The haftorah for
Parshas Achray Mos / Kidoshim is Ezekiel 20:2-20. It is a largely a rebuke and
opens with Hashem rhetorically asking the leadership of the Jewish people if
they are about evaluate Him and give Him a grade. The prophet continues that
they should really evaluate and judge the atrocities of the nation’s past.
By and large Hakadosh
baruch Hu is loath to punish the nation of Israel. Among the reasons is that when
He took them out of Egypt his reputation became tied to their wellbeing, and
Hashem desires that his repute should be great in the physical world. Therefore
when Israel is in a low state, it is possible to err and think because it is
due to the lack of strength of their Power, and not the nation’s lack of
righteousness.
The gifts that G-d
bestowed on the nation of Israel are pointed out. The land he gave them is the
prize of all lands, one which is flowing with milk and honey. He taught the
people etiquette and how to be fair. Finally he gave the Jews the Sabbath.
The land of Israel is
considered the prize of all lands because it is the holy land and the land that
is closest to Hashem. It is praised by calling it the land of milk and honey.
Milk is considered healthy and honey is considered sweet. The idea is that the
land of Israel, sanctity, and closeness to G-d should also make a person
healthy and sweet. To reject the land of Israel is to reject the glory of G-d’s
hands. To become sick and bitter in the process is considered a sacrilege.
Concerning the
instructions of the Torah, one is told to keep them and to live by them (וחי בהם). This means that not only should a
person’s conduct always be according to the law, but also that the Torah is
what keeps a person alive. The external aspects are an orderly society and the
benefits of cooperation. The internal aspects are inner vitality, sense of
purpose, and peace with one’s surroundings. The basic idea is that living
according to heaven’s law makes a person’s life better. Idolatry is basically
alien values and strange behavior, which ultimately lead to human defilement.
The third gift
mentioned is the Shabbos. Shabbos has three major components: ceasing from
work, enjoying the fruits of our labor, and recognizing that the good we
receive ultimately comes from G-d. However the essential reason for any good we
receive is recompense for learning the precepts of the Torah and applying them
to our actions.
On Shabbos we display
what we have learned and the blessings we have received because of it. This is
the idea is the Zohar that the Chumash begins with the letter “B” (ב) in Bereshis, because it is the same
letter that starts bracha (blessing) and the world was created for blessings.
From the Torah the blessings spread out to the entire creation. This is an
aspect of a ray of light shining from heaven and spreading throughout a world
of darkness. When people see on the Shabbos day the flow of blessings, they
also see the flow of sanctity from G-d to the Jewish people, and this is the
sign between the two of them.
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
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