Today is the 33rd day of the Omer. “Lag B’Omer,” is a day for picnics, campfires, planting trees, weddings and other celebrations that have been traditionally suspended during the counting of the Omer—the 50 days from Passover to Shavuot.
This week’s kavanot are all inspired by passages found in the weekly Torah portions from Leviticus. Among the most difficult books for a modern reader to comprehend, Leviticus (with the exception of one chapter) is an esoteric text focused on priestly (Cohanim) behavior and obscure sacrificial practices. Never ones to shirk from a challenge, commentators throughout the ages have plumbed the book for contemporary relevance. Each of the readings for this week will share some of those gems with the Wise community.
Kedoshim: The Seventh Torah Portion in Leviticus
לֹא־תְקַלֵּ֣ל חֵרֵ֔שׁ וְלִפְנֵ֣י עִוֵּ֔ר לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן מִכְשֹׁ֑ל וְיָרֵ֥אתָ מֵּאֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am the ETERNAL. (Leviticus 19:14)
וְכִֽי־יָג֧וּר אִתְּךָ֛ גֵּ֖ר בְּאַרְצְכֶ֑ם לֹ֥א תוֹנ֖וּ אֹתֽוֹ׃
When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. (Leviticus 19:33)
Two passages separated by 19 verses. Imagine the ancient compilers of the Torah deciding which texts to include, which texts to leave out. Imagine further that those venerable editors are determined to leave an enduring legacy for subsequent generations. How should stories be ordered? How should principles be grouped so later readers will glean our meaning? Kedoshim appears to be a random amalgam of ethical principles in which each verse is unconnected from the other. Or, maybe by allowing the readers to discern the logic and relationships of the many verses, the authors left us with a text that renews itself with each reader.
For me, the connective tissue between the verses that I’ve chosen is an injunction not to prey on the vulnerable. The deaf who cannot hear our curses, the blind who cannot see the obstacles placed before them, the stranger who lacks resources and protection are most susceptible to abuse. Later commentators make the analogy from deaf and blind to any who might not see what we see, know what we know, understand what we understand. It’s easy to use our advantage to that person’s disadvantage. Kedoshim’s wisdom says: “Fear your God!” That is, when the temptation presents itself, feel a moral force guiding you to do what’s right.
The sacredness of Torah is in the questions it makes us ask ourselves and the challenges it raises for our own life choices. When we study its words it lives in us and the voices of our ancestors guide our way.
— Rabbi Ron Stern