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PASS 94
`Those Who Are Pure
Engage In Purity'
RABBI DOVID S. POLTER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
T
he Midrash states: "Rab-
bi Asi said, 'Why do we
begin a very young child's
study of Torah with the
Book of Leviticus and not with
the Book of Genesis? Because
children are pure and sacrificial
offerings are pure; let those who
are pure occupy themselves
with that which is pure."
How are we to understand
this statement of the Midrash
that sacrifices are themselves
"pure"? Purity is not the attri-
bute that the Torah normally
associates with sacrifices which
are usually qualified by the
adjectives "whole" or "choice."
With regard to the sacrifices
that were offered before the giv-
ing of the Torah, our sages state
that all animals, beasts and
birds could be offered, so long
as they were from species that
were "pure," i.e., kosher. We
learn this from Noach's sacri-
fices which were only of "pure"
animals.
Although at that time no dif-
ference existed between "pure"
and "impure" animals with re-
gard to the permissibility of
their being eaten (i.e., their
kashrut), a difference did exist
in their intrinsic being, as would
later be set out in the Torah.
Thus, beginning with Noach,
sacrifices before the giving of
the Torah bore some relation-
ship to the sacrifices of the Jew-
ish people after the giving of the
Torah. This then is what is
meant by saying that sacrifices
are pure — in the sense of
Noach's use of kosher animals.
The ultimate purpose of sac-
rifices is to reveal God's essen-
tial love for the Jewish people,
a love so great that it tran-
scends His love for them as
students of the Torah.
This was expressed to a
greater degree in the sacrifices
that preceded the giving of the
Torah, which were not offered
as a result of a directive of the
Torah; once they became a spe-
cific command of the Torah it
was harder to reveal that aspect
within them that transcends
Torah.
The Midrashic statement
that children begin their study
of the Torah with the Book of
Leviticus because "those who
are pure should occupy them-
selves with that which is pure,"
will be understood accordingly.
There are three general eras
in the life of the Jewish people:
RABBI POLTER is the spiritual
leader of Birmingham I Bloom-
field Hills Synagogue I Chabad.
(a) the era that follows the giv-
ing of the Torah, when Jews
perform the Torah and mitzvot,
because they are so commanded
by God; (b) the era that began
with the patriarchs (and lasted
until the giving of the Torah)
when they fulfilled the precepts
"before being so commanded;"
(c) even earlier on, beginning
with Noach, when there was
only a faint connection to the
laws of the Torah (at the very
least), insofar as it related to
"pure" and "impure").
These three eras have their
parallels in the spiritual life of
each individual Jew in the
following manner: (a) after be-
coming bar or bat mitzvah,
when he or she is obligated to
perform the mitzvot; (b) the
time the child reaches the age
of chinuch, the age at which he
Shabbat Vayikra:
Leviticus 1:1-5:26
Isaiah 43:21-44:24.
or she can be educated in the
ways of Torah and mitzvot,
preparing for the time he or she
will be obligated to perform
them; (c) when he or she is still
at a very tender age and cannot
conduct him or herself accord-
ing to the Torah and mitzvot.
Even in the last mentioned
instance, the tender Jewish
child has a relationship with
Torah and mitzvot. This is his
rightful inheritance. He pos-
sesses it in its totality, and its
framework is relevant to him.
Furthermore, as a child who
has no connection to the prac-
tical service of Torah and
mitzvot, his essential relation-
ship to God is more readily
apparent; God's intrinsic and
essential love for the Jewish
people is revealed to a greater
extent within a very young child
than within someone older.
This, then, is the meaning of
"letting those who are pure oc-
cupy themselves with that
which is pure." The intent of
sacrifices is to reveal God's
essential love for the Jewish
people, who are essentially
pure, inasmuch as they are
rooted in a source that cannot
be tainted by impurity.
Therefore, these very young
and pure children within whom
God's love is palpably revealed
should engage in the study of
that which is itself pure — the
study of sacrifices. L1
c/\