VayYiKra’s spiritual power comes from devotion to God and the holiness and purity that come from that devotion. The very first role assigned to the kohan’im was to enhance world peace (BeMidbar 6:23–26). This was a different kind of peace than merely a lack of war. It was about improving the conditions of all people. It was about learning to live peacefully with people who have different ideas and viewpoints, and bringing everybody together. It was about seeing that everything and everyone has a particular purpose, and respecting that. Harmony does not necessarily come from a process focusing solely on being equal (a relative viewpoint), but on acknowledging that we all have our different roles, and that we all have a right to exist in our different roles. That is the way Aharon, the first kohain gadol, worked. He promoted shalom, which comes from the word shalem, or complete. He worked to hear the different sides, to validate everyone, and to find a way to honor everybody’s position (Midrash Pirkei D’Rebbe Eliezer, Chap. 17). This was not based on the theory of compromise. It focused, rather, on how people could become clear on their actual position and find unity with the position of the other. Rabbi Gabriel Cousens, MD Torah as a Guide to Enlightenment (Parsha VayYikra)
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 09:01:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015