Parashat Emor April 27, 2013

By Lynn Crocker Shabbat Bulletin April 25, 2013

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Candle lighting time for Friday, April 26, 2013, 7:34 p.m.

Parashat Emor

17 Iyar, 5773 / April 27, 2013
Triennial Cycle III: Lev. 23:23-24:23
Humash Etz Hayim, page 727
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15-31, page 735

Chapter 23 is called Seder Ha-Moa’dim — the Order of the Festivals

(23:23-32) “The Day of Remembering the Shofar’s Sound”: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
(23:33-34) The laws concerning the holiday of Sukkot.
(24:1-4) The Eternal Light.
(24:5-9) The Showbread.
(24:10-12) An incident of blasphemy (cursing God).
(24:13-16) The punishment of the blasphemer—death by stoning—and the announcement of the law of blasphemy for the future.
(24:17-23) Other laws that have major penalties: murder and severe injury.

DRASH

A Person is Always Responsible
By Rabbi Daniel Pressman

One who kills a beast shall make restitution for it: life for life. (Lev. 24:18)

A person is always a mu·ad (responsible for damages) whether (he damages) unintentionally or intentionally, whether he is awake or asleep. (Mishnah Bava Kamma 2:6)

It is forbidden to damage your friend’s property. If one did so, even if he (the damager) derived no benefit from the damage — he is obligated to pay for the entire damage, whether he damaged inadvertently or deliberately. What are we talking about? He fell from the roof and damaged a vessel, or he tripped and fell while walking and broke a vessel—he is liable for full damages. (Shulḥan Arukh Ḥoshen Mishpat 378:1)

Rab Judah said: He who wishes to be pious must [in the first instance particularly] fulfil the laws of [Seder] Nezikin [The Order of the Mishnah that deals with the laws of damages]. (Talmud Bava Kama 30a)

[At Mt. Sinai,] God first won Israel’s confidence [by serving them with such gifts as manna, quail, and the water of Miriam’s well, and later, at Sinai, by soothing their terror at God’s presence by sending angels to calm them], God went on to set before them the laws concerning those who do injury to people or property and concerning other matters dealing with the exercise of justice. (Tanna D’bei Eliahu Rabbah 22)ling

One should be as careful regarding possible theft or damage as we are careful to avoid something that is possibly not kosher. In fact, theft and damage are even worse than ritual violations, because Yom Kippur forgives only matters that are between us and God and not matters that are between us and other people. In that case one has to go to the person and make restitution and gain his forgiveness. Furthermore, in damages one also violates the prohibition of bal tashḥit [wanton destruction]. (Arukh Ha-shulḥan 378:1)

The Mishnah speaks about the social contract with society and the implicit responsibility each of us has to those around us. By telling us that “a person is always responsible,” the Mishnah reminds us of this obligation. We do not need specific or advanced notice not to harm someone…It is unsettling when people act irresponsibly, causing injury or damage. Thus,we have the right to demand and expect responsible behavior from others, to assume that those around us do their utmost to protect our safety. Most important, though, that burden falls on our shoulders.We are the ones who must ultimately assure the welfare of society. It is our actions, within the implicit responsibility of one member of society to the others, that assures the well-being of those around us. (Swimming in the Sea of Talmud, by Rabbis Michael Katz and Gershon Schwartz)

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