And you shall count for yourselves,

 from the morrow of the rest day from the day

you bring the omer as a wave offering

seven weeks; they shall be complete.

(Vayikra 23:15)

 

The reason why the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded the counting of the Omer was so that every man in Israel was busy with his own harvest and each was in his own granary, and they would forget to make the festival pilgrimage [and counting the Omer reminds them to make the pilgrimage]. The midrash gives another reason: It is comparable to the parable about someone who was imprisoned and cried out to the king to free him. The king said he should be freed and given his daughter [in marriage]. He [the imprisoned man] counted [the days] until the time came [for his liberation and marriage]. So too, when Israel left Egypt they were told they would be free men and would be given the Torah, as it is written, you shall worship God on this mountain (Shemot 3:12) [and so they counted in anticipation].

Some say there is another explanation: it is because the world is worried about the grains and [fruit] trees between Passover until Shavu'ot, as it says in the first chapter of Rosh HaShanah (16a): "Why did the Torah enjoin on us to offer an Omer on Passover? Because Passover is the season of grain. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Bring before Me an Omer on Passover so that your produce in the fields may be blessed.' Why did the Torah enjoin on us to bring two leaves on Shavu'ot? Because Shavu'ot is the season for the fruit of the tree. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said: 'Bring before Me two loaves on Shavu'ot so that the fruit of your trees may be blessed.' Why did the Torah enjoin on us to pour out water on Sukkot? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Pour out water before Me on Sukkot, so that your rains this year may be blessed, etc.'" (based on Soncino translation). Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He commanded that these days be counted in order that we remember the world's worries and return to Him in complete repentance and plead that He have mercy upon us, that the yields be good. That is what the verse refers to: And they did not say in their heart, "Let us now fear the Lord our God, Who gives rain, the early rain and the latter rain in its time, the weeks of the laws of harvest He keeps for us" (Jeremiah 5:24) - those [weeks of the laws of harvest] are the seven weeks between Passover and Shavu'ot.

(R. Yitzhak Karo, Toldot Yitzhak Vayikra 23:15)

 

 

Kodesh, Kadosh, Kedoshim

Nahem Ilan

The Hebrew root KDSh makes even more appearances in parashat Emor than it does in the preceding parasha, Kedoshim. An important theological lesson can be learned by examining some of its uses. In this article I will focus on the Arabic translation of the Torah produced by Saadia Gaon in the first half of the 10^th century. Saadia often followed the translation of Onkelos and the Aramaic translations produced in the Land of Israel. Accordingly, I will compare several of Saadia's translations with those of his predecessors.

The Israelites are commanded to be holy - kedoshim - three times in parashat Kedoshim: Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy (19:2); You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord, your God (20:7); And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine (20:26). In all of these verses Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan ben Uziel render kedoshim with the Aramaic kadishin ["holy"], while Saadia renders it mukadasin ["sanctified"] in all three cases. His translation expresses an approach that denies intrinsic holiness to the Israelites; sanctification is a mission and a challenge rather than an existing state of holiness.

Given this background, it will be interesting to see how Saadia translates this verse from the beginning of Emor: They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not desecrate their God's Name, for they offer up the fire offerings of the Lord, the food offering of their God, so they shall be holy (21:6). The Aramaic translations use kadishin both in the beginning of the verse as well as in its conclusion, thus reflecting their belief that that verse is circular in structure; it ends as it begins. Saadia thinks differently. He translates the first instance of the word kedoshim as kidisin, a term possessing two different uses: while medieval Judeo-Arabic employs kidisin to refer to God, it also can function as a synonym for mukadas, a designation used in reference to human beings whose holiness is not intrinsic. Saadia agrees with the Aramaic translators that the verse's conclusion echoes its beginning, and he renders its final word mukadasin - sanctified. Apparently, he rejected their understanding of the actual meaning of the command with which the verse begins; he remains true to the view of the nature of holiness reflected in many of his renderings. For instance, he translates the word kedoshim the same way in the verse, They assembled against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for the entire congregation are all holy, and the Lord is in their midst. So why do raise yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" (Bamidbar 16:3).

Let us return to Emor. The tendency discussed above returns after two verses, when we read: You shall sanctify him, for he offers up the food offering of your God; he shall be holy [kadosh] to you, for I, the Lord Who sanctifies you, am holy [kadosh] (21:8). Here again the Aramaic translations do not distinguish between the two appearances of kadosh in the verse, the first referring to the priest and the second to God; both are rendered kadish. Saadia, in contrast, renders the first mukadasa and the latter alkadus - in keeping with his line of thought.

