“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you…
Emor: The Setting Sun
The major theme of sefer Vayikra is, arguably, that of tumah and taharah, purity and impurity. When one reads the Torah, one senses what seems almost…
Emor: We Are All Kohanim
Sefer Vayikra deals with the role of the Temple and that of the Kohanim in Jewish life. So it seems quite strange that the laws of the five Biblical…
Emor: The Animal Kingdom
When one thinks of the most important parts of the Torah one is likely to think of the aseret hadibrot, the shema or perhaps the mitzva to love…
Emor: A Second Yom-Tov
“You shall count seven complete weeks from the day following the Shabbat from the day you brought the omer as a wave offering seven…
Emor: G-d's Name
“Do not desecrate My holy name. I must be sanctified among the Israelites" (Vayikra 22:31). The role of the Jew is to sanctify the name…
Emor: The Right Balance
Judaism measures greatness by spiritual achievements. It should come as no surprise that many of our founding fathers suffered from physical ailments…
Emor: The Joys of a Kohen
Being a kohen today is not what it used to be. While one may receive more aliyot and lead birchat hamazon on a regular basis, a kohen is…
Emor: G-d's Name
Of all possible wrongdoings, only one does not allow for the possibility of teshuva, repentance. Causing a chilul Hashem, a desecration of G-d's…
Emor: Religious Secularism
Two of the most dangerous threats to society are religious fanaticism and rampant secularism. The dangers of the former have received more attention…