BEHAR_LEVITICUS XXV:1-XXVI:2

According to Harav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik, the Torah was delivered at Har Sinai with Kolot uverakim, “thunder and lightning”, so that Humanity would learn that the Jewish people deserved Divine attention and, in this way, kavod, honor, was returned to the people who were gradually losing the appreciation of everyone. While Avraham gained the respect of many, this sentiment diminished in the case of Yitzchak and even more so with Yaacov and his sons, who ended up under the yoke of Egyptian slavery. 

The Divine revelation at Sinai was intended to restore to the Hebrews the esteem of the nations. Everyone realized that God had chosen the Jewish people. A kind of Kiddush Ha’Am, “the sanctification of the nation”. In previous chapters we had read about Kiddush HaShem, the obligation to sanctify the Name of God, and the prohibition Velo techalelu et Shem Kodshi, “and not to desecrate My Sacred Name”, a norm that requires one to offer hia life in certain fundamental cases, such as incest, murder, and idolatry. That is, the Jew must choose death and not transgress any of the three imperatives mentioned.

However, the Talmud questions that, if a person flouts the Yehareg veal ya’avor imperative, “to choose death and not to violate the law”, in the case of idolatry for fear of being sentenced to death, can he be considered to have violated the prohibition of serving an idol? The answer should be obvious: in the case of idolatry, a person must choose death. The fact that the Talmud raises the question suggests, according to Soloveitchik, that the problem lies not so much in the idolatrous act as in the transcendent effect of the action.

In the course of history, when Jews were forced to publicly renounce their faith, even when it was not a matter of violating one of the three previous statements, the obligation was not to succumb, even to offer life, if necessary. According to Maimonides, Chananya, Mishael and Azaria chose to throw themselves into the flames of a furnace rather than prostrate themselves before Nevuchjadnetsar. With this act of bravery, which consisted of refusing to bow to the evil king, they were fulfilling the imperative of Kiddush HaShem, the Sanctification of the Name of God.

During the tragic period of the Holocaust, there were many cases of Kiddush HaShem that did not correspond to incest, idolatry, or murder. There is the case of a group of young people who opted for suicide so as not to be turned into a kind of harem for the carnal pleasure of Nazi officers. Those same executioners who mocked their victims by questioning where their God was to defend them, had to face the courage and ardor of those who preferred death to indignity and immorality.

Although there are precise rules with reference to Kiddush HaShem, this imperative also depends on the specific situation, for example, when a public renunciation of the faith was demanded, especially during the “autos de fe” prevalent in various religious persecutions, especially during the period of the Inquisition. 

For centuries there was Chilul HaAm, contempt for the people and irreverence for their nature. The maximum expression of this nihilism occurred during the Nazi period, when an attempt was made to dehumanize the Jew, tattooing him with a number to identify him, ignoring his right to even a name that qualified him as a human person.

The establishment of Medinat Israel can be framed under the concept of Kiddush HaAm, the return of honor, and the Sanctification of the Name of the people of Israel. For this reason and for many other reasons, the State of Israel is, at the same time, an ideal and a reality that belongs to the entire Jewish people, even those who do not reside within its geographical limits.

MITSVAH: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARASHAH

CONTAINS 7 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 17 BANS

1. Leviticus 25:4 Do not work the land during the Sabbath year
2. Leviticus 25:4 Do not work with trees in the Sabbath year
3. Leviticus 25:5 Do not reap what grows spontaneously in the Sabbath year
4. Leviticus 25:5 Do not gather the fruit of the tree in the Sabbath year in the way it is harvested each year
5. Leviticus 25:8 Counting 7 cycles of 7 years
6. Leviticus 25:9, 10 Sound the Shofar on Yom Kippur in the Jubilee Year (on Rosh HaShanah the obligation is to listen to the Shofar)
7. Leviticus 25:9, 10 To sanctify the Jubilee Year
8. Leviticus 25:11 Do not work the land in the Jubilee Year
9. Leviticus 25:5 Do not reap what grows spontaneously in the Jubilee Year
10. Leviticus 25:11 Do not reap the fruit of the trees in the Jubilee Year in the way it is harvested each year
11. Leviticus 25:14 Doing Justice between Seller and Buyer
12. Leviticus 25:14 Do not deceive in buying and selling
13. Leviticus 25:17 Do not verbally oppress a Jew
14. Leviticus 25:23 Do not sell land in the Land of Israel permanently
15. Leviticus 25:24 Return the land in the Land of Israel to its original owners in the Jubilee Year
16. Leviticus 25:29 Redeem an inherited property in a city in the year (of its sale)
17. Leviticus 25:34 Do not disturb the empty grounds around the cities or fields of the Levites
18. Leviticus 25:37 Do not charge interest when lending to a Jew
19. Leviticus 25:39 Do not force a Hebrew slave to do degrading work like a Canaanite slave
20. Leviticus 25:42 Do not sell a Hebrew slave at auction
21. Leviticus 25:43 Do not force a Hebrew slave to do forced labor
22. Leviticus 25:43 Permanently keeping a Canaanite slave
23. Leviticus 25:53 Do not allow a Hebrew slave to be forced to work extremely by his non-Jewish owner
24. Leviticus 26:1 Do not prostrate yourself on an engraved or sculpted stone, even in the veneration of God

