Emor - en bref

Lévitique 21, 1 - 24, 23

« Parle aux pontifes, fils d’Aharon et dis-leur »

La paracha de Emor (« Parle ») commence par l’énoncé des lois concernant les Cohanim (les « prêtres »), le Cohen Gadol (le « Grand-Prêtre ») et le service du Temple : un Cohen ne doit pas se rendre rituellement impur par le contact avec un cadavre, si ce n’est lors de la mort d’un parent proche. Il ne peut épouser une femme divorcée ou qui s’est déshonorée par la débauche. Le Cohen Gadol ne peut épouser qu’une femme vierge. Un Cohen atteint d'une difformité physique ne peut effectuer de service dans le Temple, de même qu’un animal atteint d’une malformation ne peut y être offert.

Un veau, un agneau ou un chevreau nouveau-né doit être laissé avec sa mère pendant sept jours. Il est interdit d’abattre un animal et sa progéniture le même jour.

La paracha énumère ensuite les Convocations Saintes, les fêtes du calendrier juif : le Chabbat hebdomadaire, le sacrifice pascal le 14 du mois de Nissan vers le soir et les sept jours de la fête de Pâque (Pessa’h) commençant le 15 Nissan. L’offrande du Omer sur les prémices de la moisson d’orge a lieu au second jour de la fête de Pâque à partir duquel, pendant quarante-neuf jours, a lieu le compte du Omer qui aboutit à la fête de Chavouot, le cinquantième jour. « Une commémoration de sonnerie de Choffar » a lieu le premier Tichri (Roch Hachana) ; le 10 Tichri un jour de jeûne solennel (Yom Kippour) ; la fête de Souccot pendant laquelle, à partir du 15 Tichri, on réside dans des cabanes et l’on prend les « quatre espèces » (palmier, myrte, saule et cédrat), suivie immédiatement par la fête du « huitième jour » de Souccot (Chémini Atséret).

La Torah évoque ensuite l’allumage de la Ménorah du Temple et le pain de proposition (Lé’hem Hapanim) placé chaque semaine sur la table du sanctuaire.

Emor se termine par l’incident lors duquel un homme fut exécuté pour blasphème et l’énoncé des peines applicables en cas de meurtre (la mort) et de blessure à son prochain ou dégradation de sa propriété (compensation financière).

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Pesach Sheni Means “Second Passover [Sacrifice]”

In Temple times, Jews spent Passover in Jerusalem. On the afternoon before the holiday, they sacrificed a lamb or kid, referred to as the Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice) to eat during their Seder that evening. If someone was unable to participate in the Passover offering at the proper time, they would offer the sacrifice a month later.

2.

It Was Initiated by the People :One year after the Exodus, the People of Israel celebrated their first Passover as free people. Some, however, had become ritually impure through contact with a dead body, and could not, therefore, prepare the Passover offering on that day. They complained to Moses and Aaron, “Why should we be deprived, and not be able to present G‑d’s offering in its time, amongst the children of Israel?”¹ In response to their plea, G‑d established the “Second Passover” (Pesach Sheni) for anyone who was unable to bring the offering at its appointed time.

3. It Is Observed on 14 Iyar The second Passover sacrifice was offered on Iyar 14, exactly a month after the rest of the Jewish people had sacrificed their Paschal lambs in Jerusalem. Though Iyar 14 did not have the status of a festival or holiday, we commemorate the offering on the same day that it was sacrificed, not on the evening after, when it was actually eaten, which would be Iyar 15.

4. The Second Passover Was Eaten With Matzah and Bitter Herbs Like the primary Passover offering, the lamb of the Second Passover was to be roasted over fire and eaten on the eve of the 15^th, together with matzah (unleavened bread) and maror (bitter herbs). The other mitzvahs and rituals of the Seder, however, were not observed.²

5. It Could Be Eaten With Chametz in the Home The Second Passover only concerned the sacrificing of the Paschal Lamb. There was no obligation, however, to purge

8. It Is an Independent Holiday Although it is called the Second Passover, Pesach Sheni is actually a distinct sacrifice in its own right. This plays out in a fascinating law:⁶

1. a person converts to Judaism (or a minor who was not part of a Passover offering and then becomes bar/bat mitzvah) during the month between the first and second Passovers, he or she must bring the sacrifice on Pesach Sheni. Pesach Sheni were only a catch-up for those who missed the first round, why would the convert need to bring the sacrifice? They lacked nothing, since they were not Jewish at the time. Rather, Pesach Sheni is an independent mitzvah—an opportunity for growth and improvement. 9. It Was Once Called “Minor Passover”

10. The Lesson: It’s Never Too Late

Pesach Sheni is an extraordinary mitzvah. G‑d legislated it only after a group of Jews, impure ones at that, sincerely demanded a second chance. The lesson for us is clear: No matter how far we may wander, or how impure we may become, G‑d will pave the way for us if we sincerely want to make amends.

