Portion of the Week; Shemini 16-4, Rabbi Wallach

it's b the la chaise all although millennium days harshaw i am they use all the sky all of the week the bible as read in the synagogue with rabbinic commentary the seemingly hear rabbi at morton wanted spiritual leader of the conservative congregation and suggested of new york city good evening hour tour reading in the synagogue this coming sabbath is taken from the book of leviticus chapters nine through eleven the text continues the description of the laws of sacrifice for the sanctuary in the wilderness aron and his sons had been formally inducted into the priesthood

and now they are directed to offer the sacrifices which their priestly office requires of them chapter nine describes the four sacrifices that were brought to the altar the rabbis of the tom moon and commenting on our text found religious significance in the order of the sacrifices described first came this sin offering denoting purification then the burnt offering indicating self surrender to god third the meal offering notifying consecration of labor and finally the peace offering symbolizing fellowship with god thus save the rabbis we find a logical progression in the order of the sacrifices that the people rid themselves of sin let them submit their will to the divine will let them consecrate their daily toil to the service of god and then they would enjoy that divine communion

which is the supreme experience of men in this incisive content we see an excellent example of how the rabbis were able to find ethical meaning in the biblical statements of sacrifice long after the sacrificial system ceased with the destruction of the temple by the romans in the year seventy with the death of barron's two sons the moral significance of which was discussed the other evening leviticus chapter ten lays down a number of rules and regulations governing the proper conduct of the priests while officiating in the sanctuary particularly significant are verses eight and nine the lord spoke to arun saying drink no wine or strong drink thou lord my songs with the windy go into the tent of meeting i believe that it would be instructive to consider at this time the

attitude of judaism towards drinking hard liquor actually a moderate indulgence in wine or other spirits is quite in keeping with jewish tradition bible speaks of a little wine as rejoicing the heart every joyous event birth marriage the sanctification of the sabbath by the kadish prayer and the numerous holy days include wine as part of the celebration drunkenness on the other hand is regarded by judaism as an offense against both god and man not only because of its own inherent ugliness but because it is a symptom of a serious character defect a lack of self control in jewish thought a person who has developed the art of self restraint in other aspects of his life will practice moderation in eating and drinking as well last drinking liquor is not forbidden by judaism when

drunkenness is sharply condemned it is interesting to note that sociologists and students of jewish family life have frequently observed that intoxicating drinks can be found in nearly every jewish home or drunkenness is nevertheless a rarity this jewish attitude toward drinking is an example of the jewish ethical concept of the shaquille has a home the golden path which finds its parallel in the golden mean of greek thought for judaism until i said this isn't as well as overindulgence are regarded as since while the practice of moderation is the ideal in our text the priests were forbidden to drink intoxicating liquors before officiating in the sanctuary less indiscretion and overindulgence led them to profane their holy function the injunction of the torah finds his application and a later age when

the prophet isaiah cries out against the injustices and blasphemy of his day but these also real through wine and stagger through strong drink the priest and the false prophet real through strong drink they are confused because of wine they stagger because of strong drink the real invasion they cover in judgment our text in leviticus continues versus ten and eleven and that you may put difference between the holy and the common and between the unclean and the clean back to make teach the children of israel all the statutes which the lord outspoken and to them by the hand of moses here we see that the priest was much more than just a religious functionary in the sanctuary it was the duty of the priest as well to teach his people the everlasting

distinction between holy and unholy between light and darkness between clean and unclean and between right and wrong it was primarily as a teacher that the priest left his mark and influence on others and later judaism this role of the priest became the sacred obligation of every jewish father as head of his house so to teach and instruct his children and the path of goodness righteousness and holiness the words of the bible brought them feel the mom let it go i mean were going condo shh people have the obligation of becoming an toward the kingdom of priests and the whole the nation near the end of chapter eleven we find an inspiring verse which gives eloquent expression to the spiritual purpose of god's divine law is the primary reason for observing them

versus forty four for i am the larger god sanctified yourselves therefore be only four i am hungry he's managed to reduce dr after holiness by imitating god's qualities and attributes why his deeds man must reveal a divine that has implanted within them and it is through god's moral and ritual law that man is unable to achieve the dye mention of holiness in his life the public gives that that expression to man's role in the divine economy by describing the rungs on the ladder of holiness he'd formed this leads to clean this clean as to purity purity to holiness holiness to humanity humility to dread of sin dread of sin to saintliness and say

mr the possession of the rock audition god's holy spirit for judaism or ever men and women honest we strive after only living such striving carries its own fulfillment with it this coming sabbath is the third of the four special sabbaths that precede the holiday of passover on each of these days to scrolls of law are taken from the arc and both are read from from the first we read the portion of the week according to the cycle of color readings for the year and these have commented on the last several evenings from the second tone row we read a selection of verses pertaining to the special site the use of two scrolls of the tower on these days originated as a

matter of expediency rabbis did not wish to keep the members of the congregation waiting while the scroll was world rolled from the first portion to the second and so they ruled that two schools should be used each toll road being previously prepared by having good role to the appropriate passage before the services began this same motive probably use of tutorials on each of the holidays of the jewish calendar of course at a regular sabbath service only one scroll is red from each of these four savants proceeding the holiday of passover has a particular significance and the special reading from the second tour is related to the significance as well as the additional reading from the profits in the coming evenings will be discussing the significance and meaning of

these for the sadness in the jewish camp you have been listening to portion of the week the bible as retin a synagogue with preventing commentary this evening you heard rabbi morton walk spiritual leader of the conservative congregation anja chested of new york city the counter for portion of the week his music combines the congregation that show on the internet they use auto it's the hawk allies also follow murph on jazz album as a zone gone girl our eu mayor off that buzz aldrin a pall mall human body all matter bell army am yeah it is

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