BEHAR_LEVÍTICO XXV:1-XXVI:2

De acuerdo con Harav Yosef Dov HaLeví Soloveitchik, laTorá fue entregada en Har Sinai con Kolot uverakim, “truenos y relámpagos”, para que la Humanidad se enterase de que el pueblo judío merecía la atención Divina y, de esta manera, se devolvía el kavod, la honra, al pueblo que paulatinamente estaba perdiendo el aprecio de la Humanidad. Mientras que Avraham obtuvo el respeto de muchos, este sentimiento fue disminuyendo en el caso de Yitsjak y más aún con Yaacov y sus hijos, que terminaron bajo el yugo de la esclavitud egipcia. 

La revelación Divina en Sinai tuvo el objeto de devolver a los hebreos la estima de las naciones. Se escuchó en el mundo de aquel entonces que Dios había escogido al pueblo judío. Una especie de Kidush HaAm, “la santificación de la nación”. En capítulos anteriores habíamos leído acerca de Kidush HaShem, la obligación de santificar el Nombre de Dios, y la prohibición Veló tejalelú et Shem Kodshí, “y no vayáis a profanar Mi Nombre Sagrado”, hecho que obliga a ofrecer la vida en ciertos casos fundamentales, tales como el incesto, el asesinato y la idolatría. O sea, el judío debe optar por la muerte y no transgredir ninguno de los tres imperativos mencionados.

No obstante, el Talmud cuestiona que, si una persona desacata el imperativo Yehareg veal yaavor, “escoger la muerte y no violar la ley”, en el caso de la idolatría por temor de ser sentenciado a la muerte, ¿acaso se puede considerar que ha violado la prohibición de servir a un ídolo? La respuesta debería ser obvia: en el caso de la idolatría, la persona debe escoger la muerte. El hecho de que el Talmud plantee la interrogante sugiere, según Soloveitchik, que el problema no reside tanto en el acto idólatra sino en el efecto público, trascendente, de la acción.

En el transcurso de la historia, cuando los judíos fueron obligados a renunciar públicamente a su fe, incluso cuando no era cuestión de violar uno de los tres enunciados anteriores, la obligación era no sucumbir, incluso ofrecer la vida, si era necesario. De acuerdo con Maimónides, Jananyá, Mishael y Azaryá optaron por arrojarse a las llamas de un horno en lugar de postrarse ante Nevujadnétsar. Con este acto de valentía, que consistió en negarse a inclinarse ante el malvado rey, estaban proclamando el Kidush HaShem, la Santificación del Nombre de Dios.

Durante el trágico período del Holocausto ocurrieron muchos casos de Kidush HaShem que no correspondían al incesto, la idolatría o el asesinato. Está el caso de un grupo de jóvenes que optaron por el suicidio para no ser convertidas en una especie de harén para el placer carnal de los oficiales nazis. Aquellos mismos verdugos que se burlaban de sus víctimas cuestionando dónde estaba su Dios para defenderlos, tuvieron que afrontar el arrojo y el ardor de quienes prefirieron la muerte a la indignidad e inmoralidad.

Aunque existen reglas precisas con referencia al Kidush HaShem, este imperativo también depende de la situación específica, por ejemplo, cuando se exige una renuncia pública de la fe, como sucedió durante los autos de fe practicados en las diversas persecuciones religiosas, especialmente durante el período de la Inquisición. 

Durante siglos existió el Jilul HaAm, el menosprecio por el pueblo y la irreverencia por su naturaleza. La máxima expresión de este nihilismo ocurrió durante el período nazi, cuando se intentó deshumanizar al judío, tatuándolo con un número para identificarlo, desconociendo su derecho aun nombre que lo calificara como una persona humana.

El establecimiento de Medinat Israel se puede enmarcar bajo el concepto de Kidush HaAm, la devolución de la honra, la Santificación del Nombre del pueblo de Israel. Por ello y por muchas otras razones, el Estado de Israel es, al mismo tiempo, un ideal y una realidad que pertenece a todo el pueblo judío, incluso a aquellos que no residen dentro de sus límites geográficos.

