Fearless Defenders of Torah
Rabbi Reuven Mann
The Kohanim and the Legacy of the Levites
This week’s Parsha, Tetzaveh, is the second of five Parshiyot that revolve around the construction of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness and deals with the special garments worn by the Priests during the Temple Service. Ministering in the holy sanctuary without the divinely mandated attire was strictly forbidden. The uniform of the ordinary Kohen consisted of four garments, while that of the Kohen Gadol (Chief Kohen) included an additional four pieces.
The worship in the Temple could only be performed by the Kohanim, who traced their lineage back to Aaron and his sons. The Tribe of Levi was chosen to oversee the care of the Beit HaMikdash and its sacrificial program. They merited this distinction due to their zeal in opposing idolatry and their willingness to execute justice—even against close relatives—in order to eradicate it. Moshe, in his final blessings to Klal Yisrael, described the Tribe of Levi:
"The one who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not favored him’, to his brothers he did not give recognition and his children he did not know; for they (the Levites) kept Your word and guarded Your Covenant." (Devarim 33:9)
These words refer to the terrible sin of the Golden Calf, an event that nearly led to Hashem’s destruction of Am Yisrael (Nation of Israel) and creation of a new Chosen People out of Moshe. Moshe’s first task upon descending from Mt. Sinai was to purge idolatry from the nation, which required executing judgment against those guilty of idol worship.
Unwavering Commitment to Justice
The great challenge this entailed was that justice had to be carried out against all the sinners impartially, irrespective of any bonds of friendship and family. Most ordinary leaders would find this to be an extremely difficult or even impossible endeavor, and certainly not one which would increase their popularity. Political figures, for example, often prioritize personal connections over moral principles.
Before leaving office, former President Joe Biden, just minutes before his power expired, issued a slew of pardons. In addition to the pardon he had already granted to his son, he also pardoned his family members and associates–who were not yet even accused of any crime–in case they were ever brought up on charges. This act revealed his prioritization of personal interests and that he was not really committed to an impartial judicial process; rather, he viewed power as a means to personal advancement. Strangely enough, many people actually defended his actions, arguing that this is only natural; and is what a father should do for his son. Such reasoning suggests that acts deemed immoral or unethical are praiseworthy when done for the benefit of relatives.
[To be fair, it is hard to imagine that many other politicians would behave differently than Biden. The granting of pardons to vile and undeserving criminals because they happen to have close connections with a sitting President is something which has become a fairly common practice. Initially, when asked, Biden took a very principled stance, saying that he would not interfere with the judicial process even with regard to his own son. Did he actually mean that, or was he only saying it because at that time he was planning to run for a second term?]
While this behavior is common in politics, it stands in stark contrast to the example set by Moshe and the Levites. Their absolute commitment and dedication to the true idea of Hashem and their abhorrence of idolatry, motivated them to forestall the anger of Hashem by executing justice against all the sinners—without any exemptions for close relationships.
Their actions established the principle that faithfulness to Hashem is not just another significant virtue. Rather, it supersedes all other considerations, no matter how emotionally challenging or important to us. It is reminiscent of the Akeida (Binding of Yitzchak) in the sense that there Avraham withdrew all of his emotional attachment to Yitzchak in order to adhere to the Will of Hashem. As difficult as it is for us to grasp this, it, in fact, represents the highest level of Avodat Hashem (Service of G-d).
Preserving the Integrity of Torah
The characteristic which qualified the tribe of Levi for their role in the Beit HaMikdash has great relevance for all of us. A major theme, which runs through the Parshiot of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), is that Moshe and Aaron and all the Mishkan’s builders “were careful to do them exactly as they were commanded.” This, the Ramban informs us, means that they did not make any changes from the Divine Plan. (Shemot 39:42)
The implication is that, even men as great as these, might have had the temptation to find some (subtle) way to express their personal religious imagination in the construction of the Temple. The Torah is therefore praising them that they resisted this urge and maintained absolute adherence to the instructions of Hashem. That is why Moshe praised the tribe of Levi for having “preserved Your Covenant”. Indeed, it is the mission of every Jew to preserve Hashem’s Covenant.
Our task is to study the Torah in a serious manner in order to understand it to the best of our ability, so that we can observe it and also “preserve” it. In the modern world, we are confronted with many versions of Judaism whose values are distinctly contrary to those of Torah. In general, they tend to agree with the social ideals of Judaism but take issue with the so-called ritual laws.
For example, they do not see the rules of Kashrut (Kosher) or sexual modesty as being relevant today, because they do not conform to their moral outlook. They seek to remake the Jewish religion according to their own “theological” understanding. This philosophy is clearly expressed in the charter of the Reform movement called the Pittsburgh Platform (1885):
"We recognize in the Mosaic legislation a system of training the Jewish people for its mission during its national life in Palestine, and today we accept as binding only the moral laws and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives, but reject all such as are not adapted to the views and habits of modern civilization."
