Shabbat Table Talk

Parashat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim – Erev Shabbat 27th April 2018

Week of 22nd – 28th April 2018

Torah portion: Lev 16:1-20:27 / Haftarah: Ezek 22:1-19

 

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“Because I said so!” We all have heard, and often declared, such a minimally robust statement in regards to a forbidden behavior. This double Torah portion includes the source of the levitical “Holiness Code.” It is not uncommon to question and even reject these laws, seen as legalistic, outdated, or just weird! Yet God’s repeated, injunction “Be holy as I am holy,” demands we engage the Holiness Code which spans ten chapters (Lev 17-26).

 

The instructions, grounded in God’s expectation of his image-bearing people who are called and set-apart to shine his light to the nations, do more than restrict behavior. They form a people group, establish their identity and, quite significant, give insight into God himself. “Be holy as I am holy,” requires not legalistic responses, for God is not a legalist. Rather, it demands all people be respected and valued. Parents are to be honored (Lev 19:3), and the reversal of the order given in the Ten Commandments (“Honor your father and mother…” Exod 20:12), suggests “an equitable estimation of both parents” (Etz Hayim, 694). The poor and the strangers shall be provided for (Lev 19:9-10). The deaf shall not be insulted, the blind threatened with stumbling blocks (Lev 19:11). Holiness establishes equality, regardless of gender, economic status, nationality or disability. As we struggle today to embrace such bold proclamations, we must emulate a holy God who repeatedly invites, “Do as I do. Be who I am.”

 

The God who challenges, “Be holy as I am holy,” demands more than holy actions; he commands holy moral interiors. Like him, our word ought to matter, be trustworthy, and righteous (Lev 19:12). Our interactions with others are to be characterized by honesty (Lev 19:11, 13), love, and forbearance (Lev 19:17-18). We again hear guidelines for our lives, but also glimpse the God’s very character. These people- and character-forming laws strike the reader as logical, albeit challenging. But then the Holiness Code continues and enters into what appears to be inexplicable or supra-rational laws (Lev 19:19). The chukkim create opportunities for God’s people to extend themselves beyond doing what makes sense, into “opportunities to do God’s will” (Etz Hayim, 697). We might be tempted to say such declarations are God’s version of, “Because I said so.” Or we might recall the Lord’s words to Isaiah, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…” (Isa 55:8ff).

 

In such seemingly strange laws, we also might discern God’s concerted efforts at forming a distinctive people group, bound together by traditions, guidelines, even obscurities. Like our family, comprised of Ukrainians, Americans, Canadians, Irish, English, Russians and Haitians, who steadfastly continues my great-grandparents’ “Polish Easter egg fights” tradition, the chukkim of the Holiness Code also builds identity. Richard Sosis, an anthropologist at the University of Connecticut explains, “Rituals deal with identity, the context in which intellect functions. Identity in turn is the glue by which a tribe is held together.” Sosis’ conclusions build on Emile Durkheim’s 1897 monograph on suicide in which he “coined the term anomie, which means a state of society where nobody knows who they are, what they have to do with one another, or what on earth they’re doing here” (Freeman, chabad.org). God’s injunctions throughout the Holiness Code – both the rational and supra-rational – clearly establish identity. As long as Israel strove to be holy as the Lord is holy and to follow his guidelines, they would never suffer from anomie.

 

For Reflection and Discussion: 1. How have your faith communities tended to read and interpret the Holiness Code? 2. Etz Hayim suggests that the Torah’s reversal of revere/honor your Mother/Father in Exodus and Leviticus suggests equity among males/females. Do you agree? How else would you explain this reversal? 3. God’s “Be Holy as I am holy,” does more than instruct God’s people – it gives us insight into God’s character. What can we discern about God’s character from the Holiness Code that may be overlooked or less commonly discussed? 4. How do you see anomie in today’s society? What are the rituals in your life that build identity? What rituals or practices might you begin or re-embrace to address anomie?

Bibliography: Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary. The Jewish Publication Society, 2001. Freeman, Tzvi. “Why Does Judaism Make No Sense?” www.chabad.org.

 

This week’s teaching commentary was prepared by

Rev. Dr. Kristen Bennett Marble, Bat Kol Alumni 2013

Senior Pastor, West Morris Street Free Methodist Church, Indianapolis IN
Email address: kristen@kristenmarble.com

[Copyright © 2018]

 

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PLEASE NOTE: The weekly Parashah commentaries represent the research and creative thought of their authors, and are meant to stimulate deeper thinking about the meaning of the Scriptures. While they draw upon the study methods and sources employed by the Bat Kol Institute, the views and conclusions expressed in these commentaries are solely those of their authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of Bat Kol.   The commentaries, along with all materials published on the Bat Kol website, are copyrighted by the writers, and are made available for personal and group study, and local church purposes. Permission needed for other purposes.  Questions, comments and feedback are always welcome.

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Bat Kol Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem 1983-2018

“Christians Studying the Bible within its Jewish milieu, using Jewish Sources.”

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