HaMaayan/The Torah Spring
                      Edited by Shlomo Katz

                          Parashat Emor
                    Volume V, Number 28 (214)
                    20 Iyar 5751/May 4, 1991


                        Parasha Overview

   Last week we read of our obligation to be "Kadosh" - holy - and
of Mitzvot that Hashem gave us in furtherance of this goal. 
Parashat Emor expands on this theme.

   The Parasha's first section is devoted to laws pertaining to the
Kohanim, that class within the Jewish people of whom a higher
degree of holiness is expected.

   The second major section of Emor is devoted to the holidays,
teaching us that at certain times of the year greater holiness is
demanded of all of us.

   The Parasha's last section recounts the sin and the punishment
of the blasphemer who "blessed" (a Talmudic euphemism G-d.  This
reminds us that we must be holy, not only in deed, but in our
speech as well.  (R' A. Buchman, Bedibur Echod)

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   "And the sun shall come [in], and [the individual who was
defiled] shall become pure, and then he may eat from the holy
[sacrifices or Terumah]."  (Vayikra 22:7)

   The first Mishnah in Berachot asks:  "At what time may the
evening Shma be read?", and answers:  "From the time that Kohanim
enter to eat their Terumah."  The Gemara explains that just as for
purposes of defilement ("Tum'ah") and purity ("Taharah"), the day
ends when the stars come out (as suggested by our verse), so too
for purposes of reading the evening Shma, the day ends at that
time.

   Many commentators ask:  Why can't the Mishnah say simply,
"Kri'at Shma of the evening may be read when the stars come out?" 
Why must the Mishnah teach us this lesson in such a roundabout way?
   
   R' Yoel Teitlbaum (the "Satmar Rav") explains, based on Hashem's
promise to the prophets - "As in the days of your exodus from the
land of Egypt, so shall I [again] demonstrate great wonders [at the
time of the final redemption]."  When Mashiach comes, we too will
witness all of the miracles which our ancestors witnessed in Egypt,
only multiplied many times.
   One of the miracles which Hashem performed for the generation of
the Exodus was surrounding them on all sides with the "Ananei
HaKavod" - "The Clouds of Glory".  Similarly, in the future, we too
will be surrounded by such Clouds.

   Within the "Camp of Yisrael" (the area surrounded by the
Clouds), there will be no distinction between night and day. 
Hashem will provide us with a heretofore unknown source of light,
and the Clouds will shield us completely from the rising and
setting sun.  How then will we know when the day has ended and we
may recite Shma?

   Our Mishnah's intention is to solve this problem.  While the
majority of the Jews - those within the Clouds - will be unaware of
the sun's rising and setting, a few of Bnei Yisrael will know. 
These are the people who, because of their ritual defilement, will
be required to leave the Camp of Yisrael for periods ranging from
a day to a week.  In the open-air, they will have no problem
witnessing the end of the day.

   With the end of the day, the period of Tum'ah of some of these
Jews will have ended, and they will return to their homes.  "When
the Kohanim [who have been "Tamei"] enter to eat their Terumah,"
that is the time to say Shma.

                   (Hagadah Shel Pesach Mahari Teitlbaum, p. 84b)

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   "And you shall count... seven full weeks..." (Vayikra 23:15; a
reference to "Sefirat HaOmer")

   The "Ba'al HaMaor" (R' Zerachiah HaLevi) concludes his work on
the laws of Pesach with the following discussion:  Because Jews
outside of Israel observe an extra day of each Yom Tov, based on a
theoretical doubt as to the correct date, many people have the
custom to eat in the Sukkah on Shemini Atzeret, even though it is
actually the day after Sukkot.  However, because the prayers and
Kiddush for Shemini Atzeret demonstrate clearly that Sukkot is
over, the Gemara mandates that the Beracha over the Sukkah not be
recited on Shemini Atzeret, lest our actions appear contradictory.

   Why then, asks the Ba'al HaMaor, do we not follow the same
practice on the second night of Pesach, and count the first night
of the Omer without a Beracha?  After all, is it not contradictory
to hold a second Seder, on the one hand, implying that tonight may
be the first night of Pesach, and to count the Omer, on the other,
clearly demonstrating that tonight is the second night of Pesach
(for that is when the Mitzvah of the Omer begins)?!

   R' Zerachiah explains that on each holiday, we give the Torah
Mitzvah precedence and relegate the Rabbinically ordained Mitzvah
to a secondary status.  The Torah ordains that after seven days of
Sukkot, we observe the holiday of Shemini Atzeret.  We cannot let
the Rabbinic Mitzvah (sitting in the Sukkah for an extra day, based
on our doubts about the calendar) interfere with or contradict that
Torah Mitzvah.  On the second night of Pesach, however, it is
counting the Omer that is the Torah Mitzvah, and holding the Seder
which is the Rabbinic Mitzvah.  Certainly, therefore, we should not
consider counting the Omer without a Beracha!  [Neither can we skip
the Berachot recited at the second Seder, most of which are
blessings over food.]

   Based on this discussion of the Ba'al HaMaor, some commentaries
explain the custom of some households to delay counting the first
night of the Omer until after the Seder.  In this way, the
"contradiction" between the two Mitzvot is somewhat mitigated.

                              (heard from R' Yosef Adler, Shlita)

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   We noted last week that we know the names of fewer than 100
sages who lived in Bavel during the four-and-a-half centuries of
the Geonim.  The anonymity of the scholars of that period -
undoubtedly thousands in number - is due to the way the Yeshivot
were organized.  In order to underscore the authority of the Gaon,
when a teaching or Halachic decision was written, it would be
signed by "The Gaon 'So-and-so' on behalf of all of the members of
the Yeshiva."  Since most of our knowledge of this period is from
these writings, we know the names of few scholars other than the
Geonim themselves.  [For a detailed description of a typical day
and a typical year in the Yeshivot of Bavel, see HaMaayan for
Parashat Terumah of this year.]

   The 14th century Talmud commentator "Meiri" writes the following
about the qualifications of the "Gaon":

   The Geonim were not accustomed to stir from the tent of Torah  
   day or night, and the entire Torah and Talmud were as ready on 
   their tongues as the Kri'at Shma.  This is why they did not    
   elaborate in their writings, for to write out the deep         
   explanation of the Talmud would be in their eyes like someone in 
   our days who simply translates words.

   In the period of the Geonim, and even among some early
"Rishonim", the custom remained to study the Talmud by heart and to
orally pass each generation's commentaries and observations to the
next.

   Meiri writes that besides the title "Gaon", there were two
lesser titles that a scholar could achieve.  The first - "Chacham"
- was given to a scholar who had mastered the three Talmud sections
dealing with holidays, marriage, and civil law.  If a person had
also mastered the laws of the Temple sacrifices, he was known as
"Rav".


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