The Necessity of Wisdom

Art by Irina Ruth Rabinkov

Weekly D'rash on Parshat Emor

This week our Torah portion is mostly about rules for priests to maintain holiness before God. It also contains guidance for all of Israel in morals, ethics, and specific seasons of giving thanks to God. It is a challenging portion because it was given to people who lived in an entirely different world than ours. We would never consider engaging in some of the laws for holiness given in this passage today. For example, if the daughter of a priest became a prostitute, she was to be burned with fire (21:8). Also, no one could serve as a priest if they had any kind of physical abnormality like blindness, a deformed limb, or was disfigured in some way (21:17–21). We certainly do not consider these as ways of living holy before God today. However, culturally at that time, these were ways of understanding holiness. We have a habit of choosing certain laws that transcend generations while judging others to be only for our ancient ancestors. However the key is to discern the principles behind specific laws.

We may not realize it, but our culture—the world in which we live—dictates some of the decisions we make about what constitutes holiness. This was true in ancient Israel, and it is true today. The history of the Jewish people bears this out. After the destruction of the Second Temple, a way of life was created for Jewish people to be holy before God without a central sanctuary. Over the centuries, adaptations were made to modern society for Judaism to survive. This is also true in the history of Messiah followers. The type of clothing we consider acceptable has changed over the years. How a worship service is conducted has changed. Moreover, what is considered socially acceptable has changed in many ways. If we are older, we say things like, “Wow, I remember a day when that thing would never have been tolerated.” The challenge for us is to discern what is an acceptable adaptation within the guiding principles of Scripture, and what is simply assimilation to the culture.

This requires a good understanding of the Scriptures as well as a sensitivity to the leading of the Ruach. It also requires living in a spiritual community where there are role models and guidance. Our goal is to live a life that honors God and demonstrates the life of Yeshua in this world. Thankfully, there are many passages throughout the entire Bible that give us boundaries. May we do our best to love God with our whole heart and love the one next to us (see, e.g., Deut. 6:4–9; Lev. 19:1–18; Micah 6:8; and Psalm 15). May we follow the guidance that Paul gave to congregations to live a dignified life (see, e.g., 1 Tim. 3:1–12) in which we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), walk in the light of life (Jn. 8:12; 1 Jn. 1:7), and reject immoral and unethical ways of darkness (see, e.g., Eph. 5:1–12; Col 3:5–8; 1 Cor. 6:9–10).

As we continue to walk the journey from Passover to Shavuot, let us think and pray deeply about the decisions we make that affect the route we take to our destination. May the Word of God be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.

We need the wisdom of God to make the right ethical and moral choices that produce a life of holiness. I hope that you will register for the MSI Wondrous Wisdom Weekend with Dr. Ellie Paley. I am sure that you will find it quite helpful in discerning the wisdom of God!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Howard