Saadia remains consistent when translating the word kodesh. In the verse, And whoever eats it shall bear his sin, because he has profaned what is holy [kodesh]to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people (19:8), he renders kodesh as kuds, while in the verse, And in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord (19:24) he is careful to translate kodesh as mukadasa, since no object - in this case, fruit - can be intrinsically holy. The fruit is sanctified by intentional and defined human action.

Saadia's theological principle finds radical expression in his translation of the verse, Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they shall separate themselves from the holy [sacrifices] of the children of Israel, which they sanctify to Me, so as not to desecrate My Holy Name [Shem kodshi]. I am the Lord (22:2). The Aramaic translations render Shem kodshi literally, while Saadia is careful to translate is as ma samaytuhu kudsa - "that which I have called holy." It seems that here Saadia wishes to make it clear that if Aaron and his sons do not separate themselves from the holy sacrifices of the children of Israel, they will desecrate that which God has called "holy," but such improper behavior could not somehow harm God's name, as various kabbalistic opinions would have it.

The tendency observed up to now can also be found in relation to the expression mikra'ei kodesh - "holy" or "appointed" occasions. This phrase appears three times in the passage about the festivals (chapter 23), and the variant mikra kodesh is repeated eight times in the chapter. The passage begins: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: The Lord's appointed [holy days] that you shall designate as holy occasions. These are My appointed [holy days] (23:2). Here Onkelos and Pseudo-Jonathan render mikra'ei kodesh as m'ar'ei kadish, while Saadia is careful to translate it as yagibu an tusamuha b'asma kh'atzah - "you are to call them by special [or "honored"] names." In other words: according to Saadia's thinking, the names of the festivals are not themselves at all holy, rather, they are appellations that mark the uniqueness of the various holidays. The very fact that each festival is given its own special name honors them.

A single example of how mikra kodesh is translated. In the verse, On the first day, there shall be a holy occasion for you; you shall not perform any work of labor (23:7), the Aramaic translations us m'ara kadish, while Saadia renders it ism mukadas - a sanctified name.

All of the examples I have dealt with (save one) come from the parshiyot Kedoshim and Emor. A comprehensive and systematic study would have to be made of Saadia's entire project of translation in order to reach general conclusions regarding his approach. Nevertheless, something can be said - cautiously - on the basis of the few examples cited above. Saadia usually takes a consistent stand in his translations. The examples examined above show that he is careful to attribute intrinsic holiness to God and to God alone. Human beings are called upon to sanctify themselves but they lack any holiness of their own. Intrinsic holiness is most certainly not to be attributed to particular objects or times, for that would be blatantly idolatrous.

Saadia's view of holiness was not accepted by most of the Sages of later generations, and certainly not by the kabbalists and their followers. It seems that in our day people use the expressions mekomot kedoshim - "holy places" and ish kadosh - "holy man" - without giving thought to the theological implications of attributing holiness to particular persons, objects, or places. Saadia's position on this issue presents a philosophical challenge worthy of being reckoned with regardless of one's politics.

Prof. Nahem Ilan teaches in the MA in Jewish Studies program at Lander Institute in Jerusalem (affiliated with Touro College).

 

 

They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shall they shave the edge of their beard, nor shall they make cuts in their flesh. They shall be holy to their God, and they shall not desecrate their God's Name.

 (Vayikra 21:5-6)

 

"And live by them - but not to die by them"

But if kirha [making bald patches] - like serita [making cuts] - is performed as tribute to the god of death who overpowers everything, then we can understand why these prohibitions were to be repeated just for the priests…

Antique and modern heathenism like so very much to associate religion and religious matters with death and thoughts of death. For them death and dying are the real manifestations of their godhead, who to them is a god of death and not of life. A god who kills and does not animate, and sends death and its fore-runners, illness and wretchedness, so that men should fear him, realize his power and their impotence. The places which they dedicate to temples are therefore round about graves; the foremost place of their priest is therefore at the dead and dying. There, where the light is fading from the eye, and hearts are broken, is the most fruitful field for their religious sowing.

Not so is the Jewish priest because not so is the Jewish teaching of God, the Jewish religion. The God, Whose Name assigns the Jewish priest to his office is a God of life. His most sublime manifestation is the elevating power of life; freeing, animating, raising man to free will and to eternal life, not the crushing power of death. Not how one is to die, but how one is to live. How, living, one has victoriously to conquer death; death in life, thralldom, enslaved by one's physical urges, moral weakness, how one has to live every second of a morally free, thinking, desiring, working and accomplishing life, and also all the pleasures of life as a moment of service to God, that is the teaching to which God has dedicated His Sanctuary, and for the service of which he has consecrated the priests to care for the "basis of life and direction thereof" amongst the people.

