Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in Hebrew and English: Parshas Emor (Lag B’Omer) – 18-19 Iyar 5785
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Emor (Lag B’Omer) – 18-19 Iyar 5785
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
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Parshas Emor begins with a warning to male Kohanim not to contract impurity from a dead body and become Tamei Mes. However, a Kohen is obligated to become impure to one of his seven close relatives that passes away: father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, and wife, should it become relevant, ל"ע. A Kohen Gadol (and a Nazir,) on the other hand, has a higher level of sanctity and is restricted by the Torah to become impure even to these relatives.
"He shall not come near any dead person, he shall not contaminate himself for his father or his mother" (Vayikra 21:11). If the Pasuk makes an all inclusive statement that 'he shall not come near any dead person', why then does the Torah need to specify that he should not contaminate himself regarding 'his father or his mother'. Rashi quotes the Gemara (Nazir 47b) that this additional phrase teaches us that he may not become impure regarding his father or mother, but he would be permitted to contract Tumah in a case of a Mes Mitzvah, an unattended corpse that needs to be buried.
Later on, the Gemara (Nazir 49a) asks why both the father and the mother needed to be mentioned to teach about Mes Mitzvah when it would seem that mentioning one of the parents would be sufficient.
The Gemara answers that if the Torah would have only explicitly written that a Kohen Gadol or Nazir are prohibited from become impure to the 'father', this might be because one can never be 100% certain who his father is, but rather presumes in principle based on the almost certain probability that his mother was monogamous. It would imply that the exception to the rule was not the Mes Mitzvah, but perhaps the mother, who one can be certain about, because there are witnesses that she gave physically gave birth to this child.
If the Torah would have only explicitly written that a Kohen Gadol may not become Tamei Mes to his 'mother', one might come to the conclusion that the exception to the rule was not the Mes Mitzvah, but the Kohen Gadol's father, since it was the father who gave his son the Kohen Gadol his elevated sanctity. Thus, out of respect to his deceased father, the Kohen Gadol must defile his state of purity, something he cannot do for any other person, including his own mother. For this reason, both 'father' and 'mother' are explicitly stated by the Torah.
The well-known song 'Bar Yochai' that we sing on Lag B'Omer, an ode to the Tanna, Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, says in the last stanza, "fortunate is the mother who bore you". Why does the piytan give praise to his mother, more than his father?
Rebbe Rav Yonasan Eibshitz once asked why there is a need for parents. He wondered why HaKadosh Baruch Hu didn't just continue creating people himself like he did Adam HaRishon. He suggests that if this were the case, one would be like Adam HaRishon himself and could never revert back to the original state of man before the sin of eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, we who are born from the womb of a woman have the ability through Teshuva to reclaim that pristine status and stature. Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai was able to attain this pre-sin level of Adam HaRishon, even though he was not the direct handiwork of Hashem, but only the product of a human mother. This is why 'fortunate is the mother who bore you' is specifically mentioned, not the father.
Lag B'Omer alludes to the three times when one learns Torah. The first time was at Har Sinai, when every soul was there to accept the Torah. The second time is when each individual learns Torah from an angel while developing in the womb. The third time, of course, is throughout our lifetimes when we set aside as much free time as we have to learn Torah. Accordingly, this alludes to the three categories of Torah. The written Torah (Torah Sh'Bichtav), the oral Torah (Torah Sh'B'Al Peh), and the hidden Torah (Torah HaNistar)
Another verse in the song 'Bar Yochai' states, "You were anointed with the holy oil". Which oil is the piytan referring to. Normally, only a Kohen Gadol, or a King from the Davidic dynasty, would be anointed in holy oil. The numeric Gematria value of 'oil' שמן is 390, the same as the word 'Heaven' שמים, an allusion that the Torah is from Heaven.
Everyone who recites this song joyfully on Lag B'Omer prays that their children will also merit the title 'fortunate is the mother who bore you'. May it be His will that in the merit of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai we will experience the coming of the Go'el Tzedek, speedily in our days, so that with Hashem's help, we will be able to overcome the Evil Inclination and rectify the sin of Adam HaRishon.