Parashat Emor

Parashat Emor

Iyar 17, 5773 ~ April 27, 2013
by Marshall Schwartz

Often, the Torah tells us the same thing – or rather almost the same thing – more than once.  After all, the Ten Commandments appear in both Parshat Yitro and Parshat VaEthanan.  In today's parsha, Emor, we have one of three lists of haggim that are presented in the Torah, each with its own variations on the same theme.  And the differences between our lists – and other texts – give rise to quite a few questions, but very few answers.   

Half of Parshat Emor – from the middle of the third aliyah to the end of the sixth – has the nearly-unique distinction of being read on Shabbat and hag four times a year:  not only when we read Emor, but also on the first two days of Sukkot and the second day of Pesah.  The  contents of this section makes it clear why we read it on these days – it contains the first of the three lists of holidays.

Similarly, the end of Parshat Pinchas contains an even more complete list of such days;    more complete because its main function is to spell out the full order of sacrifices for each day, and therefore each day of Sukkot is listed separately (since the number of sacrificial bulls changes from day to day).   These paragraphs are read as the maftir portions on each of the hagim (or as the fourth aliyah on hol ha'moed Pesach and Sukkot).  

Finally, there is one other Torah section that contains a list of holy days.  It, too, is read four times a year:  the last aliyah of Parshat Re'eh, which is chanted on the last day of Pesah, the last day of Shavuot, and Shemini Atzeret.  But this aliyah mentions only the Shalosh Regalim.

There are many similarities between the three versions, but some marked differences as well. In Emor, the description of each holiday begins with an introductory verse, followed by the date of the hag (or, as is the case with Shavuot and Shemini Atzeret, a way to calculate the date).  Interspersed with these descriptions are the instructions for counting the omer, and the commandment not to glean the corners of your field (but leave the gleanings for the poor). Most of the discussion concerns the nature of each special day, with occasional and inconsistent references to their associated sacrifices.  In Pinchas, every paragraph (except the first two, which list the sacrifices for Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh) begins explicitly or implicitly with the date, and then follows with the exact makeup of that day's additional sacrifice.  Finally, the calendar in Re'eh omits dates altogether, barely hints at sacrifices, and ignores Shemini Atzeret entirely. 

If these were the only variations that begged for explanations, we would have plenty to delve into.   Pinchas speaks for itself – it's simply a menu of all the additional sacrifices for the year. Its nature suggests that a more in-depth look at the holidays is also needed – and this week's parsha fits that bill quite nicely.  So why is a foreshortened list included in Re'eh?   If you would propose that Devarim contains many recapitulations (as with the Ten Commandments), so that another holiday calendar does not seem out of place, then why are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Shemini Atzeret not included?  I have no answer.  I can only raise the question – one of several such questions I will pose.

But we need to go beyond these three sections of Torah.  There is one additional in-depth discussion of one (and only one) holiday in our text, and we read it last week.   The beginning of Parshat Acharei Mot gives a detailed description of the formal ritual of the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur (a description elaborated on significantly in Mishna Yoma).  Why is Yom Kippur given this unique treatment among all the holy days – a long, self-contained essay with no reference to any other hag, far more detailed and elaborate than the Torah provides for any other holy day?   And why, uniquely in Acharei Mot, is the date of the hag given at the end of the description, after 28 detailed verses, rather than at the beginning (as in Emor and Pinchas, or not at all, as in Re'eh)?  Two more questions without answers.

Finally, I'd like to look briefly at the incompletely understood holiday of Shemini Atzeret.  Many commentators note that the choice of prefixes in Pinchas indicate that Shemini Atzeret is formally separate from Sukkot, not a part of the seven-day festival that immediately precedes it.   The section on Sukkot begins, “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month,” going on to list the sacrificial menu for the first day.   The paragraph for day two begins, “And on the second day”;  for the third day, “And on the third day”; and so on.  Until we get to the eighth day, which begins, “On the eighth day” – note that the prefix vav, meaning “and”, is missing; hence the conclusion that Shemini Atzeret is entirely separate.  Then how do these darshanim explain today's kriah?  Lev. 39 reads, “But on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you gather in the crop of the land, you shall celebrate Hashem's festival for seven days;  the first day shall be a day of rest, and the eighth day is a day of rest.”   That pesky vav has inserted itself into our parsha, meaning “and”.   So is Shemini Atzeret considered separate in today's reading, or is it joined to Sukkot by a vav?  Yet another question in search of an answer.

And one final issue regarding Shemini Atzeret, which I find rather mystifying.  After Solomon  dedicates the Temple in a seven-day celebration which took place during Sukkot, we are told, “On the eighth day, he sent the people off, and they blessed the king” [I Kings 8:66].  But if the eighth day was Shemini Atzeret, when no work was permitted, how could Solomon have sent the people home?   This dissonance is compounded by what we are told in the Book of Chronicles: “At that time, Solomon instituted the celebration for seven days, and all Israel was with him, a very great congregation, from the Approach of Hamath until the Brook of Egypt.  On the eighth day they celebrated an assembly, for they celebrated the dedication of the altar for seven days and the festival [of Sukkot] for seven days.  On the twenty-third day of the seventh month [Solomon] sent the people off to their homes, joyous and good-hearted...” [II Chron. 7:8-10].   So what really happened – was Shemini Atzeret celebrated when the Temple was first dedicated, or not?  One last question without an answer.