(1) And the LORD said unto Moses: Speak unto the priests the sons of Aaron, and say unto them: There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people;
(6) They shall be holy unto their God, and not curse the name of their God; for the offerings of the LORD made by fire, the bread of their God, they do offer; therefore they shall be holy.
- How hard is it to "do one's job" or play one's role in the face of personal loss or emotional turmoil?
- What if God were your boss?
(ו) ולא יחללו שם אלהיהם ואף על פי שכל אלה לכבודו אין לו רשות למחול על כבודו כי אמנם הכונה בכבוד הכהנים הוא לכבוד האל יתברך וכשימחלו על זה יחללו את שמו:
(6) ולא יחללו שם אלוקיהם, even though all of the aforementioned were expressions of grief over the loss of relatives, the priest is not permitted to disregard the dignity which his status as priest imposes upon him. Even though the priests, no doubt, mean to honour God in what they are doing, when they disregard the restrictions their status imposes upon them, they indirectly curse the name of the Lord.
- Whose dignity is at stake here?
- What ways can we inadvertently "curse" God or others when we do our work (professionally and personally) in the world? How about when we are suffering?
(ו) קדשים יהיו לאלהיהם הקדושה היא הפרישות... יאמר שאפילו במותר לישראל יהיו הכהנים פרושים יבדלו מטומאת המתים...
They shall be holy unto their God... This particular holiness is seclusion... That is to say that even that which is permitted to a Jew (when they suffer a loss), Priests must separate themselves and distinguish themselves from the impurity of death...
- How do we maintain our poise in our professional or personal lives? Should we?
- Do we need to "save face"?
(ו) קדשים יהיו לאלהיהם. קדושה הוא פרישות מאנשים לשם ה׳. בכל ענין שמתקדש ש״ש עי״ז שנוהגים כך היינו שיהיו מצוינים במדות טובות ובצניעות וכדומה לאפוקי שלא יהיו מובדלים מאנשים בדבר שאין בזה קידוש ש״ש ואין זה אלא גאוה והתרברבות :
They shall be holy to their God... This holiness is seclusion from others for the l'shem hashem. In every single matter that has been sanctified for the sake of heaven on account of this (separation) -- that they behave in a manner that demonstrates exemplary values and modestly. Similarly, if they were to go out and behave in a manner that doesn't properly distinguish themselves from other people (in a similar situation), there wouldn't be holiness to their actions, only pride and arrogance (self centeredness).
- Do pride, arrogance, and self-centeredness play a role in how we choose to display our own emotional-stuff in our place of work?
- Do leaders or role-models need to distinguish themselves in this way to truly be effective?
(ו) ולא יחללו וגו׳. אם לא יתנהגו במדות מצוינות כפי הראוי לכהנים אע״ג שאינו עון באמת... בכהן יהיה חילול ש״ש בדבר:
And not curse the name of their God... If they didn't behave in a manner that demonstrates exemplary values and modesty, as is befitting priests: Even though it wouldn't be a "true sin" in the case of a priest who curses heaven.