Photo by Insung Yoon on Unsplash
Parashat Emor “Say”
By Rachel Dubowe, Jewish Life Specialist
In this week’s parashah, Emor, we learn more about laws and sacrifices, as well as the sacred times of the Jewish calendar: Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Time becomes a holy thing, and the normalcy of “regular” days and time is now marked by the weekly day of rest and these special festive days. For Jews today, these holy days probably feel very routine or at least familiar. It is interesting to imagine what our ancestors felt when these markings of holy time were first introduced. We can imagine feelings of anxiety, excitement and hesitation.
Additionally, these festivals were not actually appointed by God. Leviticus 23:2 states, “The appointed seasons of the Eternal, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My appointed seasons.” Once humans proclaim a day holy, it becomes holy to God. These holy days placed responsibility on our ancestors, a unique reminder of Jewish community and obligation. All we had to do was listen to God’s instructions about these days, observe them and then they were holy. This listening and participation creates an active partnership with God. We can wonder if it’s us, the humans, who make the days holy, or the fact that God set them up for us…or is it both?
Do we think our holidays are our only mark of holy time? How do we set up mundane time and spaces to have the potential to be holy?
