The end of the Parasha talks about a man who gets frustrated at a situation, and ends up cursing Hashem.
It’s says ויצא בן אשה ישראלית -The son of a Jewish woman went out...
He was also called בן איש מצרי, the son of an Egyptian man, which meant he was an illegitimate child. He got into a fight and ended up cursing G-d, so he was brought to Moshe Rabbenu. They ended up stoning him. It’s a horrible story.
But what exactly happened? Rashi says about the words
ויצא And He left-
From where did he leave? One answer is that he left the court of Moshe Rabbenu. He had been arguing with his neighbor about whether he had the right to pitch his tent in a certain place. He was told that unfortunately, he didn’t have a right to pitch his tent in that area, because ancestral rights went by the father. Since his father wasn’t Jewish, he was supposed to be in some no-man’s land. He got frustrated and that’s why he cursed Hashem.
Another explanation of ויצא, he left, is that it’s a continuation from the Pesukim which came before this part, which were a discussion of the Lechem Panim, the Show Bread from the Mishkan.
There was a special table in the Mishkan, where they put the bread each Friday, and it stayed there until the Kohanim ate it a week later, when the portions were given out.
Rashi says that “he left” meant that he made a joke of this Parasha. He laughed and said, “That’s what G-d does? He gives week-old bread to the Kohanim?”
What does that have to do with anything? I once heard an explanation that the Gemara in Masechet Yonah tells us that one of the miracles of the Bet Hamikdash was that, similar to what happened in the tent of Avraham and Sarah, the bread stayed warm from week to week.
So, what was he even talking about? The bread was still warm. But the answer is that he didn’t believe that.
What’s the issue here? Why is it important, whether the bread was warm or not? Because G-d made the bread stay warm to show that He cared about His kohanim. He didn’t want their bread to be cold. Even though they could have survived with cold bread, He wanted it to be warm and fresh for them.
I once heard that Rav Reuven Feinstein was asked what it was liked to be raised by Rav Moshe Feinstein, being that he was such a public and busy Rav. He was asked if he felt loved and cared for. Rav Reuven said he knew he was loved by his father, and two things stuck out in his mind. The first was that anytime they had guests over, Rav Moshe never changed their seats at the table, no matter how great the guest was. That made him feel important and loved by his father. The second thing he said was that his father, Rav Moshe, would wake up at 4:30 in the morning, and on cold winter days he would would lay Reuven’s clothes out on the heater for him, so that his clothing would be warm and toasty for him on those cold mornings. He said he knew his father loved him, because this was such an extra special thing to do.
So, the symbol of the warm bread shows that Hashem loves us. That is something that this man couldn’t perceive. He was an illegitimate child, handicapped and born at a disadvantage. He felt that G-d hated him, and that was his mistake.
There’s a similar lesson at the beginning of the Parasha, that Rav Wolbe brings down.
A Kohen who has a blemish is not allowed to bring an offering He must sit on the sidelines. There are certain other jobs he can do, like bringing out the wood, but he’s essentially on the bench for the most part. What is he supposed to think? It’s not his fault that he was born with a physical defect. His brothers and cousins are all working and serving in the the holiest place on earth, and he can’t do anything. But Rav Wolbe says that he should joyfully accept his inability to serve Hashem, because his refraining, in and of itself brings a glory to G-d. Yes, certain people can’t work, but the only reason the Kohen does work is because that is what Hashem wants. Hashem wants the Kohen who does not have a blemish to serve, and he wants the Kohen who has a blemish to sit on the sideline. They’re both serving G-d equally. That’s a very important principle. People don’t want to serve G-d with other people’s abilities. We must realize that Hashem loves us and gives us the exact abilities that we need, in order to fulfill our purpose in the world.
That is what the man who cursed did not understand. He felt that G-d hated him, and he was frustrated.
This is a lesson for us too. People might feel distanced, because they can’t go to shul. They might want to start a porch minyan (or maybe not, depending on where you live and who you ask). But they still feel distanced from G-d. They wonder, “What’s going on? Why can’t I serve G-d the way I used to?”
We have to know that staying home, if that’s what G-d wants us to do, is Ratzon Hashem, because by staying home we’re protecting ourselves and others.
By staying home, we’re doing G-d’s will, as much as we were when we went to Shul. We must rejoice in that. Hashem is not pushing us away. Hashem is giving us the situation that we need. In these situations, there is definitely much warmth, and there are a lot of places where you can find Hashem’s love, even now. That’s our job.
Our lesson from Parashat Emor is not to make the mistake of the man at the end of the story, but rather have the proper understanding, like that of the Kohen Baal mum, as Rav Wolbe mentions from the beginning of the story.
Have a Shabbat Shalom