And hence it says regarding Jewish priests: They shall not make bald patches on their heads, etc. they are not to go about with a symbol of death on themselves. By their outward appearance it is the force of life and not the power of death that they have to preach.

(Rabbi S.R. Hirsch Vayikra 21:5, based on Levi translation)

 

As the Sojourner, So Shall The Native Be

For I the Lord am your God. - Lord of both the stranger and the citizen, no preferential treatment of the affluent over the indigent.

(Seforno, Vayikra 24:22)

 

As the sojourner, so shall the native be - The alien who comes from a foreign land and who is separated from his land is termed a ger, related to the word gargir - a berry - which is separated from the tree. One whose ancestors are from the same city is called an ezrah - as in (Psalms 37:35) Well-rooted like a robust native tree (ezrah = native tree) resembling a plant planted year ago. Thus the Torah is saying that justice should be equal for all.

For I the Lord am your God. If you do indeed render justice equally, then - I the Lord am your God. From the positive we infer the negative, for whoever does not apply the same standard in justice discards His divinity and denies the basic principle. It is well-known that all beliefs and laws of the nations are commentary on the Torah, and the rules of the Torah are basic principles of Torah. Ignoring them is a desecration of His Name. Whoever has it in his power to protest, but does not, desecrates the Name and exhibits respect for idolaters, and demeans the Instruction of Moses, and causes the loss of Jewish money. For the entire world is dependent upon laws.

(Rabeinu Behayey, Vayikra 24:22)

 

All Torah that is without Labor...: Rabbis Yishmael and Shimon bar Yohai

The Rabbis taught: And you shall gather in your new grain (Devarim 11: 14) - what does this teach us?

Since it is said, Let not this book of Torah cease from your lips (Joshua 1:8) - [one might wonder] should this be taken literally?

"We learn from the verse And you shall gather in your new grain - act in accordance with the custom of the land [i.e., work for a living]"; these are the words of Rabbi Yishmael.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai says: "Can a man plow in the season of plowing, sew seeds in the season for sowing, harvest in the harvest season, thresh in the threshing season, winnow when it is windy - what shall become of the Torah? Rather, when Israel does God's will their work is performed by others, for it is said, Strangers shall stand and pasture your flocks (Isaiah 61:5). But when Israel does not perform God's will, they have to do their own work for themselves, for it is said, and you shall gather in your new grain. Not only that, but they have to do the work of others, for it is said, and you shall serve your enemies (Devarim 28:48)." Abbayeiy said: "Many did as Rabbi Yishmael [said] - and succeeded, as Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai [said] - and they did not succeed."

(Berakhot 35b)

 

On Delusions and False Messiahs

[After] Bar Koziba (Bar Kokhba) reigned for two and a half years, he said to the Rabbis: "I am the Messiah."

They told him: "It is written that the Messiah will be able to pass judgment by sense of smell, let us see if he can pass judgment by sense of smell." When they saw that he could not pass judgment by sense of smell - they [the Romans] killed him.

(Sanhedrin 93b)

 

A kokhav [star] rises from Jacob (Bamidbar 23:17) - do not say kokhav, say kozev [disappointer].

When Rabbi Akiva saw Bar Koziva (Bar Kokhba), he said: "That is King Messiah."

Rabbi Yohanan ben Torata said to him: "Akiva! Grass will be growing from your cheeks and he will have yet to arrive."

(Eikhah Rabbah 2)

 

Do not think that King Messiah will have to perform signs and wonders, bring anything new into being, revive the dead, or do similar things. It is not so. Rabbi Akiva was a great sage, a teacher of the Mishnah, yet he was also the armor-bearer of Ben Kozba. He affirmed that the latter was King Messiah; he and all the wise men of his generation shared this belief until Ben Koziba was slain in [his] iniquity, when it became known that he was not (the Messiah). Yet the rabbis had not asked him for a sign or token. The general principle is: this Law of ours with its statutes and ordinances (is not subject to change). It is forever and all eternity; it is not to be added to or to be taken away from.

(RaMBaM Hilkhot Melakhim 11:3, English from pg. 223 of Twersky's A Maimonides Reader)

 

 

 

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