LEV203 "You must not follow their customs" [this verse]. We have been admonished herein to distance ourselves from all Emorite customs, among them the use of incantations and amulets whose proficiency for healing has not been ascertained. … We have referred to some of the things in which many are negligent unknowingly, for no one has made them aware; and to some things which people know are forbidden, but do not know the severity of the prohibition. We have mentioned them so that the erring populace will not stay with them. Let the wise hear and add [his own] learning [Mishlei 1:5], in order to warn the populace concerning all such similar matters. The enlightened will remind others, and they will shine like the brightness of the firmament.

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LEV204 If: "as the deeds [of the land of Egypt]," I might think that they should not build houses or plant things, as they do; it is, therefore, written: "and in their statutes you shall not walk" - I have proscribed to you only those statutes which were instituted for them and for their forefathers and for the fathers of their forefathers (Torath Cohanim).

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LEV205 See [[LEV853]] Leviticus 20:23 walk TZADIK 29-31

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LEV206 … the Pentateuch so often urges Israel to hearken to the chukkim [... which are legislated by authorities both temporal and divine for purposes sometimes known and sometimes unknown ...] as well as the mishpatim [... particular decisions rendered by particular judges embodying abstract concepts of justice that ought to inform all proper judgements ...] , the mishpatim as well as the chukkim. [this and next verses, Leviticus 25:18, Leviticus 26:46, Deuteronomy 26:16-18]. For, as we shall show it is the central theme of biblical religion that God has concluded a historic covenant with Israel which commits her to a national existence, and whose goals are for Israel to become a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation." As such, Israel must observe both chukkim, which express her special relationship to God, as well as mishpatim, which govern the relationships of the people of Israel to each other. This is required because the biblical God, unlike other deities, is vitally concerned with both the moral and the ritual areas. The God who is holy demands that His people be holy; the God who is merciful and kind demands that His people be merciful and kind. Thus, in order to overcome the natural tendency to bifurcate the world of obligation into the social and religious, duties to man and duties to God, the Bible deliberately intersperses the two types of rules, chukkim and mishpatim, so that all can be seen as emanating from the same authority, as equally binding and therefore to be observed with equal diligence.

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LEV207 There has been much debate as to whether or not there are individual reasons for each commandment. Even if there are reasons, many question if man should seek out these reasons in order to give the mitzvot more personal and individual meaning. Clearly, the main reason to perform any commandment is simply because God commanded these actions. This is reflected in [this] verse in Leviticus and in the word "commandment" itself. Even though many commentaries have given explanations and reasons for individual commandments, is important to note, however, that all these commentaries have also stressed that reason alone cannot be the motivation for the performance. Rather, it is God's word and command in the Torah that compels the Jews to do the mitzvot. The reasons offered are only to give man more meaning once he has decided to obey and practice God's commandments. The Torah itself did not give individual explanations for commandments precisely because man would then practice each commandment depending only on whether each person would feel that that particular reason applied to him or her.

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LEV208 It was taught: R. Meir was wont to say: Whence is it derived that even a gentile who occupies himself with Torah is like the high-priest? From: "which a man shall do." It is not written: "priests, Levites, or Israelites," but: "a man." This teaches us that even a gentile who occupies himself with Torah is like the high-priest (Bava Kamma 38a).