MITSVÁ: ORDENANZA DE LA TORÁ EN ESTA PARASHÁ

CONTIENE 7 MITSVOT POSITIVAS Y 17 PROHIBICIONES

1. Levítico 25:4 No trabajar la tierra durante el año Sabático
2. Levítico 25:4 No hacer trabajo alguno con árboles en el año Sabático
3. Levítico 25:5 No cosechar lo que crece espontáneamente en el año Sabático
4. Levítico 25:5 No recoger el fruto del árbol en el año Sabático de la manera que es cosechado cada año
5. Levítico 25:8 Contar 7 ciclos de 7 años
6. Levítico 25:9, 10 Hacer sonar el Shofar en Yom Kipur en el año Jubilar (en Rosh HaShaná la obligación es escuchar el sonido del Shofar)
7. Levítico 25:9, 10 Santificar el año Jubilar
8. Levítico 25:11 No trabajar la tierra en el año Jubilar
9. Levítico 25:5 No cosechar lo que crece espontáneamente en el año Jubilar
10. Levítico 25:11 No recoger el fruto de los árboles en el año Jubilar de la manera que es cosechado cada año
11. Levítico 25:14 Hacer justicia entre vendedor y comprador
12. Levítico 25:14 No engañar en la compra y venta
13. Levítico 25:17 No oprimir verbalmente a un judío
14. Levítico 25:23 No vender un terreno en la Tierra de Israel de manera permanente
15. Levítico 25:24 Devolver los terrenos en la Tierra de Israel a sus dueños originales en el año Jubilar
16. Levítico 25:29 Redimir una propiedad heredada en una ciudad en el año (de su venta)
17. Levítico 25:34 No alterar los terrenos vacíos alrededor de las ciudades o campos de los Levitas
18. Levítico 25:37 No cargar intereses cuando prestando a un judío
19. Levítico 25:39 No obligar a un esclavo hebreo hacer trabajo denigrante como a un esclavo canaanita
20. Levítico 25:42 No vender un esclavo hebreo en una subasta
21. Levítico 25:43 No obligar a un esclavo hebreo hacer trabajos forzados
22. Levítico 25:43 Mantener de manera permanente un esclavo canaanita
23. Levítico 25:53 No permitir que un esclavo hebreo sea obligado trabajar de manera extrema por su dueño no-judío 
24. Levítico 26:1 No postrarse encima de una piedra grabada o esculpida, incluso en la veneración de Dios

EMOR_LEVITICUS XXI:1-XXIV:23

Our chapters describe the different Mo’adim, and the festivities that must be celebrated in the course of the year. What is the definition of the word Mo’ed, which we translate as “festivity”? We read in Bereshit, that when God promised Avraham that his wife would have a child, the expression used is laMo’ed ashuv elecha, “on this ‘specific date’ I will return to you.” On the other hand, the Tabernacle is called Ohel Mo’ed, which implies a “specific place.” 

Mo’ed is an event that is repeated in the calendar and, therefore, Shabbat should also be considered as Mo’ed. However, the Torah uses this term basically when referring to the holidays of Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh HaShanah, and Yom HaKipurim. Exceptionally, in one of the chapters of this Parshah, the Torah does refer to Shabbat as part of the Mo’ed set.

A distinction must be made between the Mo’adim and Shabbat. The Mo’adim celebrate events and moments that are related to the history of the Jewish people.  Pesach commemorates the exodus from Egypt, Shavuot recalls the giving of the Torah, and Sukkot symbolizes the Divine protection of our ancestors during their journey through the wilderness.  Rosh Hashanah and Yom HaKipurim point to man’s relationship with God through Judgment and Forgiveness. The idea of Judgment implies responsibility for actions, while forgiveness teaches that man can always amend his behavior: God waits patiently until the man recognizes his mistakes.

It can be argued that both Rosh Hashanah and Yom HaKipurim have a universal meaning because the idea of Judgment and Forgiveness is applicable to Humanity in general. That will be so when the teachings of Judaism are universalized when at the end of the day Humanity recognizes the Sovereignty of the One and only God.

Based on the biblical text, Jewish tradition teaches that the work forbidden in the Mo’adim does not include the preparation of food: fire can be used in the preparation of food these days, a fact that is forbidden on Shabbat. Therefore, the laws of Shabbat have greater rigor. In this way, Shabbat is presented as the day on which there must be a total abstention from work and creation: one should not modify nature, nor give a different use to the elements through their preparation by the use of fire, for example.

Moreover, Shabbat is an integral part of Creation that was realized through 6 days of work and one day of rest, the Shabbat that God observed. We also note that the Ten Commandments, the fundamental universal code, among all festivities only mention Shabbat. So, humanity could perhaps do without the Mo’adim, but never relinquish the idea of weekly rest, Shabbat. 

