its blood. Other things that may make it a blemish 23 or an ox or a sheep that has mismatched limbs or un-cloven hoofs you can make it into a fulfillment of a dedication or donating it. Other things that may make it a blemish 23 or an ox or a sheep so raw the color that has mismatched limbs or un-cloven hoofs you can make it into a fulfillment of a dedication or donating >> can make it into a fulfillment of a dedication or donating it to the temple. That means it can be sold and the proceeds can be used for the Tabernacle. Or the day that says you should make a native layer out of it, but this will not be accepted as a fulfillment of a vow. Rashi, so the one is bigger than the other. It's hooves are uncloven. You can go and sell it and then use it for the to fix the the temple. However, when it comes to a vow What is it coming to sanctify? Meaning it's not wanted. What would it work for? I mean you can use it to be able to help and build and do construction on the temple. But for something on the altar, that is something of sanctification of the altar which it would not because that it is there to satisfy that God says it would be of a will or desire and that is not wanted. Other things that will also make the animal blemish, verse 24. An animal which may have whose testicles are squashed, crushed, or disconnected. Or severed, do not bring it as a sacrifice and you must not do anything of this to maim any animal in your land. And you must not do anything of this to maim any animal in your land. Meaning that you cannot castrate the animal. Rashi. This is talking about when the testicles are in the vein that is there. Moch. It was crushed by hand. Kosuts, this is a more of a crushed it's squashed more than just squashed it's actually crushed. Nasuk. It's testicles are hanging that they're completely disconnected. The veins that are holding on to it on the list. actual to the actual body of the animal. They're completely severed but they're not they're still hanging on and and they're still there in the pocket of it. In Aramaic this is a concept of being crushed. Squashed. made into small pieces that was completely severed. This is talking about a stick when it has a bunch of different holes in it and the ducks and the instruments that may be in it that are completely severed and therefore are not are not there to be used. Now the Torah adds on this is not only applying to animals that are brought as sacrifices but this are not be done at all. Meaning these types of blemishes that we just mentioned in the previous verse apply to any kind of animal. This is telling us that you're not allowed to castrate any kind of animal or livestock but I feel to me and even a even a impure one. To tell you all the animals any livestock in your land. Not only the ones that are kosher that are allowed to be brought as a sacrifice. One cannot tell me that the only time that they are not allowed to castrate animals the prohibition of castrating animals was only in the land of Israel. The castration goes on the animal itself therefore any castration of animals applies to the land of Israel and outside the land of Israel. So today when there is also this is a very common question which is brought up about dogs that people castrate them so they should not be able to uh, procreate. This is something which is very common that veterinarians do, and this is a question which should be brought to your local Orthodox Rabbi before this is done. Verse 25. And you must uh, and and they you must not offer up any of these types of food for your God from any Gentile as well. Because this they are blemished, they're defective for the very fact that they are blemished. They would not they would not attain God's favor for you. What is this referring to? Rashi says as follows, "Go issue a heavy carbon." A non-Jew that wants to bring a sacrifice, and he gives it to our coin to give it to give it to God. It's not It's not to be blemished. Even though a sacrifice for a Noahide is allowed to have a blemish. That was only to those altars that were allowed to be brought in the fields. But on the altar, at least I agree with they are not allowed to do it. That's why if we go back to the stories that I mentioned about Bar Kamza was that he they first said maybe we should allow it because they're allowed on altars. But the altar that God has in the Holy Temple, it's not allowed even if it's from a non-Jew. But if it's an unblemished sacrifice, you can take it. Even a non-Jew Even a non-Jew that decides that he wants to bring a vow or wants to donate a sacrifice at the Holy Temple, you're allowed to take it from him. But on the condition it has to be unblemished. Meaning they're injured, they're defective. They would not be an atonement for you. Verse 26. And God spoke to Moshe saying, "Here we now come to the treatment of how we have to treat animals." If it's born to you an ox or a sheep or a goat that is born, it must remain by its mother's care for 7 days. Only from the eighth day onward can it be brought as a sacrifice to God. What does it mean born? Practically it So this is an exception to one that did not come out in the natural way, which if it comes out um as a cesarean with we would call it if it come out from unnatural birth, it is not allowed to be brought as a sacrifice. Verse 28. The A a sheep or an ox or a female sheep or a goat, it and its offspring, slaughter it on the same day. Rashi, this is specifically by a female. You're not allowed to slaughter the mother and the child This does not apply by males. You're not allowed to slaughter the father and son on the same day. Meaning that the prohibition applies even if you first do the mother or then the child or the child and then the mother. In the beginning of the bringing entity of the of the sacrifices, he is already you have to be careful should they listen to him that it