“… say (Emor) to the Cohanim, the sons of Aharon, and you shall say to them, do not make yourselves impure from the dead of your people.” (Vayikra, 21:1) Cohen represents the servant of God who sees all actions in the world as a result of the direct involvement (hashgacha) of God. He also sees that God’s desire is only to improve the creation. One who sees the world this way can will inevitably bear greivences when he confronts difficult situations in the world that are expressions of God’s stern judgment, (saying, “it’s not fair.”) One who believes that the world is run by chance has no address for his greivences. When he confronts situations in the world contrary to his desires, he will say that it came about by chance. Thunderous anger is only possible for the believer who sees everything as a decree from Heaven. For this reason the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the Cohanim, believers and servants of God, “do not contaminate yourself from the dead of your people.” In other words, don’t become angry at God when confronting pain and suffering, as this kind of anger is itself the contamination from the dead. It is a response to the God’s judgments that bring about loss and absence in the world, as discussed in the holy Zohar. Therefore God commanded, “Emor el haCohanim - say to the Cohanim.” “Emor – say,” means speaking softly.*Emor is a soft language, a whisper, as it were, as opposed to maggid, a stern usage. See Zohar, Vayikra, 88b. God enjoins us to whisper into the ears of the servants of God that they should not hold grudges when it comes to His stern judgment, for the intentions of God are always in order to improve. Even when He conducts the world with the attribute of stern judgment, then too, His intention at the depths is only to improve.
אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו. כֹּהֵן נִקְרָא הָעוֹבֵד ה' וְרוֹאֶה כִּי כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים הַנַּעֲשִׂים בָּעוֹלָם אֵינָם בְּמִקְרֶה רַק בְּהַשְׁגָּחָה מֵאֵת הַש"י, וְיוֹדֵעַ כִּי רְצוֹן הַש"י הוּא רַק לְהֵיטִיב לַבְּרִיּוֹת. וּלְאָדָם כָּזֶה יוּכַל לָבוֹא תַּרְעוֹמוֹת כִּי יִרְאֶה אֵיזֶה מַעֲשֶׂה מִמִּדּוֹת דִּינוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כִּי הָאָדָם שֶׁנִּגְמַר בְּדַעְתּוֹ כִּי הָעוֹלָם מִקְרֶה הוּא, לֹא יָכוֹל לָבֹא כָּל כָּךְ לִידֵי תַּרְעוֹמוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה דְּבַר הַנְהָגָה נֶגֶד רְצוֹנוֹ כִּי יֹאמַר מִקְרֶה הוּא. אַךְ הָאָדָם הַיּוֹדֵעַ כִּי הַכֹּל נַעֲשֶׂה בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם לָזֶה יוּכַל לָבוֹא תַּרְעוֹמוֹת. וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה מַזְהִיר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַכֹּהֲנִים הַיְנוּ לְעוֹבְדֵי ה', "לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו", הַיְנוּ שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶם תַּרְעוֹמוֹת עַל מִדּוֹת דִּינוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כִּי טָמֵא לָנֶפֶשׁ הַיְנוּ תַּרְעוֹמוֹת עַל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כִּי עִיקַּר תַּרְעוֹמוֹת הַמָּצוּי בָּעוֹלָם נֶגֶד מִדּוֹת הַדִּין, הוּא עַל הַהֶפְסֵד וְהַהֶעְדֵּר הַנִּמְצָא בָּעוֹלָם, כַּמְבוֹאָר בַּזוה"ק. לָכֵן צִוָּה הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ "אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים וְאָמַרְתָּ" הִיא בִּלְחִישָׁה (זוהר ויקרא פ"ח:) הַיְנוּ לִלְחֹשׁ לְעוֹבְדֵי ה' שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶם תַּרְעוֹמוֹת גַּם עַל מִדּוֹת הַדִּין, כִּי תָּמִיד כַּוָּנַת הַש"י אַךְ לְהֵיטִיב, אַף שֶׁיִּנְהַג בְּמִדּוֹת הַדִּין גַּם אָז כַּוָּנָתוֹ בָּעוֹמֶק לְהֵיטִיב.
“… say (Emor) to the Cohanim, the sons of Aharon, and you shall say to them, do not make yourselves impure from the dead of your people.” (Vayikra, 21:1)
Cohen represents the servant of God who sees all actions in the world as a result of the direct involvement (hashgacha) of God. He also sees that God’s desire is only to improve the creation. One who sees the world this way can will inevitably bear greivences when he confronts difficult situations in the world that are expressions of God’s stern judgment, (saying, “it’s not fair.”) One who believes that the world is run by chance has no address for his greivences. When he confronts situations in the world contrary to his desires, he will say that it came about by chance. Thunderous anger is only possible for the believer who sees everything as a decree from Heaven.
For this reason the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the Cohanim, believers and servants of God, “do not contaminate yourself from the dead of your people.” In other words, don’t become angry at God when confronting pain and suffering, as this kind of anger is itself the contamination from the dead. It is a response to the God’s judgments that bring about loss and absence in the world, as discussed in the holy Zohar. Therefore God commanded, “Emor el haCohanim - say to the Cohanim.” “Emor – say,” means speaking softly.*Emor is a soft language, a whisper, as it were, as opposed to maggid, a stern usage. See Zohar, Vayikra, 88b. God enjoins us to whisper into the ears of the servants of God that they should not hold grudges when it comes to His stern judgment, for the intentions of God are always in order to improve. Even when He conducts the world with the attribute of stern judgment, then too, His intention at the depths is only to improve.