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SHMINI
The basic message of this parsha is the necessity to be able to
separate and differentiate in life. The ability of the Jewish nation as
a whole to live separately and yet be part of the general world is one
of its outstanding achievements and hallmarks. It is the very
uniqueness and separatism of the Jews that has allowed us to be such a
driving force in all human affairs. By not adopting the majority
culture, by retaining its own God-given system of values and unique way
of life, the Jewish people became the ultimate “guest” and “outsider”
in human society.
This provided the Jews with a uniquely insightful view into the
developing civilizations and cultures in the world. It is the basis of
a famous Yiddish aphorism (Yiddish sayings are among the wisest and
wryest observations of human behavior) that says: ‘A guest for awhile
sees for a mile’. The guest always sees things more clearly in the
house of the host than does the host himself. Being the ”guest,” the
different one, who realizes his special status and mission, is really
the Jewish story throughout the ages. The Jews have often been likened
to the canary in the coalmine that senses the presence of volatile
gasses long before an explosion actually occurs. It is the very fact
that we are separate and distinct that allows us to play this vital
role in human development and the progress of civilization.
The Torah teaches us how to differentiate between the holy and the
profane, the proper foods and those that should not be eaten, between
the ritually pure and that which is considered impure. It is the
observance of these laws and the later customs of Jewish life inserted
to protect these laws that have guaranteed Jewish survival throughout
the long ages of bitterness and unwarranted persecution. It is these
laws and customs that have nurtured the Jewish hopes for a better world
and a more just society, ideas that Judaism has successfully
transmitted to the rest of the world. The Torah’s admonition to remain
separate should not be seen as a rejection of the rest of human
society. Rather it is to be understood as the tool by which the Jewish
people can contribute most to the betterment of humankind at all times
and in all localities.
God told Abraham that all of mankind would be blessed through Isaac and
his descendants. The same God highlighted to Abraham the necessity for
retaining his uniqueness and transmitting that determination to his
descendants throughout the generations. All of the ritual laws found in
this week’s parsha come to solidify our uniqueness and individuality.
At the same time they point us towards our mission of being a holy
people who are able to differentiate between right and wrong, truth and
falseness, the holy and impure, and between eternal values and
temporary expediencies. Rather than scoff at these laws and rituals as
being anachronistic, as unfortunately some Jews choose to do, we should
appreciate the great and positive role that they play in keeping us
distinct but always productive and creative in the betterment of human
society.
Shabat shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