Such an approach contradicts the Torah’s principle that all Mitzvot, whether their reasons are readily apparent or not, are equally binding.
Our mission is to preserve the authentic version of the Torah without innovations. In doing so, we must remember that all intelligent people recognize the great value of many of the Torah’s so-called “rational” commandments such as Tzedaka (charity), Hashavat Aveidah (return of lost objects), Lashon HaRah (evil speech) and many others.
However, the Torah also contains Mitzvot that are called Chukim (decrees) wherein the underlying rationale is not visible on the surface. These include the prohibitions of milk and meat and other forbidden foods, ritual purity and impurity, the scapegoat on Yom Kippur and numerous other commandments that seem meaningless to the contemporary mindset.
The temptation to “pick and choose” which parts of Judaism to maintain is very great. Still greater is the tendency of many religious activists to introduce deviations or to proffer clever new interpretations of ancient laws that are clearly contrary to the way the Torah has been understood and transmitted by the Masters of the Oral Law whose task it is to safeguard the integrity of authentic Judaism in every generation.
In this regard it is important to recognize that all the Mitzvot, whether Mishpatim (rational commandments) or Chukim contain deep and profound wisdom. The difference is that regarding the Mishpatim the rationality and utility are evident on the surface. The matter is different with the Chukim. Their deeper meaning is hidden from sight and one must make great efforts to discover it. The Rabbis say that King Solomon discovered the reasons for all the Mitzvot except for the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer) and that Moshe understood even this one.
Regarding the Chukim, the Rambam states:
"The Torah states: 'And you shall guard all My decrees and all My judgments and perform them.' (VaYikra 19:37) Our Sages commented: 'This adjures us to guard and perform the decrees as with the judgments.' The meaning of 'performing' is well known—that one should carry out the decrees. 'Guarding' means treating them with caution, and not thinking they are inferior to the judgments. The judgments are those Mitzvot whose rationale is revealed and whose benefit is evident, such as the prohibitions against robbery and bloodshed and the commandment to honor one’s parents. The decrees are those Mitzvot whose rationale is not known. Our Sages said: ‘I ordained decrees, and you have no license to question them.’ A person's natural inclination disturbs him concerning them, and the nations of the world challenge them, such as the prohibitions against eating pork and mixing meat with milk, the ‘Decapitated Calf’ and the Red Heifer and the Scapegoat." (Hilchot Meilah 8:8)
Upholding Authentic Torah Values
If a person recognizes that the entire Torah was given by Hashem to the Jewish People, and that its elucidation was entrusted to the Masters of the Oral Law, then he must regard every area of the Torah as equally binding–without compromise. He has no right to nullify any aspect of Torah Judaism in favor of the shifting moral currents of the times.
We must have the courage and wisdom to adhere to and defend all the Mitzvot of Judaism, even when they elicit disfavor. Furthermore, we must avoid the temptation to be popular in the eyes of the masses, by catering to their emotional desire for Judaism to be in line with contemporary attitudes.
Adapting Torah observance to fit contemporary values undermines its authenticity. Additionally, we must elucidate the genuine positions of Torah, even if this causes us to be ridiculed and disliked.
In this regard, we must take inspiration from the example of Avraham Avinu (Avraham our Forefather).
The Rambam, in the Moreh Nevuchim (Maimonides, Guide for the Perplexed, trans. M. Friedländer, 3:29.), describes Avraham’s lonely struggle to proclaim Hashem’s truth:
“… They refused to believe him, because he attacked their evil doctrine. I do not doubt that when he attacked the doctrine of all his fellow-men, he was cursed, despised, and scorned by these people who adhered to their erroneous opinions. When he submitted to this treatment for the sake of G-d, as ought to be done for the sake of His glory, G-d said to him, ‘And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee.’(Bereishit 12:3)”
May Hashem assist us in our endeavor to gain a greater understanding of all the Mitzvot of His Torah so that we can communicate them properly to all people who are thirsty for His guidance and instruction.
Shabbat Shalom.
Rabbi Reuven Mann has been a pulpit Rabbi and a teacher of Torah for over fifty years. He is currently the Dean of Masoret Institute of Judaic Studies for Women and resides in Arnona, Jerusalem.
Questions? Comments? Please reach out to Rabbi Mann on WhatsApp 050-709-2372 or by email at: rebmann21@aol.com or to Mitch Rosner on WhatsApp 054-426-3419 or by email at: mitchrosner@gmail.com
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