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LEV209 Elisha b. Abuyah, a contemporary of R. Akiba and R. Tarfon, is chiefly remembered as the scholar who eventually became an apostate. Nevertheless, his accepted teachings are duly recorded in the Talmud: "A man who has good deeds to his credit and has also studied much Torah, is like one who builds a structure and lays stones below it as its foundation, and clay bricks above it for the structure. Then even should much water collect, the building will not wash away. But a man who has no good deeds to his credit, though he has also studied much Torah, is like one who builds a structure and lays down a foundation of clay bricks and puts the stones above that. Then even a little water will undermine the building" (Avot deRabbi Natan 24). Using language that belies the timidity we often associated with mystics, the thirteenth-century Franco-German adept, Judah the Pious, boldly states: "Better is a little done out of awe for God than a pack of rascals who sits all day studying but does not do much else" (Judah Hehasid, Sefer Hasidim, 17). For "doing Torah" forms the basis of Jewish character, shaping our lives by guiding our actions: [this and preceding verse]. The next chapter in Leviticus deals with stealing and defrauding, with respecting laborers, not taking advantage of the deaf or blind, showing no partiality in a court of law, and calling for love, not grudges, between neighbors. These injunctions are not solely for analysis or intellectual musing. They demand doing. "Wherever you go, mitzvot accompany you. 'When you build a new house, make a railing for your roof' (Deuteronomy 22:8). When you make a door for it, a mitzvah accompanies you. 'And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house' (Deuteronomy 6:9) When you go to cut your hair, a mitzvah accompanies you. 'Do not round off the corners of your head' (Leviticus 19:27). And so with plowing, sowing, and harvesting, and so with everything! (Deuteronomy R. 6:3). Nahmanides, the great medieval Spanish commentator, directs us to learn so as to observe mitzvot: "Take care to study Torah always so that you will be able to fulfill its commands. When you rise from study, ponder carefully what you have learned; see what there is in it which you can put into practice" (Letter of Nahmanides in Feuer, A Letter for the Ages). (Continued at [[EXOD191]] Exodus 13:19 bones BOROJMV 258-9.)

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LEV210 In Judaism, generosity, nedivut, is as much concerned with "how" as "how much." Thus, "R. Yohanan b. Zakkai told his five disciples to find the chief characteristic a person should cultivate. R. Eliezer said, 'A friendly eye.' R. Joshua said, 'A good friend.' R. Yose said, 'A good neighbor.' R. Simon said, 'Seeing the consequences of one's acts.' R. Elazar b. Arakh said 'A good heart.' R. Yohanan responded, 'I prefer Elazar's answer because it will lead to all the rest" (Avot 2:9). R. Yohanan understood that, with the proper intention, the correct "how," other positive behavior follows almost automatically. So too, the hasidic master Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotsk taught: "The Torah, speaking of God's commands, says, '… which you shall do, and live thereby' [this verse]. That means, perform them with liveliness and enthusiasm'" (Elkins, Melodies from My Father's House). From Yohanan b. Zakkai to the Kotzker Rebbe, our sages stressed the value of nedivut as referring to quality, not quantity, because rich Jews were such a tiny minority (though an important one) among us. Much of what they said also applies to us, a generation blessed with sufficient means to elevate shopping to a seriously pursued avocation. Our tradition instructs us to guard against such selfishness and greed, teaching us that sharing ourselves is every bit as important as sharing our funds. So Francie [co-author Frances Weinman Schwartz] remembers how "Jewish" a song from her NFTY camping days seemed: "Love is nothing till you give it away.…" Indeed, most of us have found ourselves fervently agreeing with the prayer of our Yiddish ancestors: "May God save me from the stingy of heart!"

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LEV211 A fundamental Jewish concept gleaned from several chapters in this volume is that there is no higher priority in Judaism than the value of life. If the man's life is indeed in danger, then Maimonides (and normative Jewish law) rules that a Jew can violate every one of the Commandments in the Torah, except for the three cardinal sins (adultery, idol-worship, and murder) in order to save a human life--any human life, even a sick one (Maimonides, Hilchot Yesodai HaTorah 5:1-2). This is based on [this] verse that commands a Jew to stay alive in order to observe the commandments. The Talmud interprets this command to signify that it is preferable to violate one commandment like Shabbat in order to keep many more Sabbaths in the future, and uses the Torah phrase, "You shall live by them," to deduce that you shall not die by them (i.e., the commandments) (Yoma 85b).

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LEV227 The Talmud, based on [this] verse in Leviticus, explains why Judaism places such a high value on human life. It says that if a person can live another day to do more Mitzvot, it is imperative to violate one Mitzvah today. Thus, it can be said that except for three circumstances, there is no value in Judaism more important than the preservation of life (Yoma 85b). The juxtaposition of "He shall live by them" after stating in the same verse "You shall keep my statutes," shows us that Jews should read to verse, "You shall keep my statutes… as long as you live by them." Rabbi Judah, based on our first verse, will say that a Jew's purpose in life is to do Mitzvot. If Jews are alive, they can do more Mitzvot. Therefore, one can violate one Mitzvah (of the 610) in order to stay alive and do other Mitzvot.

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