Shabbat could be considered the goal of all Mo’adim because, by ceasing to work and create, man recognizes God as the true creator and maker of the universe. While the Mo’adim serves as a conduit for reflection on the epic of the Jewish people and Divine protection at crucial moments, beginning with the exodus from Egypt, Shabbat indicates to take a step back in order to observe and appreciate society and nature. 

Perhaps the fundamental purpose of Shabbat, which is a kind of limit for all Mo’adim, is the reflection that man must make about himself, the activities he carried out in the week that culminated, and what the priorities should be for the following days. The commemoration of Shabbat within the family allows us to highlight the values that give solidity and permanence to this essential nucleus of society. 

Unlike the Mo’adim, which are annual events, the weekly periodicity of Shabbat makes it a greater factor in determining the identity of the Jew and underlines his constant relationship with the One and only God, Who also rested on that day as part of the process of the creation of the universe.

MITSVAH: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARASHAH

CONTAINS 24 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 39 BANS

1. Leviticus 21:1-3 The Kohen must refrain from becoming ritually impure through contact with a human corpse unless it is of a close relative.
2. Leviticus 21:3:6 The ritual impurity that a Kohen acquires for his close relatives is parallel to the obligation of every Jew to mourn the death of the 6 close relatives mentioned in the Torah: mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter
3. Leviticus 21:7 The Kohen ritually impure for a day and who has already immersed himself in a Mikveh should not serve in the Temple until after sunset.
4. Leviticus 21:7 The Kohen is not to marry a woman who previously had forbidden relations.
5. Leviticus 21:7 The Kohen is not to marry a divorced woman
6. Leviticus 21:8 Laws about the Consecration of the Descendants of Aharon
7. Leviticus 21:11 The Kohen Gadol must not enter a tent where a deceased person lies
8. Leviticus 21:11 The Kohen Gadol should not deal (with the burial) of a corpse so as not to acquire ritual impurity (of the burial) of a corpse.
9. Leviticus 21:13 Kohrn Gadol must marry a virgin
10. Leviticus 21:14 Kohén Gadol should not marry a widow
11. Leviticus 21:15 The Kohrn Gadol must not have relations with a widow
12. Leviticus 21:17 The Kohen who has a disqualifying defect should not serve in the Temple
13. Leviticus 21:21 The Kohen who has a temporary disqualifying defect should not serve in the Temple
14. Leviticus 21:23 The Kohen who has a disqualifying defect should not enter the Temple
15. Leviticus 22:2 The ritually impure Kohen should not serve in the Temple
16. Leviticus 22:2 The ritually impure Kohen should not eat Terumah
17. Leviticus 22:10 Who is not a Kohen should not eat Terumah
18. Leviticus 22:10 Both the one who works continuously and the one who works by the day for the Kohen cannot eat Terumah
19. Leviticus 22:4 The uncircumcised individual should not eat Terumah
20. Leviticus 22:12 A woman who was born of a union that violated the sanctity of the Priesthood should not eat Terumah.
21. Leviticus 22:15 Do not eat Tevel
22. Leviticus 22:20 Do not consecrate defective animals to be offered on the Altar
23. Leviticus 22:21 The animal offering must be a perfect specimen without defects
24. Leviticus 22:21 Do not create a defect in a consecrated animal for an offering
25. Leviticus 22:22 Do not splash the blood of a defective animal on the Altar
26. Leviticus 22:22 Do not ritually sacrifice defective animals for offering
27. Leviticus 22:22 Do not burn parts of a defective animal on the Altar
28. Leviticus 22:24 Do not castrate any animals
29. Leviticus 22:25 Do not offer a defective offering received from a non-Jew
30. Leviticus 22:27 The animal to be offered must be older than 8 days
31. Leviticus 22:28 Do not ritually offer an animal and its cub (male or female) on the same day
32. Leviticus 22:32 Do nothing that would lead to desecration of God’s Name among people
33. Leviticus 22:32 Sanctify the Name of God
34. Leviticus 23:7 Rest from work on the first day of Pesach
35. Leviticus 23:7 Do not work on the first day of Pesach
36. Leviticus 23:8 The Additional Offering on the seventh day of Pesach
37. Leviticus 23:8 Rest from work on the seventh day of Pesach
38. Leviticus 23:8 Do not work on the seventh day of Pesach
39. Leviticus 23:10, 11 The Offering of the Omer on the Second Day of Pesach
40. Leviticus 23:14 Do not eat (bread) from the new grain harvest before the 16th of Nisan
41. Leviticus 23:14 Do not eat roasted grains from the new harvest before the end of the 16th of Nisan
42. Leviticus 23:14 Do not eat roasted ears of the new harvest before the end of the 16th of Nisan
43. Leviticus 23:15 Count 49 days from the Omer Offering
44. Leviticus 23:16 The offering of the new wheat on Shavuot
45. Leviticus 23:21 Rest from work on Shavuot
46. Leviticus 23:21 Do no work on Shavuot
47. Leviticus 23:24 Rest from work on Rosh Hashanah
48. Leviticus 23:24, 25 Do no work on Rosh Hashanah
49. Leviticus 23:24, 25 The Additional Offering of Rosh Hashanah
50. Leviticus 23:28 The Fast of the 10th of Tishrei
51. Leviticus 23:27 The Additional Offering of the 10th of Tishrei (Yom Kippur)
52. Leviticus 23:27 Do no work on the 10th of Tishrei
53. Leviticus 23:29 Neither eat nor drink on Yom Kippur
54. Leviticus 23:32 Rest from work on Yom Kippur
55. Leviticus 23:35 Rest from work on the First Day of Sukkot
56. Leviticus 23:34, 35 Do not do any work the First Day of Sukkot
57. Leviticus 23:36 The Additional Offering of the Seven Days of Sukkot
58. Leviticus 23:36 Rest from work on the Eighth Day of Sukkot
59. Leviticus 23:36 The Additional Offering at Shemini Atseret
60. Leviticus 23:36 Do no work in Shemini Atseret
61. Leviticus 23: 40 Hold the Lulav
62. Leviticus 23:42 Reside in the Sukkah for 7 days