Extraits du 3ème chapitre des maximes des pères que nous lisons cette semaine

Rabbi Yichmaël dit : « Sois docile à l’égard d’un supérieur, affable à l’égard du jeune âge et accueille toute personne d’un visage réjoui. »

Il avait coutume de dire : « Bien-aimé est l’homme pour avoir été créé à l’image [de Dieu] ; c’est un surcroît d’amour que de lui avoir fait savoir qu’il a été créé à l’image [de Dieu], car il est dit : Car c’est à l’image de Dieu qu’Il créa l’homme. Bien-aimé est le peuple d’Israël pour être appelé « enfants de Dieu » ; c’est un surcroît d’amour que de leur avoir fait savoir qu’ils sont les enfants de Dieu, car il est dit : Vous êtes les enfants de l’Éternel votre Dieu. Bien-aimé est le peuple d’Israël, car il lui a été accordé un objet précieux ; c’est un surcroît d’amour que de lui avoir fait savoir qu’il lui a été donné un outil précieux, car il est dit : Car c’est un enseignement de valeur que Je vous ai donné ; Ma Torah, ne la délaissez pas

Rabbi Ne’hounia ben Hakanah dit : « Celui qui prend sur lui le joug de la Torah, se trouve affranchi du joug de l’État et du joug du joug du gagne-pain. Mais celui qui rejette le joug de la Torah, se voit imposé le joug de l’État et du joug du gagne-pain.

LAG BAOMER

It is a minor holiday that occurs on the 33rd day of the Omer, the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot. A break from the semi-mourning of the Omer, key aspects of Lag B’Omer include holding Jewish weddings (it’s the one day during the Omer when Jewish law permits them), lighting bonfires and getting haircuts.

The Talmud, which tells us that during this season a plague killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva‘s students because they did not treat one another respectfully. The mourning behavior is presumably in memory of those students and their severe punishment.

According to a medieval tradition, the plague ceased on Lag Ba’Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer. (The Hebrew letters lamed and gimel which make up the acronym “Lag” have the combined numerical value of 33.) As a result, Lag Ba’Omer became a happy day, interrupting the sad­ness of the Omer

Lag B’Omer Customs

Finally, on yet another tack, some authorities attribute the joy of Lag Ba’Omer to the belief that the manna that fed the Israelites in the desert first appeared on the 18th of Iyar.

Though its origins are uncertain, Lag Ba’Omer has become a minor holiday. (ForSephardic Jews, the holiday is the day after Lag B’Omer.) Schoolchildren picnic and play outdoors with bows and arrows — a possible reminder of the war battles of Akiva’s students — and in Israel plant trees. It is customary to light bonfires, to symbolize the light Simeon bar Yohai brought into the world. And every year numerous couples wed at this happy time.

Les enseignements de la Torah donnent des conseils non seulement sur la façon de mener une vie juive, mais aussi sur la façon de construire une société saine et juste. Les sept lois Noa’hides enseignent comment tous les êtres humains devraient chercher à vivre. (Les sept lois Noa’hides commandées par D.ieu à toute l’humanité sont : croire en D.ieu [et ne pas servir les idoles], ne pas blasphémer contre D.ieu, ne pas commettre de meurtre [ce qui inclut l’interdiction de l’euthanasie et de l’avortement, sauf pour sauver la vie de la mère], ne pas voler, ne pas commettre l’adultère, l’inceste et d’autres formes d’immoralité personnelle, ne pas manger le membre d’un animal vivant et mettre en place un système judiciaire [et éducatif] pour appliquer ces lois dans la société.) En appliquant les limites, les contraintes et les devoirs positifs imposés par ces lois dans le contexte de la vie moderne, nous pouvons chercher à rattraper notre propre progrès. En prenant soin de notre structure interne en tant qu’êtres humains, nous pouvons nous préparer, globalement, à rencontrer D.ieu et à découvrir le monde véritablement parfait promis par les Prophètes.

par Tali Loewenthal

EMOR QUIZ

Emor Quiz

1) Q. How does the Torah restrict the Kohen Gadol with regard to mourning?

