30 Emor

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוה אֶל־מֹשֶה אֱמֹר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם לְנֶפֶשׁ לֹא־יִטַּמָּא בְּעַמָּיו׃

And the Lord said to Moses, speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: None shall defile himself for the dead among his people

Parashat Emor, underscores the notion of  why the leaders are not vocal in their opposition to bloodshed and corruption in the name of God? And why they turn a blind eye and silencing their voices, by tacitly give their approval, tarnishing their reputation as leaders and diminishing God’s presence in this world.

The Torah reading opens by discussing the many behavioral stringencies that apply to the priesthood. As members of an elite that mediates the relationship between God and the people, the kohanim (priests), must be mindful and deliberate in their service to God. We read in Lev. 22:1–2 Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to separate themselves from the holy things of the people of Israel, which they consecrate to Me, so that they would not profane My holy Name. I am Adonai. As leaders of the Israelites, the priestly class is explicitly being held to a higher standard. What is the import of raising the bar so high for those who are so diligently serving God in the sacred precincts? In other words to be careful about the inspirational presents that the children of Israel consecrate to God.

As leaders of the Israelites, the priestly class is explicitly being held to a higher standard. What is the import of raising the bar so high for those who are so diligently serving God in the sacred precincts?
Torah expresses the ever-present concern that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” When one achieves a certain status, there is a feeling of invincibility and self-importance. Such people often feel a sense of entitlement and excessive comfort. And too often, these feelings lead to abuses of power. For a person in the role of priest, the danger becomes all the more serious. Because priests are servants, their missteps will undoubtedly be projected onto God and the entire spiritual system. One must be ever-vigilant when serving the people in this capacity.