EMOR_LEVÍTICO XXI:1-XXIV:23 

Nuestros capítulos describen los diferentes Moadim, las festividades que deben celebrarse en el curso del año. ¿Cuál es la definición de la palabra Moed, que traducimos como “festividad”? Leemos en Bereshit, cuando Dios le prometió a Avraham que su esposa tendría un hijo, la expresión utilizada es laMoed ashuv eleja, “en esta ‘fecha específica’ volveré a ti”. Por otro lado, el Tabernáculo recibe el nombre de Ohel Moed, que implica un “lugar específico”. 

Moed es un evento que se repite de acuerdo con el calendario y, por lo tanto, el día Shabat también debería ser considerado como Moed. Sin embargo, la Torá utiliza este término básicamente cuando se refiere a las festividades de Pésaj, Shavuot, Sucot, Rosh HaShaná y Yom HaKipurim. Excepcionalmente, en uno de los capítulos de esta Parashá, la Torá sí se refiere a Shabat como parte del conjunto Moed.

Se debe diferenciar entre los Moadim y el Shabat. Los Moadim celebran eventos y momentos que están relacionados con la historia del pueblo judío. Pésaj conmemora el éxodo de Egipto, Shavuot recuerda el otorgamiento de la Torá y Sucot simboliza la protección Divina de nuestros antepasados durante su travesía por el desierto. Rosh HaShaná y Yom HaKipurim señalan la relación del hombre con Dios mediante el Juicio y el Perdón. La idea del Juicio implica la responsabilidad por las acciones, mientras que el perdón enseña que el hombre siempre puede enmendar su comportamiento: Dios espera pacientemente hasta que el hombre reconozca sus errores.

Se puede argumentar que tanto Rosh HaShaná como Yom HaKipurim tienen un sentido universal, porque la idea de Juicio y Perdón es aplicable a la Humanidad en general. Eso será así cuando las enseñanzas del judaísmo se universalicen, cuando en el fin de los días la Humanidad reconozca la soberanía del Dios único.

Basándose en el texto bíblico, la tradición judía enseña que el trabajo prohibido en los Moadim no incluye la preparación de los alimentos: se puede utilizar el fuego en la preparación de la comida en estos días, hecho que está vedado en el Shabat. De tal manera que las leyes del Shabat tienen mayor rigor. De esta manera, el Shabat se presenta como el día en el cual tiene que haber una abstención total de trabajo y creación: no se puede modificar la naturaleza, ni dar un uso diferente a los elementos por medio de su preparación gracias al uso del fuego, por ejemplo.

Más aún, el Shabat forma parte integral de la creación que se realizó a través de 6 días de trabajo y un día de descanso, el Shabat que Dios observó. Igualmente observamos que los Diez Mandamientos, código universal fundamental, sólo mencionan al Shabat. O sea que la Humanidad podría tal vez prescindir de los Moadim, pero nunca de la idea del descanso semanal, el Shabat. 

