A Thought on Parshios Acharei-Mos and Kedoshim
"...u'sh'martem atem..."
"...and you, you will observe my laws..." (18:26)
Given that the Holy Language of Hebrew conjugates gender into the tense of a word, it seems a little redundant to write "and you, you shall" since the verb sh'martem implies "you" will, as opposed to "they, or he, or she, or we, or I will." Besides, there are plenty of places in the Torah where the verse says "u'sh'martem" and similar second person plural future tense words without writing the pronoun "you." What deeper message awaits us here?The Chezkuni here (also on 20:24) offers a midrash. The double reinforcement of "you" is a statement of confidence: "just as you have already observed these laws, you will be continuing to observe them." The midrashic "proof" for this interpretation is found in Shir HaShirim 4:12. That verse says, "my daughter is a locked garden."
The Chezkuni explains this. Our people have a tradition of modesty. It was displayed by our matriarchs and our Avos, it was preserved during the exile to Egypt, and we have been known among the nations as a people who dress and speak and interact with a modest attire and demeanor. This has sustained us throughout many other exiles and wanderings. Chezkuni asserts that the Torah is saying here "you started with this practice" without being so commanded, so you will now continue to fulfill the practice and perform a mitzva.It started long ago in the garden, and now must continue.
This is an important thought. The drashos of the Ran (Rabbeinu Nissim) state that there were many practices which our earliest ancestors observed prior to the giving of the Torah. Some of these were later formulated as formal mitzvos and we then were bound and commanded to continue performing them. Many were never formally commanded, yet they remained implicit codes of conduct and actually are regarded as the fulfillment of Torah (d'oraisa) too.
The Jewish nation observes a standard of modesty, in deed and act as well as in self-presentation. It is supposed to come naturally to us, and it is also given as a commandment. It is meant to mark us among the nations of the world by setting a higher standard for ourselves. We are the "locked garden" who know about boundaries, about limits and about adhering to them.
I remember a visit with my British nieces and nephews on a visit to the home of my youngest sister in London. I was entertaining them with stories and jokes and songs from our childhood. At one point we were making up rhymes together when suddenly my niece Elisheva stopped, unsure of the meaning of a certain innocent word, and she said, "Uncle Dovid, I was going to try a rhyme to that but since I don't know what the word means, I had fear that it might not be proper and would sound impolite." I recall that she was about six years old at the time.
Such modesty does not come naturally these days. Whatever steps our early ancestors took to figure out the standards for proper conduct required careful study, self-awareness and sensitivity to what it is that HaShem expects of His people. As the Navi Micha (6:6-8) describes it, this quality is very much one of the foundations upon which we turn to HaShem and declare that we seek to do His will.
Back to the garden.
Good Shabbos and wishing my son Yosef Ezra ben Devora continued recovery. D Fox
"...and you, you will observe my laws..." (18:26)
Given that the Holy Language of Hebrew conjugates gender into the tense of a word, it seems a little redundant to write "and you, you shall" since the verb sh'martem implies "you" will, as opposed to "they, or he, or she, or we, or I will." Besides, there are plenty of places in the Torah where the verse says "u'sh'martem" and similar second person plural future tense words without writing the pronoun "you." What deeper message awaits us here?The Chezkuni here (also on 20:24) offers a midrash. The double reinforcement of "you" is a statement of confidence: "just as you have already observed these laws, you will be continuing to observe them." The midrashic "proof" for this interpretation is found in Shir HaShirim 4:12. That verse says, "my daughter is a locked garden."
The Chezkuni explains this. Our people have a tradition of modesty. It was displayed by our matriarchs and our Avos, it was preserved during the exile to Egypt, and we have been known among the nations as a people who dress and speak and interact with a modest attire and demeanor. This has sustained us throughout many other exiles and wanderings. Chezkuni asserts that the Torah is saying here "you started with this practice" without being so commanded, so you will now continue to fulfill the practice and perform a mitzva.It started long ago in the garden, and now must continue.
This is an important thought. The drashos of the Ran (Rabbeinu Nissim) state that there were many practices which our earliest ancestors observed prior to the giving of the Torah. Some of these were later formulated as formal mitzvos and we then were bound and commanded to continue performing them. Many were never formally commanded, yet they remained implicit codes of conduct and actually are regarded as the fulfillment of Torah (d'oraisa) too.
The Jewish nation observes a standard of modesty, in deed and act as well as in self-presentation. It is supposed to come naturally to us, and it is also given as a commandment. It is meant to mark us among the nations of the world by setting a higher standard for ourselves. We are the "locked garden" who know about boundaries, about limits and about adhering to them.
I remember a visit with my British nieces and nephews on a visit to the home of my youngest sister in London. I was entertaining them with stories and jokes and songs from our childhood. At one point we were making up rhymes together when suddenly my niece Elisheva stopped, unsure of the meaning of a certain innocent word, and she said, "Uncle Dovid, I was going to try a rhyme to that but since I don't know what the word means, I had fear that it might not be proper and would sound impolite." I recall that she was about six years old at the time.
Such modesty does not come naturally these days. Whatever steps our early ancestors took to figure out the standards for proper conduct required careful study, self-awareness and sensitivity to what it is that HaShem expects of His people. As the Navi Micha (6:6-8) describes it, this quality is very much one of the foundations upon which we turn to HaShem and declare that we seek to do His will.
Back to the garden.
Good Shabbos and wishing my son Yosef Ezra ben Devora continued recovery. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 11:14 PM
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