Parshas Emor
By Rabbi Dovid Zauderer
This weekend in shuls all around the world we continue reading publicly from the third book of the Torah, Sefer Vayikra, also known as the Book of Leviticus, also known as Toras Kohanim (“Instructions for the Priests”).
This got me thinking about the various names that each book of the Torah has and the lessons that we can learn from them. So let’s start from the very beginning…
(1) The first book of the Torah, Sefer Bereishis, is also referred to by Nachmanides in his commentary on the Torah as Sefer HaYetzirah, (“The Book of the Creation”) or Genesis. What many do not know is that Sefer Bereishis has an additional name. In the Book of Joshua 10:13 and the Book of Samuel ll 1:18 we find reference to a Sefer HaYashar (lit. “The Book of the Upright”). The Talmud in Avodah Zarah 25a quotes Rabbi Yochanan who explains that this refers to Sefer Bereishis, which is called Sefer HaYashar because our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were yesharim (upright and righteous). In his introduction to Sefer Bereishis, the Netziv (famous 19th century Bible commentator) explains that yashar denotes proper interpersonal conduct – integrity and respect that one shows to even those of whose lifestyle he disapproves. Abraham prayed on behalf of the corrupt city of Sodom, whose values and conduct ran in direct opposition to everything he represented, and Isaac responded forgivingly to the leadership of Gerar even after they drove him from the city. Jacob spoke respectfully to his father-in-law Lavan, despite his being treated so unjustly. The patriarchs were true yesharim because they acted in a dignified, upright manner even towards those whom they had reason to dislike. As descendants of these great yesharim, we must do the same and act in an upright and respectful manner to all those around us despite their undignified behavior.
(2) The second book of the Torah is called Sefer Shemos, “The Book of Names”, because it starts off with the Torah enumerating the names of the seventy souls who went down to Egypt with our forefather Jacob. One has to wonder why this book which deals primarily with such prominent events as the Egyptian exile, the story of the Exodus, the Revelation at Mount Sinai, and the building of the Tabernacle in the desert as a dwelling place for G-d’s Divine Presence is named after a seemingly minor and insignificant event as the listing of the names of the Jewish people who went to Egypt. I believe that the Torah is teaching us here a valuable lesson about Jewish survival and continuity. You see, names - and I mean specifically our Jewish names - are more important than we think. In fact, without having distinctly Jewish names, the Jews in Egypt would never have merited leaving Egypt and witnessing the Revelation at Mt. Sinai and the building of the Tabernacle. The Midrash teaches that the Jewish people in Egypt were able to maintain their identity and uniqueness even as they were surrounded by a morally degenerate and depraved culture - thus enabling them to be redeemed as a nation and to make their Exodus from Egypt - because for all the 210 years that they lived in Egypt they retained their Hebrew names, their Hebrew language, and their distinctly Jewish mode of dress and did not adopt the names, language and fashions of their host country. So we see how important Hebrew names were during our ancestor's stay in Egypt as a way of identifying themselves as Jews. And this is equally important in our own times when assimilation and intermarriage are gradually diminishing the Jewish people, and when we have very few guarantees that our own grandchildren will remain Jewish. So long as we carry our Sheim Yisrael Kodesh - our special, holy Jewish name - we are guaranteed to be constantly reminded of who we are as Jews and of our special Jewish mission and destiny here on earth.
[Sefer Shemos is also referred to by Nachmanides and others as Sefer HaGeulah (“The Book of Redemption”) or Exodus. He notes that included in the Book of Exodus is the Receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) in the desert for G-d’s Presence to dwell in. This is meant to remind us that the Exodus is not the end of the story, and that we are not truly “free” until we receive the Torah with its instructions for life and build G-d a House where He can rest His Divine Presence among us.]
(3) The third book of the Torah, Sefer Vayikra, the Book of Vayikra, is also called Toras Kohanim (see Talmud Megillah 30b). This is because this book has very little narrative and deals primarily with laws pertaining to the kohanim (priests). It begins with the instructions regarding the korbanos (sacrificial offerings) which were offered up to G-d by the priests on behalf of the Jewish people. The remainder of the book is entirely devoted to legal questions – many of which were brought in front of the priests whose job it was to render halachic decisions - about what are clean and unclean, laws for slaughtering animals, which animals are Kosher (fit) to eat, and priestly laws of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The Bible commentator Chizkuni explains based on the above why Sefer Vayikra is also called Leviticus. He writes that since all the kohanim descended from the Tribe of Levi, the Book was called “Leviticus” which contains the word “Levi”. The Netziv points out that the huge amount of laws in Toras Kohanim that are derived by the Sages through biblical exegesis show the strength of those who interpret the Torah.
(4) The fourth book of the Torah, the Book of Bamidbar, is also referred to by our Sages as Chomesh HaPekudim, the “Book of the Countings” (see Talmud Yoma 68b). This is because the Jewish people were counted by G-d - not once, but twice – in the Book of Bamidbar. Rashi in his commentary on the Torah explains that “because of G-d’s love for them, He counts them often”. And these two countings were both in Bamidbar – the one Book of the Torah which records more sins of the Jewish people against G-d than any other book. This should teach us a powerful lesson about G-d’s undying and unconditional love for His children – even if they mess up sometimes!
(5) The fifth and final book of the Torah, the Book of Devarim, is also referred to by our Sages as MIshneh Torah, the “Repeating (or Review) of the Torah” (see Talmud Megillah 31b). However, this book is not merely a review of the first four books of the Torah, since of the just over a hundred laws which are contained in this Book, more than seventy are completely new. Rather, in his final weeks of life, Moses reviewed and taught all the laws of the Torah to the Jewish people – but in this Book, the Torah records the parts of his teachings that were most relevant for Israel’s new life in its Land. Whether or not we realize it, we, too, just like Moses of biblical times, are passing down our Judaism with all its beautiful laws and traditions to the next generation. We need to review our Judaism with our children - repeating and stressing the more relevant parts - so that they will be able to pass on our legacy properly.
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