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concern for the widow, the convert, the orphan, and the poor person the Jewish people’s faults, shortcomings, and blemishes better than
was not just an ideal but an imperative. God? Yet, here God proclaims that His beloved is unblemished.
The laws of gleaning – leaving the corner of the field unharvested The answer to this question lies in the distinction between body
and leaving the forgotten sheaves where they lie – form the backdrop and soul. While it is true that the Jewish people due to their actions
to the book of Ruth. With no money and no means of support, Ruth may be blemished, their souls at their Divine source are truly pure
the Moabite convert who has returned to Israel with Naomi, her and untainted. Indeed, every morning a Jew declares the following
mother-in-law, goes to gather the gleanings along with the other poor. as part of the Morning Service: “The soul you have given me is pure.”
By Divine Providence she winds up in the field of Boaz (a distant One of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s most important teachings was that
relative) who treats her kindly and eventually marries her. Boaz’s while every Jew may not be holy, every Jew is the Holy of Holies.
kindness to Ruth and Naomi is rewarded by the house of David and When the soul descends into the body and is forced to confront all
ultimately the Mashiach being descended from his union with Ruth. the temptations, trials, and illusions of this world, it may betray its
There is a direct link between the kindness Boaz showed Ruth on an Divine inclinations. Yet at its very core the soul remains pure and
individual level (as well as Ruth’s kindheartedness to Naomi) and untainted even by its temporary wrongdoings. It is this highest level
the birth of a redeemer for the nation of Israel and the entire world. of soul, corresponding to the highest of the five worlds, that God

The Torah instructs the Jewish people in how to create a just, refers to as unblemished.
righteous, and compassionate society. The various agricultural laws
that support the poor discussed in this portion as well as many other
Torah laws, including the prohibition against loaning with interest;
A Study in Contrasts:
£A Study in Contrasts: A Study in Contrasts: A Study in Contrasts:
the obligation to redeem captives; the prohibition against putting ££A Study in Contrasts: A Study in Contrasts:
££
a (literal or figurative) stumbling block before the blind; a complex Moses and the BlasphemerMoses and the Blasphemer
Moses and the Blasphemer
legal system protecting workers’ rights and guaranteeing timely
payment of wages; a fully developed legal system mandating liability
for damages; and the injunction to honor the elderly and love your The last narrative in Emor recounts the story of a man who cursed
neighbor as yourself, form the foundations of a just society. These God. The Torah is quick to note that this man was the son of a Jewish
biblical laws were augmented by the judges, Torah scholars, and woman and an Egyptian father. Rashi stresses that this was the only
prophets who inferred from the Torah’s stories the moral injunction such case, a testament to the moral fiber of the Jewish women during
to visit the sick, feed the poor, clothe the naked, and care for the their enslavement. Because his mother was from the tribe of Dan, he
widow and the orphan. By fulfilling these statutes in the course of quite logically attempted to set up his tent within the area allotted
daily living, the Jewish people realize their mission to be a light unto to that tribe. However, he was told that the right to camp with a
the nations (Isaiah 42:6). particular tribe was a matter of patrilineal descent. Since he had an

Egyptian father he could not camp with the tribe of Dan. He took
the case to court, and the judges ruled against him. At this point he
cursed God, an extremely serious infraction.
Tellingly there is a strong connection between this story and
the beginning of Emor where physical blemishes disqualified the
cohanim from performing certain Temple services. Although the

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