Bat Kol International, Weekly Torah Nuggets
Parashat Emor | Leviticus 21:1 – 24:23
According to Plaut (The Torah: A Modern Commentary ), Emor can be divided in 1. Laws concerning the Priests; 2. The festival Calendar; 3. Oil, Bread, and the Blasphemer.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: These are My fixed times, the fixed times of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as sacred occasions“ (Lev 23:1).
Every culture, religious system, and other groups—whether organizational or familial—have dates to observe in order to maintain certain customs or traditions. These are expressions of the community’s ideals and bring joy, color, and life to the group, providing a rhythm for a life full of meaning.
Every culture, religious system, and other groups—whether organizational or familial—have dates to observe in order to maintain certain customs or traditions. These are expressions of the community’s ideals and bring joy, color, and life to the group, providing a rhythm for a life full of meaning.
What begins with the creation of beacons in Gen. 1:14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as signs for the set times – days and years” develops in Lev. 21:1–24:23, into fixed dates to be observed by the Jewish people. These are fixed times to closer encounters to meet God!
Despite all the changes—sacrifices have given way to many new forms of celebration—the festivals prescribed in the Torah are still of great importance to Jewish communities.
Reflection:
Family, organizational, and religious celebrations must be in harmony and intertwined so that we can truly appreciate the full richness of life’s meaning. Is it easy for you to recognize the differences and similarities in each encounter with God and with your fellow human beings?
Maria Cecilia Piccoli, Bat Kol Yedidei Torah, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil
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“Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies.”
Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions: Nostra Aetate, No. 4