The Long View
The festival calendar – a start
to finish list of all the Biblical holidays – features prominently in this
week’s parshah, Emor. Beginning with Pesach,
because the Torah keeps time based around the Exodus, our Torah portion lists
the date and key observances of each festival in turn.
At the same time, the Torah also presents us with the dates and rituals of the festivals in other places. For example, parashat Bo, in the book of Exodus, gives the date of Passover and details how we should celebrate that festival. So why would the Torah, which is otherwise sparing in its language, include a second listing of the holidays?
While it is true that Emor’s festival calendar gives the dates and practices for each holiday, the ultimate message of this parshah goes beyond the practicalities. By drawing all of the festivals together and presenting them in chronological order, the Torah calls our attention to the bigger picture. Yes, each festival has its own meaning and character; but all of them, taken together, also form a larger picture, one that reveals the underlying purpose of human existence.
The Torah’s calendar begins in Nisan, with Pesach. Consequently, our festivals take us on a journey from slavery to liberation (Pesach); from wandering in the desert to settling in our homeland (Shavuot); to an acceptance of God as the Master of all things and acceptance of personal responsibility for our choices (Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur); and finally reflecting on the overall course of our journey, recognizing the distance we have traveled from slavery in Egypt to complete freedom (Sukkot). In this way, parashat Emor asks us to take the long view, to see that the Jewish calendar’s parts add up to an even greater whole.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abe Friedman
At the same time, the Torah also presents us with the dates and rituals of the festivals in other places. For example, parashat Bo, in the book of Exodus, gives the date of Passover and details how we should celebrate that festival. So why would the Torah, which is otherwise sparing in its language, include a second listing of the holidays?
While it is true that Emor’s festival calendar gives the dates and practices for each holiday, the ultimate message of this parshah goes beyond the practicalities. By drawing all of the festivals together and presenting them in chronological order, the Torah calls our attention to the bigger picture. Yes, each festival has its own meaning and character; but all of them, taken together, also form a larger picture, one that reveals the underlying purpose of human existence.
The Torah’s calendar begins in Nisan, with Pesach. Consequently, our festivals take us on a journey from slavery to liberation (Pesach); from wandering in the desert to settling in our homeland (Shavuot); to an acceptance of God as the Master of all things and acceptance of personal responsibility for our choices (Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur); and finally reflecting on the overall course of our journey, recognizing the distance we have traveled from slavery in Egypt to complete freedom (Sukkot). In this way, parashat Emor asks us to take the long view, to see that the Jewish calendar’s parts add up to an even greater whole.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Abe Friedman
