(Leviticus: 16:1-20:27)

(Haftara: Amos 9:7-15)     

(Pirkay Avot: Chapter 3)

(Sfirat Ha’omer)

1. [19:2] “…be holy, because I, God, your Lord, am holy.” How can God ask us to be like Him? Isn’t this impossible?
2. [19:11] “…don’t lie to each other.” Our tradition tells us that the place in the Torah where a mitzvah is written is significant. It relates to either what comes before or what comes after, Why does the commandment to be honest with another person come directly after the commandment to care for the poor and the weak?
3. [19:17] “Don’t hate your brother in your heart, you must rebuke him…” Is the rebuke meant to stop us from hating? If one’s brother doesn’t listen, then the hate might even increase. What is the meaning of this pasuk?
4. [Haftara: Amos 9:15] “I will plant them on their land and they shall no more be uprooted…”    Why is the metaphor of planting and being uprooted a good metaphor for the relationship of the Jewish people to the land of Israel?  Does every nation relate to its land the way that the Jews relate to Israel or is there a difference between nations?
5. [Pirkei Avot 3:13] “…silence preserves wisdom.” How does silence help a person keep his or her wisdom?

Commentary

If we emphasize the positive traits of others, we will come to love them with a sincere love. This is not a form of flattery. Neither does it mean ignoring  faults and weaknesses of character. By concentrating on the other person’s positive qualities–and every person has some positive qualities–the undesirable aspects become insignificant.

–R. Avraham Y. H. Kuk, 1865-1935, Lithuania and Israel.

 This study page is dedicated to the memory of Gad Eliahu ben David and Kochava–Eli Zucker

And to the memory of Sarah Beila Kummer bat Yitzchak and Chana, Chaim Yosef Yechiel ben Eliyahu Kummer and Eliyahu and Margaret Kummer