D’var Torah on Parshat Emor

Parshat Hamoadim: The Torah’s holiday section 

Parshat Emor contains a section of the Torah often referred to as “Parshat Hamoadim,” the holiday parsha (Leviticus chapter 23). It gets its name from the fact that it goes through the Hebrew calendar, listing all the holidays and some of the laws pertinent to each of the festivals. It’s where you get a succinct run down of stuff like Pesach starts on the 15th day of the first month and you need to eat matzah for seven days, and Yom Kippur is on the 10th day of the seventh month and you need to fast. But there are a few things thrown into this festival list that seem to stick out like a sore thumb and interrupt this holiday section with decidedly non-holiday laws. 

An interruption in the Torah’s holiday section

One of these interruptions is a pair of agricultural laws about giving to the poor – peah (leaving the corner of the field unharvested) and leket (allowing the poor to collect stalks that fall out of the harvesters’ hands). The Torah doesn’t assign any particular date for these mitzvot, the way we have specific dates for the holidays. There is no special “Gifts to the Poor” day on the calendar; peah and leket are relevant throughout the entire year. So, what are these doing in the holiday section? Why is the Torah interrupting its journey through the festivals to tell me about giving some of my produce to the poor?

Another interruption in the Torah’s holiday section

Another strange interruption in Parshat Hamoadim is the discussion of the laws of “chadash” (“new” grain). These laws restrict our ability to eat from the new grain harvest until the korban omer (omer offering) is brought. That sticks out because it seems different…we’re not allowed to eat chadash? Wouldn’t that belong somewhere in the laws of kashrut, which dictate all the things we can and cannot eat? Why does the Torah pause its discussion of the festivals to tell us about these temporary dietary restrictions? 

Ok, maybe you’ll tell me that the laws of “chadash” aren’t so out of place here because they’re connected to the korban omer, and just like a holiday, the korban omer took place on a specific day of the year. But there are a couple of reasons why the korban omer itself doesn't seem to fit in this holiday section. First of all, it’s a korban, not a holiday – no one is going to wish you a “happy korban omer day!” In addition, it’s kind of strange to have the details of a korban here, because there’s actually a different place in the Torah where we hear about all the calendar-related korbanot. So why does the Torah stick the korban omer in the middle of Parshat Hamoadim? 

And while we’re talking about things that don’t seem to fit the pattern of Parshat Hamoadim, there’s something else in this korban omer passage that’s very strange. Something about the way the Torah describes the date on which it’s brought. The Torah tells us to bring the korban omer “מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת” – on the day after Shabbat.” The obvious question is…which Shabbat? There are a lot of Shabbats each year. The Sages give an answer to that, and they explain that מִמׇּחֳרַת הַשַּׁבָּת refers to the day after the first day of Pesach, but why in the world would the Torah call that first day of Pesach “Shabbat”? What if Pesach falls out on a Tuesday – how is it appropriate to refer to it as “Shabbat”? That’s very weird to begin with. And it’s even weirder because Parshat Hamoadim is the super-specific calendar section, the one that’s all about “celebrate this holiday on THIS day of THIS month.” So why is it suddenly being so vague about the korban omer and the first day of Pesach?

A pathway to solving the puzzling interruptions

The answer to this last question, why the first day of Pesach is called “Shabbat,” holds the key to understanding the seeming intrusion of “chadash,” the korban omer, and the charity laws of peah and leket into the holiday section of the Torah. In this video, Rabbi David Fohrman answers that question and discovers a revolutionary way to understand Parshat Hamoadim. As it turns out, these little details about Parshat Hamoadim contain a momentous lesson, showing what all our holidays are meant to teach us about our role in this world. Subscribe now to add meaning to your Shabbat table and be inspired by the beauty of the Torah.

Parshat Emor in a Nutshell

Parshat Emor begins by outlining several laws regarding the kohanim and priesthood, including restrictions on contact with a corpse, various marriage partners, and disqualifying blemishes. The parsha tells of the unique status of the kohen gadol, the high priest. Parshat Emor continues with additional laws about safeguarding the sanctity of korbanot and of Terumah, the special gifts of produce to kohanim that non-priests are obligated to share. The parsha also outlines various blemishes that disqualify animals from being brought in the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The final chapter of the parsha, chapter 23, is commonly referred to as “Parshat Hamoadim,” because it goes through the Hebrew calendar, listing all the holidays and some of the laws pertinent to each of the festivals.