LEV72 Respect and sensitivity to sinners also requires not embarrassing them needlessly. When God designed the Tabernacle (and later the Temple), He commanded Aaron to set up the place of the sin offering in the very same place as the burnt offering [this verse]. Why? The Talmud explains that if there was one particular place that the sin offering were to be offered, then all of the sinners would gather there and all would know that these are transgressors, causing a very embarrassing situation. In order to avoid this, God demonstrated great sensitivity, and commanded the sin offering and burnt offering to be brought from the same spot so that no one would be able to distinguish between these two groups of Jews (Sotah 32b).

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV74 One of the Torah's 613 commandments is "You shall be holy" [this verse]. In Nachmanides' Torah commentary, he explains that, to achieve holiness, it is not enough to refrain from doing unholy and wrongful acts, although that indeed is a necessary first stage (we can't be holy while stealing, deceiving others, or engaging in a forbidden sexual relationship). But the second stage, to which all people should aspire, is "to sanctify yourself through that which is permitted to you" (Yevamot 20a). Thus, if we eat permitted food but "eat like a pig," we have not violated Judaism's dietary restrictions, but we have violated the command to "be holy." Similarly, if we refrain from speaking words that could console or inspire another, we have not done anything directly immoral, but we certainly have not obeyed the injunction to "be holy." To achieve holiness, we must strive to do what is permitted--whether it involves eating, speaking to others, or conducting our business--in a way that is holy. Therefore, in any given circumstance in which we are uncertain how to behave, we should ask ourselves, "What would the command to 'be holy' bid me to you do in this situation?"

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV75 See [[LEV70]] Leviticus 6:18 place SINAI1 301

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV76 Many people assume that the Bible wants children to fear their parents. But the verse that often is translated as commanding fear more accurately means, "Let each man be in awe of his mother and father" [this verse]. Awe is understood by Jewish law as mandating for example, that a child not sit in a chair that normally is reserved for a parent, but not that the child be afraid of the parent.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV77 Burn sacrificial meat that has become “left over.”... the mitzvah contains an allusion to trust in Hashem. One should not be overly concerned about food and save every scrap out of fear for tomorrow. One should have faith that Hashem will provide, as one sees that He commands us to totally burn meat of offerings that is left over beyond the allotted time for eating it. He wants no person or animal to benefit from such meat.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV78 See [[LEV929]] Leviticus 23:30 nefesh TZADIK 621

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV79 Do not eat “cheilev.” “Cheilev”--certain fats of kosher animals--may not be eaten. A person's body is meant to serve his soul. The human soul is able to act only with the help of the body that clothes it. To the extent that the body is healthy and functions properly, the person will be able to understand the wisdom within him and will be drawn after it. Therefore, one needs to try to keep one's body healthy and strong. It is known that good health requires good and nutritious foods, and bad food is harmful to health. Out of His great kindness, Hashem in His Torah distances us from every food that is harmful to our bodies. Cheilev is forbidden because it gives rise to noxious liquids in the body. Any food forbidden by the Torah is in some way harmful to us, whether we are aware of the hazard or not. Such is the simple reason for the Torah’s forbidding us anything that might be used as food.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV81 The most obvious manner (to the outside world) that an observant Jew shows the moral aspect of what he eats is his choosing not to eat certain foods based on the Torah's laws about kashrut. Just the desire to keep these laws shows a basic acceptance of God and His commandments. The specifics also demonstrate a certain level of morality, in that the animals eaten are also slaughtered in a kosher manner, the least painful way to kill an animal (Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzvah 451). The blood must be thoroughly drained and not eaten, because the blood represents the "soul" of the animal [this verse and Deut. 12:23]. Each of these details has an element of morality attached to it.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV80 Do not eat the blood of animals or fowl. In addition to what we wrote above (Leviticus 7:23), we can suggest another reason why consumption of blood is forbidden. Besides causing physical harm to our bodies, consumption of blood promotes the negative character trait of ruthlessness. It is cruel to eat an animal's blood, for the blood is the creature’s very vitality. The Ramban writes similarly, that it is not fitting that one soul consume another. Furthermore, he writes, it is known that whatever a person ingests becomes a part of him, and if a person eats the blood of beasts he becomes coarse and animalistic, for he acquires some of their base animal nature.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT

LEV82 If civilization is to be guided by love, justice, and respect for the integrity of creation, there must be moments in which we leave the "I" behind and encounter the fullness of being in all its glory. That is the function of the holy – – the point at which "I am" is silent in the overwhelming presence of "There is." That is what Nadav and Avihu forgot – – that to enter holy space or time requires ontological humility, the total renunciation of human initiative and desire. The significance of this fact cannot be over-estimated. When we confuse God's will with our will, we turn the Holy – – the source of life--into something unholy and a source of death. The classic example of this is "holy war," jihad, Crusades – – investing imperialism (the desire to rule over other people) with the cloak of sanctity as if conquest and forced conversion were God's will. The story of Nadal and Avihu reminds us yet again of the warning first spelled out in the days of Cain and Abel. The first act of worship led to the first murder. Like nuclear fission, worship generates power, which can be benign but can also be profoundly dangerous. The episode of Nadav and Avihu is written in three kinds of fire. First there is fire from heaven: [this verse] This was the fire of favour, consummating the service of the Sanctuary. Then came the "unauthorized fire" offered by the two sons (Leviticus 10:1). Then there was the counter-fire from heaven: (Leviticus 10:2). The message is simple and intensely serious: Religion is not what the European Enlightenment thought it would become: mute, marginal, and mild. It is fire – – and like fire, it warms but it also burns. And we are the guardians of the flame.

SHOW FULL EXCERPT