By: Jacob Fridakis
Good Shabbos. My name is Jacob Fridakis for those of you I have not met. First and foremost, thank you to the Johnson family for hosting us tonight. I think I speak for everyone here that you always welcome us with love and it means a lot. Rabbi Zev, you were especially supportive to me during my freshman year and I am so appreciative of that and it means a lot that you would ask me to give this week’s dvar torah. This week’s parashah is “Emor,” meaning speak in Hebrew. In it it lists the annual Callings of Holiness or the major festivals of the Jewish calendar. On the seventh day there shall be a sabbath or complete rest, a sacred occasion. In the first month, on the fourteenth day, there shall be a Passover offering to the Lord and on the fifteenth day of that month, the Lord’s feast of Unleavened bread. In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a sacred occasion commemorated with loud blasts. And so on and so forth.
At first, to me it almost sounded like dates were chosen at random however there seems to be a lot of let’s say precision to these days. There’s like an exactness to it. To me, this really underscores the value the tradition of celebrating the various important days in the Jewish calendar. It’s quite powerful knowing that myself, my ancestors and their ancestors all celebrated Sukkot on the fifteenth day of the seventh month. Emor’s intent is to define the rules of holy people, places, and time. Multiple times, the portion emphasizes that the holy time, or moadim is reserved for holy acts, and not mundane activities. These days are reserved for restful reflection and concentration. Yet, every week we get one of these days, Shabbat. I think now, more than ever given the pandemic and state of the world, taking time for rest is so so important. While we may not be threatened with death if we do not rest as the Emor does, taking time for yourself is crucial for our individual success.
Again, I would like to thank the Johnson’s for hosting us tonight. Good Shabbos and thank you for listening.