should be accepted to you. What does that mean? How do you make sure that it should be accepted? As the Torah reading continues, as we're soon going to see in the next few Torah readings. Verse 29. When you will bring a Thanksgiving offering to God, The same is about must be in a way that it should find God's favor for you. Verse 30, it makes sure to be eaten on that day. Do not leave anything over until the morning. I am God. Rashi explains when you bring the same when you bring the the verses telling us as follows, when you bring the sacrifice of a Thanksgiving offering, you have to make sure he's over to make sure it will be for your favor. Now what how is it for your favor? When you are careful that you should eat it that day that when you slaughter it already by the time of slaughtering, you have to have in mind that you will make sure to eat it at that time. Why? Don't slaughter it and think I'll eat it only in a few days from now because if you'll have such a thought, then that can already make it unfit. Another explanation is let's say you have to have in mind. And you can from here we know that if a person is busy doing something else and in while he's busy thinking about other things he slaughters an animal for a sacrifice, it's not it's unfit. You have to have the intent what it's for. Even though the Torah detailed that what it would maybe when it comes to the peace offerings that have to be eaten for two days that over the years that a person thought for three days that it's unfit that's called people. The Torah repeats itself when it comes to sacrifices that have to be eaten in one day that also those sacrifices a person has to have the proper intent that it should be eaten in its proper time or else or or else the sacrifice is considered unfit. Verse uh 30 by is coming to warn us that when you slaughter it it should be for that reason as well. She aim like by ya. Loy is my is look at the picture of God coming to tell me when I have to eat it. We already learned this when we learned about the laws pertaining the Thanksgiving offerings. So here it's telling us specifically when a person is allowed to and should eat his sacrifice and he has to have that intent when slaughtering the sacrifice. And he has sham done because of the word know who is the one that made this decree and therefore this is not this should not be taken lightly. We shall mark them it's very sad and you should therefore watch my commandments. You should do them and he has sham I am God. We shall mark them. This means what is this referring to we shall mark them and you will watch. This is the studying of the laws. This is the mice and this is making sure you do it particularly that way as well. Verse 32 place a hollow lotion cut you should not desecrate God's name. When he dashed this way I will be sanctified amongst the Jewish people and he has sham I am God who sanctifies you. Place a hollow you should not desecrate love it all the way to go against my words hidden purposely. We must remember from the very fact that it says don't desecrate why does it have to say this way you will sanctify? Most of this is teaching us that one has to be willing to give up his life to keep his name to sanctify God's name. You this refers to only when something is done in private time of the Israel even in public. That this is done specifically done that one is considered sanctifying God's name or when is considered desecrating God's name both of them in the in the presence of 10 people. When you say that when a person gives himself over to sanctify his name gives himself over and is killed because of sanctifying God's name he can give himself over even if it causes that he will die. And if a person says I'm going to jump into the fire and I know a miracle is going to happen to me, no miracles happen to him. But, like we find in the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, when Nebuchadnezzar said that he's going to throw them into the fire if they're not going to bow down to the cross, into the to the idol that he had there. Actually, must rule out to mom on Manasseh Ness. They didn't think that a miracle was going to happen, and a miracle happened. They said if God is not going to want to save us, then this is fried this is the life. That means they did not rely on the miracle that God was going to save them. Not seal volume at seal. There are times that God saves us and times that God doesn't. You deal a have a lock, meaning at that time they told straight to the king. If God wants to save us, he'll save us. If he doesn't want to save us, he's not going to save us. And therefore, it tells us that when a person is willing to sacrifice himself and give himself over for a Messiah's nuffish of sanctifying God's name, that's what should be the purpose. Now, if God saves him, God will save him. Over here, we are told in this mitzvah of Alisa Halacha, this the verse says in the two parts to it. Number one, the avoidance. One has to be careful not to desecrate God's name. The great great sin of Halacha shame of desecrating God's name, but at the same time also the great importance of sanctifying God's name, even if it means to give one's life and how great and how special this unique quality is of sanctifying God's name. And it doesn't have to be that a person's life has to be given for it. Sanctifying God's name can be even in small deeds and small acts that God tells us in these things you are able to sanctify God's name. Verse 33, I'm waiting to come out of time. The one that takes you out of Egypt leads you to be for you God. And the Hashem, I am God. I'm Rashi explains, why does he say I'm waiting to come that took you out of Egypt? Why did I take you out of Egypt? I'm going to ask Cain. I took you that you should follow my commandments. And the Hashem, I am God. This concludes the third Torah reading for parshas Emor.