Parashat Emor is almost entirely about sacrifices. The sacrificial worship system focused on exacting detail and set procedures. For example, Emor begins with what qualifies a priest for sacred service, or a sacrificial animal to be offered. In both cases they must be physically perfect, without blemish. It then goes on to list the major holidays—Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot–with their particular sacrifices. Then in the middle of this long list of sacrificial details it says, “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the Lord am your God.” (Leviticus 23:22) What is this line doing here? Perhaps it comes to teach us that Judaism is a combination of both careful religious ritual and a commitment to work for social justice. To focus only on one or the other is to miss Judaism’s message: to be a religious person requires sustaining our connection to God and to each other.

Parashat Kedoshim, the second of this week’s double Torah portion, begins with these words, “You shall be holy, for I, ADONAI your God am holy.” (Leviticus 20:2) What does it mean to holy? The parasha doesn’t say, but it does give some examples of how one can be holy: by honoring parents, worshipping God, not reaping all crops but leaving some for the poor, not stealing, being an honest witness, paying a worker fair wages on time, not insulting anyone – even a deaf person. To be holy, that is Godlike, occurs when we treat one another decently, fairly, with respect, and avoid exploitation. The way we treat each other paves the way for our connection to God.

~Rabbi Dean