El Shabat podría ser considerado como la meta de todos los Moadim porque, al cesar de trabajar y crear, el hombre reconoce a Dios como el verdadero creador y hacedor del universo. Mientras que los Moadim sirven como conducto para reflexionar acerca de la epopeya del pueblo judío y la protección Divina en momentos cruciales, empezando con el éxodo de Egipto, el Shabat sugiere que se dé un paso atrás para observar a la sociedad y a la naturaleza. 

Tal vez el propósito fundamental del Shabat, que es una especie de límite para todos los Moadim, es la reflexión que el hombre debe hacer sobre sí mismo, las actividades que realizó en la semana que culminó, y cuáles deben ser las prioridades para los días siguientes. La conmemoración del Shabat en el seno de la familia permite destacar los valores que le dan solidez y permanencia a este núcleo esencial de la sociedad. 

A diferencia de los Moadim, que son eventos anuales, la periodicidad semanal del Shabat lo convierte en un factor de la mayor vigencia, que determina la identidad del judío y su relación constante con ese Dios único, quien también descansó como parte del proceso de la creación del universo.

MITSVÁ: ORDENANZA DE LA TORÁ EN ESTA PARASHÁ

CONTIENE 24 MITSVOT POSITIVAS Y 39 PROHIBICIONES

1. Levítico 21: 1-3 El Kohén debe abstenerse de adquirir impureza ritual por contacto con un cadáver humano, al menos que sea de un familiar cercano
2. Levítico 21: 3: 6 La impureza ritual que adquiere el Kohén por sus parientes cercanos, la obligación de todo judío de lamentar por la muerte de los 6 familiares cercanos mencionados en la Torá: madre, padre, hermano, hermana, hijo, hija
3. Levítico 21: 7 El Kohén impuro ritualmente por un día y quien ya hizo inmersión en un mikvé no debe servir en el Templo sino después de la caída del sol
4. Levítico 21: 7 El Kohén no debe casarse con una mujer que tuvo anteriormente relaciones prohibidas
5. Levítico 21: 7 El Kohén no debe casarse con una mujer divorciada
6. Levítico 21: 8 Leyes sobre la consagración de los descendientes de Aharón
7. Levítico 21: 11 El Kohén Gadol no debe entrar en una carpa donde yace un difunto
8. Levítico 21: 11 El Kohén Gadol no debe ocuparse (del entierro) de un cadáver para no adquirir impureza ritual 
9. (del entierro) de un cadáver
10. Levítico 21: 13 El Kohén Gadol debe casarse con una virgen
11. Levítico 21: 14 El Kohén Gadol no debe casarse con una viuda
12. Levítico 21: 15 El Kohén Gadol no debe tener relaciones con una viuda
13. Levítico 21: 17 El Kohén que tiene un defecto que descalifica, no debería servir en el Templo
14. Levítico 21: 21 El Kohén que tiene un defecto descalificador temporal no debería servir en el Templo
15. Levítico 21: 23 El Kohén que tiene un defecto que descalifica, no debería entrar en el Templo
16. Levítico 22: 2 El Kohén ritualmente impuro no debería servir en el Templo
17. Levítico 22: 2 El Kohén ritualmente impuro no debe comer terumá 
18. Levítico 22: 10 Quien no es Kohén no debe comer terumá
19. Levítico 22: 10 Tanto el que trabaja continuamente, como el que trabaja por jornada para el Kohén no pueden comer terumá
20. Levítico 22: 4 El individuo que no está circuncidado no debe comer terumá
21. Levítico 22: 12 Una mujer que nació de una unión que violó la santidad del Sacerdocio no debe comer terumá
22. Levítico 22: 15 No comer tével
23. Levítico 22: 20 No consagrar animales defectuosos que serían ofrecidos sobre el Altar
24. Levítico 22: 21 La ofrenda animal debe ser de ejemplar perfecto sin defectos
25. Levítico 22: 21 No crear un defecto en un animal consagrado para una ofrenda
26. Levítico 22: 22 No salpicar la sangre de un animal defectuoso sobre el Altar
27. Levítico 22: 22 No sacrificar ritualmente animales defectuosos para la ofrenda
28. Levítico 22: 22 No quemar partes de un animal defectuoso sobre el Altar
29. Levítico 22: 24 No castrar ningún animal
30. Levítico 22: 25 No ofrendar una ofrenda defectuosa recibida de un no-judío
31. Levítico 22: 27 El animal a ser ofrendado debe ser mayor de 8 días
32. Levítico 22: 28 No ofrendar ritualmente un animal y su cachorro (macho o hembra) en el mismo día
33. Levítico 22: 32 No hacer nada que conduzca a profanar el Nombre de Dios entre la gente
34. Levítico 22: 32 Santificar el Nombre de Dios
35. Levítico 23: 7 Descansar del trabajo el primer día de Pésaj
36. Levítico 23: 7 No hacer ninguna labor el primer día de Pésaj
37. Levítico 23: 8 La ofrenda adicional los 7 de Pésaj
38. Levítico 23: 8 Descansar del trabajo el séptimo día de Pésaj
39. Levítico 23: 8 No hacer labor alguna el séptimo día de Pésaj
40. Levítico 23: 10, 11 La ofrenda del Ómer en el segundo día de Pésaj
41. Levítico 23: 14 No comer (pan) de la nueva cosecha de granos antes del 16 de Nisán
42. Levítico 23: 14 No comer granos tostados de la nueva cosecha antes del final del 16 de Nisán
43. Levítico 23: 14 No comer espigas tostadas de la nueva cosecha antes del final del 16 de Nisán
44. Levítico 23: 15 Contar 49 días desde la ofrenda del Ómer
45. Levítico 23: 16 La ofrenda del trigo nuevo en Shavuot
46. Levítico 23: 21 Descansar del trabajo en Shavuot
47. Levítico 23: 21 No hacer labor alguna en Shavuot
48. Levítico 23: 24 Descansar del trabajo en Rosh HaShaná
49. Levítico 23: 24, 25 No hacer labor alguna en Rosh HaShaná
50. Levítico 23: 24, 25 La ofrenda adicional de Rosh HaShaná
51. Levítico 23: 28 El ayuno del 10 de Tishrei
52. Levítico 23: 27 La ofrenda adicional del 10 de Tishrei (Yom Kipur)
53. Levítico 23: 27 No hacer labor alguna el 10 de Tishrei
54. Levítico 23: 29 Ni comer ni beber en Yom Kipur
55. Levítico 23: 32 Descansar del trabajo en Yom Kipur
56. Levítico 23: 35 Descansar del trabajo el primer día de Sucot
57. Levítico 23: 34, 35 No hacer labor alguna el prime dé de Sucot
58. Levítico 23: 36 La ofrenda adicional de los 7 días de Sucot
59. Levítico 23: 36 Descansar del trabajo el octavo día de Sucot
60. Levítico 23: 36 La ofrenda adicional en Sheminí Atséret
61. Levítico 23: 36 No hacer labor alguna en Sheminí Atséret
62. Levítico 23: 40 Agarrar el Lulav
63. Levítico 23: 42 Residir en la Sucá durante 7 días

