TORAH PORTION
•
Sacrificing A Child
To A False God
Shabbat Achare Mot-Kedoshim:
Leviticus 16:1-20:27; Amos 9:7-15.
Efrat, Israel
become indelibly connected to eter-
nity — is to live your life within the
oth halves of this week's
backdrop of ideals more important
double portion include
than one individuals' life, i.e. ,the eter-
elaborate lists of sexual pro-
nal ideals of the kingship of God.
hibitions, from incest and adultery to
Our Bible commands us to also be
homosexuality and bestiality; clearly,
holy; as much as possible, we must
the Bible is emphasizing
strive to free ourselves from
that sexuality outside of
the seductions and blan-
the sanctity of marriage
dishments of the physical,
is problematic, to say the
materialistic world, and
least.
even of the instinctive and
But what is problematic
natural sexual drives that
is the strange order of the
can often lead to sexual
biblical passages: the corn-
immorality. To serve and
mand to live by God's laws,
attempt to emulate God
the sexual prohibitions, the
means to strive for holiness,
transgression of sacrificing
for
the ability to say no to
Rabbi Shiomo
to Molech, the main com-
one's
more materialistic
Riskin
mandment and continuing
instincts;
the area of sexual
Special to the
commandments of holi-
seduction
is the most dif-
Jewish News
ness, the transgression of
ficult to control, overcome,
Molech, the sexual prohibi-
and eventually sublimate.
tions and a final charge of holiness.
But where does sacrificing one's
Why interrupt the sexual prohibi-
child to Molech come into this pic-
tions — which are largely repetitive
ture? There are many ways of destroy-
— with the portion of "holiness"?
ing a child — and one of the most
Why conclude the sexual prohibi-
pernicious is when a child grows up
tions, the first time they appear, with
in a home in which the faithfulness of
the prohibition of Molech and begin
the marital bed is compromised.
the second list of sexual prohibitions
There is no greater comfort for
with the prohibition of
children than feeling
Molech once again?
the warmth and secu-
And, above all,
rity of loving par-
why open the sexual
ents; and there is no
prohibitions the first
greater psychological
time they appear with
turmoil for children
the command to live
than seeing parents
by God's laws when
warring against each
sexual immorality —
other, charging each
along with murder and
other with infidel-
idolatry — is a rare
ity and hypocritical
prohibition for which one must give
conduct.
up one's life rather than transgress.
One sacrifices one's child to a false
Let us deal with our last question
god when one fails in one's most fun-
first. I have often written that any
damental obligation to those whom
individual who lives his life for the
we brought into the world i.e., to
main purpose of continuing to live is
provide for them a secure haven with
doomed to fail.
parents whom they can trust.
Hence, the only meaningful life
Perhaps the verses in these two por-
worth living is the life dedicated to
tions are the most significant — as
an ideal more significant than any
well as the most difficult to maintain
one human life — and such an ideal
— of all the verses in the Bible.
is the Divine concept of morality. Yes,
live by My laws — but in order to live
Shiomo Riskin is chancellor Ohr Torah
a meaningful life and eventually to
Stone and the chief rabbi of Efrat, Israel.
B
There is no
greater comfort
for a child than
loving parents.
SAVE
THE DATE!
Sunday,
May 3rd 2009
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Walnut Lake Road,
the corner of Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake Road)
•
12:15 pm
•
1:00 pm
2:00 pm
•
Kosher Lunch (No Charge),
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April 30 e 2009
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