Rabbi Frand on Parshas Emor
This dvar Torah was adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissocher
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Tapes on the weekly portion: Tape # 237,
Sterilization: Is It Permitted? Good Shabbos!
Kohen Gadol In Holy of Holies: High Potential versus High Risk
In this week's parsha, we learn that a Kohen Gadol [High Priest] is not
allowed to marry a widow. A regular Kohen is only prohibited from marrying a
divorcee. A Kohen Gadol, however, must marry a woman who has never before
been married.
The Moshav Zekeinim al haTorah (a Biblical commentary from the authors of
the Talmudic Tosfos commentary) suggests a reason for this law. Had the
Kohen Gadol been allowed to marry a widow, we would have been afraid of the
following scenario: Perhaps the Kohen would have his eyes on a married
woman, who he really wanted to marry. When he went into the Holy of Holies
on Yom Kippur to utter the explicit Name of G-d (Shem haMeforash) which has
supernatural powers capable even of killing people [Rashi Shmos 2:14], he
might have in mind the husband of the woman he wants to marry -- and thereby
cause his death. To avoid this potentially life-threatening situation, the
Torah commands the Kohen Gadol to marry only a virgin, not a widow.
This reason is literally mind-boggling. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the
year. The location is the holiest spot on earth. The Kohen Gadol is going to
utter from his mouth the holiest of syllables. And what are we afraid of? We
are afraid that he might be thinking "I wish so-and-so would drop dead, so I
can marry his wife!"
To make the matter even more astonishing, this interpretation is quoted in
the Moshav Zekeinim al haTorah in the name of "HaChossid" -- the pious one
(Rav Bergman says this probably refers to the Rokeach). This interpretation
came from a person who was famous for his piety and holiness!
Rav Bergman writes that we learn from this Tosfos, that there is no limit
to the depths to which people can sink. This very person, who is ostensibly
the holiest man in the Jewish nation, on the holiest day of the year, at the
holiest place in the world, can have such evil and perverted thoughts. Such
is the nature of the human being.
If this message is thoroughly depressing in terms of the wickedness of man's
spirit, we need to contrast it with that of a different teaching of Chazal,
our Sages.
The Midrash in Parshas Acharei Mos asks a question about the pasuk [verse]
that describes the Kohen Gadol's entrance into the Holy of Holies. The pasuk
says, "And no man shall be in the Tent of Meeting" [Vayikra 16:17]. The
Midrash asks: "Was not the Kohen Gadol, himself, a man?" The Midrash quotes
the opinion of Rabbi Avahu in the name of Rabbi Pinchas that when the Kohen
Gadol entered the Holy of Holies he was not human, he was like a Heavenly
Angel.
If the Kohen Gadol does everything properly, he transcends the level of
humanity and rises to that of a Heavenly creature.
The first Medrash says that the Kohen Gadol can be thinking the most
malevolent of thoughts when he enters the Holy of Holies. According to the
second Medrash, the Torah testifies that a Kohen Gadol is capable of
escaping all human limitations when he enters the Holy of Holies. How do we
reconcile these two Medrashim?
The answer, Rav Bergman suggests, is the power of Torah and Mitzvos. As
human beings, we are capable of the worst. There is no limit to the depths
to which human beings can sink. Never think, "but we are speaking of
civilized people". One only needs to read the Holocaust literature to
understand that this is no argument. Human beings, without Torah and without
Mitzvos and without Kedusha (Holiness) can be thinking the worst of
thoughts... _IN_ the Holy of Holies, _ON_ Yom Kippur. But by virtue of Torah
and Mitzvos a person can become elevated and transcend humanity. The Kohen
Gadol can achieve such heights as well. This is a very, very, sobering
thought.
With this idea, Rav Bergman relates a beautiful interpretation to a Talmudic
passage. The Talmud [Shabbos 88b] says that when Moshe went up on Mt. Sinai
to receive the Torah, the Angels tried to talk G-d out of giving it to him.
They argued that the Torah was an inappropriate gift for humans. G-d
instructed Moshe to answer the argument of the Angels. Moshe countered that
the Torah could only be meant for human beings and not for the Angels
because the Torah says "I am the L-rd who took you out of Egypt...," and
the angels were never in Egypt!
What, indeed, were the Angels thinking? They were aware of the first command
of the Ten Commandments. They knew they had never been in Egypt.
Rav Bergman explains that the problem was not the historical fact that the
Jews were taken out of Egypt, and the Angels were never taken out of Egypt.
The issue was that the Jews needed the Torah because they were in Egypt --
and while there, had sunk to the 49th level of depravity. They needed the
Torah to raise themselves. They needed the Torah to keep themselves
straight. The Angels, who were never in Egypt and had never experienced that
spiritual depravity, do not need a Torah. They were created at a certain
spiritual level and they maintain that level throughout their existence.
This was the basis of Moshe's argument: You do not need the Torah. We -- who
can be in the holiest of places and still have the least holy of thoughts --
need the Torah! The Angels agreed that Moshe was right. Human beings need
the Torah, so that they can potentially achieve the level of Angels.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi Yissochar
Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah portion (#237).
The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is: Sterilization: Is It
Permitted? The other halachic portions for this Parsha from the Commuter
Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through your local Hebrew book store or from Project Genesis, 1-410-654-1799.