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1427505977684723

KEDOSHIM_LEVITICUS  XIX – XX

The Torah commands that we be “holy” because God is Holy. What does it mean that God is Holy? And how can human beings, flesh and blood, with limited abilities imitate God?

The commentator Rashi states that to be holy means to be set apart. In the case of God it would then be that He is not part of the created universe. He is entirely different, totally dissimilar from everything that exists. Can we deduce then that, in the human case, saint means to be a hermit, to live apart, in a kind of monastery?

Jewish tradition teaches otherwise. In fact, God Himself ruled: Lo tov heyot haadam levado: “It is not good for man to be alone” and therefore created woman, man’s partner, so that they are not alone.

We find that many precepts demand the presence of a Minyan, an aggregate of human beings. To recite Kadish and Kedushah requires the presence of at least 10 men. Loneliness should apparently not be the desideratum for the individual.

When we read our biblical text, we see that the following verses refer to the relationship with parents, to certain sacrifices, to leaving some portions of the harvest for the poor: Leket, Shikcha, Pe’ah. Do not steal, do not lie and do not swear falsely, the text continues. You have to pay the same day the work of the one who works for days. Continuing with the reading of the text is the instruction not to curse the deaf and not to place a stumbling block in front of the blind, and perhaps above all to judge with the truth, with what is really fair without taking into account the personal situation of the litigants. Do not hate your brother in your heart, advise him well when he is about to make a mistake.

Apparently, being holy has to do with your behavior with the other, with your brother, with your friend, with your neighbor. It is a transitive quality that requires the presence of another human being. It is a relationship and not a project of self-improvement.

One could speculate that holiness is obtained through perhaps the denial of personal pleasures, or perhaps from study to deepen the understanding of the Mitsvot. But from the above, holiness is not obtained by aiming one’s efforts at oneself, intensifying and perfecting one’s knowledge. It is not a question of personal spiritual exercises.

Holiness is obtained when one relates in a fair and positive manner with other human beings. By giving the right weight we are on the path of holiness.

By complying with the laws regulating sexual activity, holiness is obtained. Our text contains a list of such relationships that are prohibited, as are sexual relationships with siblings and other close relatives. 

It is interesting to note that apart from Noah, the hero of the flood who is qualified by the Torah as Tsadik, a saint, the only member of the Hebrew people who receives this appeal is Yosef, perhaps because he did not succumb to the advances of his master Potiphar’s wife.

