Parsha Emor: Torah – How to be an Intimate Witness

This Shabbat we read a parsha that is near and dear to my heart.  It is called Emor which means, “You will say.”  It is called Emor because the parsha begins with haShem (god) telling Moshe (Moses), “You will say to the cohanim (priests), the children of Aharon…”  What makes this parsha near and dear to me is that the first part of it is all about the priesthood, and since my great, great…great granddaddy was Aharon, it has special … Continue reading

Parsha Emor: Paying Attention Now or Pay Later

This week’s parsha (Torah portion) is an interesting one.  It starts off talking about all the restrictions to a Cohen (priest), like who they can marry, who they can bury, or that only an unblemished Cohen can actually perform the sacrificial service.  It talks about how pure a Cohen must be in order to eat from the sacred food (here are my ideas on “pure and impure” from a parsha we read a few weeks ago ), and to bring … Continue reading