Weekly Drash
- Emor
Compliments of First Fruits of Zion
reprinted by permission of FFOZ
Emor : אמר - “Say”
Torah : Leviticus 21:1–24:23
Haftarah : Ezekiel 44:15–31
Gospel : Luke 18-20
Thought for the Week:
(An excerpt from Torah Club)
A king had two sons: a wise son and a wicked son. When people encountered the
wicked son, he would abuse them and carry on in a manner unbefitting the prince.
People would remark, “Is this how the king raises his son? Is this the kind of
man the king is?” Yet when people encountered the wise son, he would treat them
courteously and provide them all manner of service as befits a prince among his
people. Then they would say, “What a fine king we have over us who has raised
such a fine son. Truly he is worthy of his throne.”
Commentary:
Sanctifying the Name of God
(Based on Torah Club)
Leviticus 22:29–33 : Leviticus 22:32 says, “You shall not
profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel.” What
does it mean to profane or desecrate the Name? Conversely, how does one sanctify
the Name of God? The concept is one of reputation. It is the idea that our
actions and behaviors affect God’s reputation. Our behavior reflects on Him. If
we act in a holy manner befitting children of God, God’s name is sanctified. If
we act in a godless or wicked manner, God’s reputation is sullied. Our behavior
profanes His reputation.
A significant amount of Jewish ethical standards are formulated around the
idea of sanctifying the Name of God (Kiddush HaShem, קדוש השם). Every
choice we make in life will in someway or another reflect upon God. Our every
interaction with other human beings will in one way or another say something
about the God we serve.
To sanctify God’s Name means to treat His Name with the respect, honor and
consecration that He deserves. But in the broader sense, it refers to obedience
and uprightness of character. The Torah explains that the formula for
sanctifying God’s Name is obedience to the commandments. “So you shall keep My
commandments, and do them; I am the LORD.” (22:31) The Master concurs: “Let your
light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) He is saying that when we
do good works, we bring glory to our Father in Heaven. Glorifying God requires
more than just saying, “Glory!” It actually requires us to do good. By the same
token, our sins rob God of the glory that He is due.
This is part of the meaning of the words the Master taught us to pray.
“Sanctified be Your Name, Your Kingdom Come, Your will be done on Earth as it is
in Haven,” are all parallel statements. When God’s will is done on earth, His
commandments are being kept. His reign and rule are being exercised on Earth,
and His Name is then sanctified.
When we sin, God’s Name is profaned. His reputation is tarnished because of
us. This is a very serious matter that deserves far more attention than we can
accord to it here.
Shavuah Tov!
Read the Weekly e-Drash on our site
Access to all previous e-Drashes,
includes Printer-Friendly format!
Please consider supporting FFOZ with a financial contribution.
FFOZ's Weekly e-Drash is based on our popular Torah Study
Program,
Torah Club. For an introduction to Torah Club
click here.
First Fruits of Zion, PO Box 620099, Littleton, CO
80162-0099 USA
Telephone 303 933 2119, Toll-free 800 775 4807, Fax 303 933 0997
