Emor Answers

Emor 5721

Alef.

1.  וכל ענין ההגדלה בו, כדי שיכניס האדם בלבו—כשיראהו מורא וענוה it is human nature that when a person sees a place that is lit up, that he will be struck by a sense of reverence and humility.

במעשה הטוב תוכשר הנפש something that is goodly will affect the soul.

הכל נגזר מצד המקבלים all is formulated/decreed with the viewers/recipients in mind.

2.  HaChinuch—the light from the Menora affects the soul in a spiritual, psychological sense.

MaLBIM—the light that the Menora will give off due to the olive oil that the people contribute, symbolically represents their willingness to be “ignited” via Moshe who brings down the Tora and God’s Light to the world.

3. 

ספר המצוות לרמב"ם מצות עשה כה

והמצוה הכ"ה היא שנצטוו הכהנים להדליק הנרות תמיד לפני ה' והוא אמרו יתעלה (ר"פ תצוה) "באהל מועד מחוץ לפרוכת אשר על העדות יערוך אותו אהרןובניו." וזו היא מצות הטבת הנרות [תמידין פ"ג הי"ב ועכ"מ]. וכבר התבארו משפטי מצוה זו כלם בשמיני ממנחות (פו א) ופרק ראשון מיומא (יד א, טו א, כא ב)ומקומות ממסכת תמיד (ספ"ג ורפ"ו):

פרשת תצוה

שמות פרק כז

(כ) וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד:

(כא) בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מִחוּץ לַפָּרֹכֶת אֲשֶׁר עַל הָעֵדֻת יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן וּבָנָיו מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתָם מֵאֵת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: ס

פרשת אמור

ויקרא פרק כד

(ב) צַו אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִקְחוּ אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁמֶן זַיִת זָךְ כָּתִית לַמָּאוֹר לְהַעֲלֹת נֵר תָּמִיד:

(ג) מִחוּץ לְפָרֹכֶת הָעֵדֻת בְּאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד יַעֲרֹךְ אֹתוֹ אַהֲרֹן מֵעֶרֶב עַד בֹּקֶר לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק תָּמִיד חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם:

(ד) עַל הַמְּנֹרָה הַטְּהֹרָה יַעֲרֹךְ אֶת הַנֵּרוֹת לִפְנֵי יְקֹוָק תָּמִיד: פ

Although RaShI states that the discussion of the Menora in Tetzave was to mention what was to take place in the future regarding the Menora that was to be fabricated ast this point, but the lighting did not actually begin until the Commandment is given in Emor, RaMBaM apparently counts the Mitzva when it is first discussed rather than when it is first enacted, and therefore Sefer HaChinuch follows suit.

Beit.

1.א. The process begins with the acquisition and bringing of the oil to the Kohanim by the people, rather than with the Kohanim’s placing of the oil into the Menora. If it would not have said “אליך” I would not know the destination to which the people were bringing the oil. 

ב    . Even though it is the people’s obligation to acquire the oil, they are not the ones who will be placing it in the Menora and lighting the flames. Consequently, the people will be acquiring the oil with the intention to bring it to you so that you can serve as their Shlichim to carry out this Mitzva, whose raw materials originate with them.

2.  Although the oil and wicks will be set up at the beginning of the evening in the Menora, the fact that they will hopefully burn from evening to morning is as if they are being handled/taken care of directly during this entire period.

In the three RaShI’s that are cited, in each case there is a lacuna in the biblical verse because it is not clear from where to where each of these actions will take place, i.e.,

a. Beraishit 24:18 When Rivka lowers her pitcher, where was it to start that she had to lower it?

b. Ibid. 38:12 When Yehuda went up to be involved in the sheep shearing, where exactly did he go up to?

c. Shemot 3:3 When Moshe says that he will turn aside to see the phenomenon of the bush on fire that was not being consumed, from where and to where was he turning aside?

3. Verse 2 is describing what the obligation of the Jewish people would be, i.e., to bring olive oil for the purpose of lighting the Menora. Their bringing of the oil was not “before HaShem”; only the lighting of the Menora in the Mishkan/Mikdash was “before HaShem”. Consequently the phrase is only used when describing the actions of the Kohanim as opposed to the action of the people bringing the raw materials.

Gimel.

1.  “ויצא” will be accompanied by the point of origin from which the individual went out, as opposed to the place which was his destination, the latter being introduced by the verb “ויבא”.

2.  Each one of the interpretations is filling in the lacuna of from where this individual was coming.

3.  MaLBIM accounts for the apparent superfluity in the verse in the following manner:

מלבי"ם שמואל א פרק יז פסוק ד

...ויצא איש הבנים, שהוא ירד ממחנות פלשתים אשר בהר אל העמק שבין המחנות...

In other words, he didn’t just emerge from where he lived, but specifically positioned himself so that he could challenge the Jewish encampment.

4.  Sifra: The individual emerged from being judged by Jewish law and losing his claim.

Tanchuma—R. Levi: The individual lost his self-respect and place in the world.

R. Berechya: He “turned his back on”--derided a basic Halacha regarding the Mishkan, the weekly fabrication and replacement of the Lechem HaPanim.

5.  Sifra: The individual lost his claim to take up residence in the Machane proper.

     RaMBaN: The individual left the privacy of his own tent to start a public controversy.

Daled.

According to Abrabanel, “ויצא” suggests the intention to start a controversy, i.e., to leave the anonymity of the group in order to draw attention to oneself by disputing with others over some issue.

Heh.

The two questions that Wiesel addresses are:

a. Why does the story of the blasphemer come at this particular point?

         b. Why had we not been told previously about the sin of blasphemy and its punishment (particularly since we were told about the sin of cursing one’s parents,¹ which is minor compared to blasphemy.)

Vav.

1.  Ibn Ezra suggests that “ויקב” could either mean:

a. He articulated

b. He cursed.

2. The commentator expresses a preference for the first interpretation due to the context of the verse in which it appears:

ויקרא פרק כד

(יא) וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת הַשֵּׁם וַיְקַלֵּל וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ שְׁלֹמִית בַּת דִּבְרִי לְמַטֵּה דָן:

If ויקב alone connoted cursing, why does the verse also state the word “ויקלל”?

¹ ויקרא פרק כ

(ט) כִּי אִישׁ אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יְקַלֵּל אֶת אָבִיו וְאֶת אִמּוֹ מוֹת יוּמָת אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ קִלֵּל דָּמָיו בּוֹ: