“And you shall keep my statutes and do not do any of these abominations… for all the abominations of God were committed by the people of the land before you, and the land became defiled, and the land did not vomit you… when it saw the heathen before you” (Leviticus 18:20).
Parshat following | Rabbi Israel Meir Zingerevich
The leper case – Shabbat the Great | Rabbi Israel Meir Zingerevich
The Maggid of Dubna explains things in his own way with a parable: A rich man asked to train his son with wisdom and knowledge, so he hired a teacher to come every day to study with him. In order to provide his son with company, he gathered an orphan to his home so that he would also study with him. But to Davon’s heart that orphan was soon revealed to be a mischievous person who interfered with the course of the lessons and out of choice the rich father stopped the orphan’s participation in the lessons.
A few days later, our son also began to interfere with the course of the lessons. Then the rich man called him to his room and began to torment him with painful lashes. The son cried and asked: “Father! Why don’t you release me from the lessons like you did to that orphan? Why do you add a blow to my blow and not be satisfied with expelling me from the lessons?”
His father answered him: “This boy is not my son. I only rewarded him with a favor when I enrolled him in lessons. If he doesn’t want to learn, I don’t mess with him. But you are my beloved son and I care regarding you very much, that’s why I’m careful regarding you unlike that orphan.”
When the nations of the world sinned, God cast them out of the earth, but if Israel thinks that in the event that they too sin, they will receive the same punishment, they are mistaken.
That’s why the verse says: “And the earth will not vomit…when you defile it…” You will not only receive vomit from the earth like the heathen who were before you received, but the Torah continues and says: “For whoever does all these abominations and the souls who commit them are cut off from among their people.”
You are the sons of the Almighty and therefore he will torment you with whippings and heavy punishments and even beheading because… he cares regarding you very much… generally it is forbidden to castrate the people of Israel, except once a year and it is the duty imposed on the high priest on Yom Kippur who would confess all the sins of Israel.
This part of the Yom Kippur service was performed when they sent the goat into the wilderness and it was said: “And send by the hand of a man at the time of the wilderness.” Who is that contemporary?
Rabbi Meir Shapira ztzel Shati explained that he is a journalist. There is a profession in the world and his name is journalist. The journalist can bring good news to the world, spread words of unity and affection by publishing good deeds that increase love, but if that person chooses a profession to increase hatred, then he turns his work from holy to impure .
And why did they need a journalist for this mitzvah? And precisely one such one who blames the people of Israel and remembers all the iniquities of leaders and leaders and since it was, as mentioned, an obligation to mention all the sins of the Israelites (so that they would be atoned for on Yom Kippur) and only a journalist remembers the details of every sin and wrongdoing of Klal Yisrael and even enumerates in the “Mitzvot” “This remembrance…
This is how Rabbi Meir Shapira rebuked the sharpness of his tongue in the ears of a man of his time who in his articles used to lash out and illuminate every dark corner of the community’s life and publish it widely.
But with the passing of Yom Kippur, comes the turn of the good-hearted and gifted people of the age. When the time of our joy comes, we all unite in love not only with all our brothers of the House of Israel, but even offer sacrifices in the Temple for the benefit of the nations of the world. This is the beautiful hour of the people of the time to publicize the good deeds of mankind.