A. He may not allow his hair to grow long, nor attend to his close relatives if they die, nor

accompany a funeral procession.

2) Q. The blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah is called a "Zichron Teruah" (`sound of

remembrance'). What is the reminder?

A. Traditionally it is taught that it is a reminder of the "Akedat (binding of) Yitzhak." This is

because when Abraham realized that he was not required to slaughter his son he found a ram

and sacrificed the ram instead. The Shofar is traditionally (usually) made from a ram's horn.

3) Q. What is unusual about the wood of the Etrog tree?

A. Traditionally, it has the same taste as the fruit. (Sukka 35a)

4) Q. What is the penalty for intentionally wounding one's parent?

A. Death by strangulation.

5) Q. "You shall afflict your souls on the ninth day of the month in the evening (Yom Kippur)"

(23:32). What is the law of eating on the ninth of Tishre, the day before Yom Kippur?

A. If one eats and drinks a lot on the ninth of Tishre, the Torah views it as if he has fasted both

on the ninth and the tenth of Tishre.

PROVERBES :

Le char n'avance pas si l'on n'en graisse les roues

Avec une poule maigre, on ne fait point de bouillon gras.

Ne te fie ni au calme de la mer ni à la parole flatteuse d'un hypocrite.
Avec du zèle et de la patience un rat troue une planche

Le cœur est un palais, l'œil une porte ; qui n'entre pas par la porte ne pénètre point dans le palais.

Si tu as pour ennemi une fourmi, vois en elle un éléphant

Qui demande est à demi déshonoré, qui refuse l'est tout à fait

Ce n'est point en disant miel que la douceur vient à la bouche

Renouvelle ton sang, mais non pas tes coutumes

À force de rouler, la marmite trouve son couvercle

Ce que Dieu écrivit sur ton front, quoi que tu fasses, t'arrivera.

THE SHABBAT SMILE:

Jonathan and Renee are on their very first date. As they are walking to the cinema, Renee says, "If you give me a kiss, Jonathan, I promise faithfully that I’ll be yours for ever and a day."
Jonathan replies, "Thanks for the early warning, Renee."

Jeremy and Isaac are out having a celebratory meal at Minky’s Kosher Cafe. At the end of the meal, the waiter comes over and asks, "OK, gentlemen, will it be tea or coffee for you?"
"I’ll have a glass lemon tea," replies Jeremy.
"Me too," says Isaac, "and make sure the glass is clean."
Five minutes later, the waiter returns with two lemon teas on his tray. As he’s about to hand them out, he asks, "Who asked for the clean glass?"

The Levine Bros tailor shop is going through a difficult period and the two partners, Harry and Sidney, are having a chat about their future prospects. Harry says, "Oy, Sidney, things are not so hot. It seems that the only chance we have to prosper is if the Messiah comes."
"Why do you think the Messiah would help us?" asks Sidney.
"Because," replies Harry, "he would bring the dead back to life."
"Nu?" asks Sidney. "So how would that help us?"
"Because they would all need new clothes, wouldn’t they?" replies Harry.
"But what if some of them had been tailors before they died?" asks Sidney. "Wouldn’t they be competing with us?"
"Don’t be a stupid, Sidney," replies Harry, "they wouldn’t know this year’s new styles!"

As happens quite frequently these days, Morris gets into a dreadful state of panic. He rushes up to his wife Leah and says, almost crying, "I can’t find my wallet. I’ve been looking for it everywhere. What should I do? I had over £200 in it, and all my credit cards."
"Calm down Morris," replies Leah, "we just came back from shopping at Costco, so did you look in your jacket?"
"Yes, of course I did," replies Morris, "do you think I’m a stupid I’ve looked in my jacket’s inside pockets three times already and it’s not there."
"So what about your trouser pockets?" asks Leah.
"I’ve looked in there too," replies Morris, "but my wallet isn’t in either pocket. What shall I do, Leah? What shall I do?"
"Oh stop whining Morris," says Leah. "What about the side pockets of your jacket? Have you checked your wallet isn’t in there?"
"I’m not meshugga yet, Leah," Morris cries. "Of course I haven’t looked in my jacket’s side pockets. Why should I give up the last bit of hope I have left?"

CHABBAT CHALOM

MAGHEN ABRAHAM

David Hasson