It is likely that holiness is a characteristic that the person receives, the transformation of the individual because he practices and fulfills a healthy and just relationship with the neighbor.

Our text proclaims that one should not hold a grudge against another, but rather practice Veahavtá lereajá kamoja: “And you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and Rabbi Akiva considered this to be the “great motto” of the Torah.

Rather, if you love your neighbor as yourself, your whole self will enter a process of growth and transformation to become a saint, or at least an aspirant to holiness.

What does it mean then, according to this reflection, that God is Holy? We can speculate that the fact that God created a human being with whom he shares the awareness of the existence of the universe and what it contains, is a manifestation of the Holiness of God. God shares the universe with us and even asks us to perfect it. Because only the human being possesses the “Divine breath” that God infused into the first man that gives him the characteristic of appreciating what exists and that includes a moral compass to guide his life. “The human being is the only creature with whom God can play chess.”

And that compass of morality probably precedes the giving of the Torah which in turn regulates and legislates how that morality should be expressed in different situations. 

From this perspective, ethics and morality have been part of the DNA of the human being since creation.

MITSVAH: TORAH ORDINANCE IN THIS PARASHAH

CONTAINS 13 POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 38 BANS

1. Leviticus 19:3 Fearing father and mother
2. Leviticus 19:4 Do not turn to idolatry in thought, or verbalize, even witnessing
3. Leviticus 19:4 Do not make an idol for personal use or for others
4. Leviticus 19:6,8 Do not eat meat remaining as an offering after the prescribed time for it
5. Leviticus 19:10 Leave part of the sown field for the poor
6. Leviticus 19:9 – Do not reap to the limit of the field
7. Leviticus 19:10 Leave spikes for the poor
8. Leviticus 19:9 Do not pick fallen spikes during the harvest
9. Leviticus 19:10 Leaving a vineyard boundary for the poor
10. Leviticus 19:10 Not to reap the boundaries of the vineyard
11. Leviticus 19:10 Leave on the ground the grapes fallen in the vineyard for the poor
12. Leviticus 19:10 Do not pick the fallen grapes from the vineyard
13. Leviticus 19:11 Do not steal
14. Leviticus 19:11 Do not deny possession of an object belonging to another person
15. Leviticus 19:11 Do not swear falsely about an object of value
16. Leviticus 19:12 Do not swear falsely
17. Leviticus 19:13 Do not retain the property of others
18. Leviticus 19:13 Do not commit theft
19. Leviticus 19:13 Do not postpone the payment of a salaried worker
20. Leviticus 19:14 Do not curse a Jew, neither man nor woman
21. Leviticus 19:14 Do not mislead an individual by giving equivocal advice
22. Leviticus 19:15 Not to pervert justice in a civil trial
23. Leviticus 19:15 Do not give special honors in judgment to an eminent individual
24. Leviticus 19:15 The judge must make a correct judgment
25. Leviticus 19:16 Do not defame (gossip)
26. Leviticus 19:16 Do not remain indifferent to the blood of another
27. Leviticus 19:17 Do not hate another Jew
28. Leviticus 19:17 Reproaching the Jew for Not Conducting Himself Properly
29. Leviticus 19:17 You will not place another Jew in an uncomfortable situation
30. Leviticus 19:18 You will not take revenge
31. Leviticus 19:18 You shall not hold a grudge
32. Leviticus 19:18 Loving another Jew
33. Leviticus 19:19 Do not mate animals of different species
34. Leviticus 19:19 Do not sow seeds of different species together in the Land of Israel, equally with trees of different species
35. Leviticus 19:23 Do not eat the fruit of the tree for the first 3 years
36. Leviticus 19:23, 24 Laws about the fruit of the tree in the fourth year
37. Leviticus 19:26 Do not eat or drink like a glutton
38. Leviticus 19:26 Not practicing divination
39. Leviticus 19:26 You shall not conjure (magic)
40. Leviticus 19:27 – You shall not remove the hair from the sideburns of the face
41. Leviticus 19:27 – You shall not destroy the ends of your beard
42. Leviticus 19:28 You will not make a tattoo on your flesh (skin)
43. Leviticus 19:30 Respect the Temple
44. Leviticus 19:31 Do not act as a spiritualist (kind of magic)
45. Leviticus 19:31 Do not practice Yidon (kind of magic)
46. Leviticus 19:32 Honor Torah Scholars
47. Leviticus 19:35 Do not deceive with measures
48. Leviticus 19:36 Create exact balances, weights, and measurements
49. Leviticus 20:9 – Do not curse one’s father or mother
50. Leviticus 20:14 Incinerate the person who has been sentenced to die by fire
51. Leviticus 20:23 Not following the behavior of idolaters