Parasha Emor

If you were to pull out an old cookbook, and try your hand at one of the most complex recipes, you would learn a lesson about this week’s Torah sidrah.

Many recipes call for a number of distinct ingredients to be placed into a mixing bowl. Then the instructions call for the cook to “stir the items to uniform consistency.” The author of the recipe expects you to fold this stuff together, over and over again, until the individual ingredients are blended so well that every spoonful of the final mixture looks the same. This is “consistency” in cooking terms. Our weekly reading includes the principles of integrity, holiness, and consistency of witness.

Just read the portion titled “Emor” and you’ll learn all about the high calling of the priesthood, how to determine the right offerings, when the Biblical holy days are, and how to properly keep them and more. In several particular verses found in our Parasha the essential concept of sanctifying Yahweh’s name is mentioned. “You shall faithfully observe my commandments: I am Yahweh. You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Yisraelite people – I Yahweh who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt) to be your Elohim, I am Yahweh,” Vayikra 22:31-33. Later the sidrah reads, “And to the Yisraelite people speak these words: 'If anyone curses his elohim, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of Yahweh must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when a person blasphemes HaShem (the Name), he must be put to death,” Vayikra 24:15-16.

What is really interesting about the above sections is not just what they say, but also what happens to be found between them. Rules on setting apart the blessed name of Yahweh are bookends to the specific instructions given about the Biblical feast days of Leviticus 23. Directives on living a worship-filled life are found all around the mitzvot of glorifying the Divine Name. This teaches the reader that Yahweh’s name is praised and exalted when believers obey Yahweh’s commands. Yes, Yahweh’s name is sanctified when people fulfill Yahweh’s will as revealed in the Torah. His name is cursed when people disobey the Torah.

“The purpose of Yisra’el’s existence is to sanctify Yahweh’s name, that is, to attest to His existence, to publicize His oneness, and to advertise His greatness, by worshipping Him and by keeping His laws. Their failure to do so also has the opposite effect: His name is profaned, that is, His fame is diminished and His reputation tarnished,” says the Jewish Study Bible. One of the most important Biblical concepts can be learned in this week’s reading – the concept of “Kiddush HaShem” and “chillul HaShem

“Kiddush HaShem” is the Hebrew and rabbinic term for “setting apart the Divine Name.” The term “chillul HaShem” means to “profane or disrespect the reputation or name of Yahweh.” The actions of every person who claims to follow the Bible either Kiddush HaShem or chillul HaShem. What we do either praises Yahweh or profanes Yahweh.

The Talmud tells the story of when Simeon b. Shetah bought a donkey from an Arab and his servants were delighted at finding a jewel hanging from its neck. He at once returned the gem to its owner, who cried out, “Blessed be the Elohim of the Jews Who renders His people so scrupulous in their dealings with other men.” Simeon’s actions led to Yahweh’s name or reputation being praised and upheld. Simeon’s witness proved his character and stressed the foundation of the Torah – to do to your neighbor what you would have done to yourself.

Yahshua our Messiah said that “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria and to the ends of the earth,” Acts 1:8. When Yahshua said this He did not say whether our witness would be for or against Him. He just said that we would be His witnesses! Our actions prove who we really are and who we really worship…Yahweh or self.

Man is responsible for Yahweh’s honor in the eyes of the world. When man follows the precepts of the Torah then Yahweh is revered. In Judaism the phrase “Kiddush HaShem” denotes more than just respecting the Eternal, it is also the term applied to Jews who are martyred for their faith. The Rabbis have taught that a Jew faced with the strictest of persecutions should sacrifice his life to honor Yahweh, to Kiddush HaShem. “Kiddush ha-Shem was declared obligatory in the case of three commandments and a person had to suffer death rather than violate them: idolatry, unchastity (gillui arayot: including incest, adultery, and, under certain circumstances, any infraction of the moral code), and murder (Sanh. 74a). One should violate all other commandments rather than suffer death,” says the Encyclopedia Judaica. This of course is the most extreme way to honor Yahweh. Not surprisingly though, this is the way the Son of Man honored Yahweh. “For Yahweh demonstrated his own love for us (glorified His own Name) in this: While we were still sinners, Moshiach died for us,” Romans 5:8.

On the other side of this coin is the concept of chillul HaShem or profaning the name of Yahweh. To understand this idea better just remember the quote from our weekly Parasha “You shall faithfully observe my commandments: I am Yahweh. You shall not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Yisraelite people – I Yahweh who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Mitzrayim (Egypt) to be your Elohim, I am Yahweh,” Vayikra 22:31-33. When a person does not faithfully obey the devar Yahweh (word of Yahweh) then Yahweh’s name is profaned or blasphemed. Keep in mind that in Biblical times and in Biblical culture a name is more than just a name.

According to Biblical tradition, a name communicates power, reputation, character, and authority. A name isn’t just something you call someone, it is something you call about someone. Names have meaning and names give definition. To chillul HaShem is to misrepresent Yahweh, to tarnish his reputation, and to darken His light to the world. This is similar to when a child is disobedient to the parents’ wishes. When word spreads that the child is wild, then those actions “ruin the family name.”

There are some Rabbis that teach that to chillul HaShem is to actually speak His name. They teach that the four-lettered Hebrew name of Yahweh is too holy to utter, use, or call upon. This teaching is clearly in error and contradictory to the words of the Bible. The Torah tells mankind over and over again to use His name. “Elohim also said to Moshe, “Say to the Yisraelites, ‘Yahweh, the mighty one of your fathers--the Elohim of Avraham, the Elohim of Yitz’chak and the Elohim of Ya’acov--has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation,” Shemot (Exodus) 3:15. The name of Yud-Hey-Wav-Hey is to be used by Yisra’el. To be realistic, NOT using His name is to chillul HaShem. Not using the name of YHWH is in direct violation of one of Ten Commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your Elohim, for Yahweh will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name,” Shemot 20:7.

In the Tanakh, Yermi’yahu the prophet spoke to the nation about profaning the name of Yahweh when they broke the Torah to fulfill their own selfish desires, (Yermi’yahu 34:16). Also in Amos 2:7 another prophet condemned sinful actions and immorality as chillul HaShem. These examples prove that what you do either praises the Name of Yahweh or profanes the Name of Yahweh.

There are so many believers who say they follow the Bible yet their actions prove them to be hypocrites. Too many people say one thing and do another. This type of religion is void of any spiritual power and has become sour to the world. Yes, talk is cheap but what really makes a difference in people’s lives is when Yahweh’s name is praised through faithful trusting obedience. Benjamin Franklin said, “a good example is the best sermon.” Who can disagree with that?

The concept of “Kiddush HaShem” and “chillul HaShem” shows the importance of actions and their corresponding reactions. Yisra’el’s call as a nation is to be a light to the world. We are to shine the truth always. The direct result of this is Yahweh’s evangel being spread and His Name being exalted. This occurs when Yisra’el acts like Yisra’el. This is the subject of consistency.

Consistency is being the same all the way through. When a recipe calls for “uniform consistency” it means that all of the ingredients are mixed together so well that you can’t tell them apart. The milk, eggs, flour, vanilla, water and sugar now form something totally different. For us this means that what we are on the inside should be who we are on the outside. Consistency is a real issue in most congregations because of so many double standards. What about your worship group? What about you? Does what you believe reflect what you do? Do the words you say on Tuesday mirror the words you use on Shabbat? Is your witness for or against the Moshiach? Is your attitude consistent or does it change with the emotions of the day? Do you Kaddish HaShem or chillul HaShem?

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