Emor 5786 | Rabbi David Zahtz

🎬 Watch this shiur on YouTube

── Shiur Outline ──
(0:08) Opening: Sefiras HaOmer and the Tragedy of 24,000
(1:32) Esav’s Multiplicity vs. Unity in Service of God
(2:46) Mekadesh Shem Shamayim Through Torah Learning

AI-Generated Summary (AI can be inaccurate. Check important information):

1. Healing through honor — The tragedy of the 24,000 talmidim of Rabbi Akiva teaches us that the primary work of Sefiras HaOmer is to rectify the sin of failing to show proper kavod to one another.
2. National unity — Beyond the individual obligation of V'ahavta L'reiacha Kamocha, we must strive for the collective unity of Vayichan Sham Yisrael, becoming a single entity before Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
3. Unified soul — As the Baal HaTanya explains, the Jewish people are neshama achas (one soul) despite being gufin chalukin (separate bodies), a concept hinted at by the use of the singular word nefesh regarding Yaakov Avinu's family.
4. The weight of Chillul Hashem — The prohibition of V'lo Techalelu in the parsha teaches that a Chillul Hashem is not only a disgrace to Heaven but a direct pegam (deficiency) in the entire nation of Israel.
5. Torah as atonement — While a Se'ir Izim is brought as a chatas on other festivals, it is omitted on Shavuos because the intensive study of Torah has the unique power to provide kapparah for even the gravest sins.
6. Giving versus receiving — We refer to the holiday as Zeman Matan Toraseinu (the time of the giving of our Torah) because our goal is not just to receive the Torah for ourselves, but to reach a level where we can give it over to others.

What is Kerem B'Yavneh Parsha Podcast?

Parsha and Chagim ideas from the rabbis of Kerem B'Yavneh
Enjoyed? Your feedback means a lot to us. Click here to email us: https://tinyurl.com/thanksEN

Donations: https://www.kby.org/english/support-us/?id=46

שבת Shabbos everyone, we’re in the middle of ספירת העומר Sefiras HaOmer. 24,000 תלמידים Talmidim of Rabbi Akiva passed away because they didn’t live up to their רבי Rebbe's statement of ואהבת לרעך כמוך V'ahavta L'reiacha Kamocha. They didn’t live up to the concept of treating each other appropriately: שלא נהגו כבוד זה בזה Shelo Nahagu Kavod Ze Bazeh. And when we try to understand that and try to appreciate it, we’re left bewildered to figure it out. All we know is that that’s something we have to work on and that’s the calling of ספירת העומר Sefiras HaOmer, that we need to come together. And that’s not only on an individual level of ואהבת לרעך כמוך V'ahavta L'reiacha Kamocha, but ultimately as well on a national level, because the goal is to come to ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר Vayichan Sham Yisrael Neged Ha'har, because the ultimate idea is to become one before הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Like the בעל התניא Baal HaTanya points out in פרק ל\"ב Perek Lamed Beis, we’re נשמה אחת, גופין מחולקים Neshama Achas, Gufin Chulukin. We’re one soul, just separate in different bodies. Even the פסוקים Psukim by יעקב אבינו Yaakov Avinu says, talks about שבעים נפש Shivim Nefesh, talks about the 70 people that יוצאי ירך יעקב Yotzei Yerech Yaakov. But what does it say? לשון Lashon of נפש Nefesh, one. Because the ultimate, when you’re serving הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu and everyone’s serving הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu, you’re considered one. Unlike by עשיו Esav, when it says ויקח עשיו את כל נפשות ביתו Vayikach Esav Es Kol Nafshos Beiso, נפשות Nafshos, multiple, because when you’re worshipping other gods, you’re not together. ספירת העומר Sefiras HaOmer is about building ourselves, it’s about improving ourselves, but it’s not enough to improve ourselves; we have to improve ourselves as a nation and bring ourselves closer and closer and closer together. How do we do that? Well maybe one way we can is to appreciate something the פסוק Pasuk in this week's פרשה Parsha tells us. The פסוק Pasuk in this week's פרשה Parsha says ולא תחללו את שם קדשי V'lo Sechalelu Es Shem Kodshi. Talks about חילול השם Chillul Hashem. חילול השם Chillul Hashem, we feel, we think it’s only being מחלל שם שמים Mechalel Shem Shamayim, it’s only bringing a disgrace to הקדוש ברוך הוא Hakadosh Baruch Hu. But it’s wrong. A חילול השם Chillul Hashem is פוגע בעם ישראל Pogea B'am Yisrael. It’s פוגע Pogea with, in us. It’s a פגם Pegam, it’s a deficiency. And what we need to do is not only prevent ourselves, but we have to do the opposite and be מקדש שם שמים Mekadesh Shem Shamayim. The best way of trying to do that may be the idea, you know we always, in every single one of the מועדים Moadim it says שעיר עזים לחטאת Se'ir Izim L'Chatas. We bring a שעיר עזים Se'ir Izim for a חטאת Chatas. The only one we don’t is by שבועות Shavuos. Why is that? Because שבועות Shavuos we learn תורה Torah. And if there’s anything that can be מכפר Mechafer for חילול השם Chillul Hashem, it’s learning תורה Torah appropriately. It’s learning תורה Torah the way we need to be learning תורה Torah. During ספירת העומר Sefiras HaOmer we have to come together. We have to ensure that this is not going to be a חילול השם Chillul Hashem. And unfortunately, unfortunately in these days there are so many opportunities that people take, I don't want to say advantage of, but to make a חילול השם Chillul Hashem. We have to be מקדש שם שמים Mekadesh Shem Shamayim. We have to bring the biggest קידוש שם שמים Kiddush Shem Shamayim. But when we do that, we can do it through learning תורה Torah, showing respect to one another, but certainly continuing and be מחזק Mechazek ourselves in learning תורה Torah, so ultimately we get to שבועות Shavuos, we can celebrate, we can celebrate the קבלת התורה Kabbalas HaTorah. Because truthfully, isn't it interesting, we say it's זמן מתן תורתנו Zeman Matan Toraseinu, we don't say it's זמן קבלת תורתנו Zeman Kabbalas Toraseinu. Why? Because it's not only about receiving, it's about giving. And you can only give once you've learned. בעזרת השם Be'ezras Hashem we should be זוכה Zoche to continue to appreciate עם ישראל Am Yisrael, to appreciate each other, to appreciate the גדלות Gadlus of עם ישראל Am Yisrael, to appreciate that concept of being one נפש Nefesh, and ultimately with that we should be זוכה Zoche to a true קבלת התורה Kabbalas HaTorah, which will allow us to continue giving the תורה Torah to everyone else around us and continuing being מקדש שם שמים Mekadesh Shem Shamayim. Have a beautiful שבת Shabbos.