Miller's Musings Parshas Emor: Down, But Not Out

This week's Miller's Musings is sponsored 

for a רפואה שלמה for אברהם יעקב בן שרה טשארנא

                                             דבס'' 

MILLER’S MUSINGS

 אמרפרשת

*Down, But Not Out*

To serve in the Beis Hamikdosh was a tremendous privilege and awesome responsibility.  It required dedication but also sacrifice.   All Kohanim had restrictions in terms of their being allowed to attend funerals and in the case of the Kohen Godol this applied to even close relatives.  An additional distinction between them was with regard to being an onen, the status of a person whose close relative has died up until the funeral.  Although a regular Kohen was prohibited from performing his service in the Beis Hamikdosh at this stage, the Kohen Godol could continue performing his role unabated.  Why the disparity between them and what is the principle behind this law?  

                                                             

Standing before Hashem as a Kohen, acting as a representative of a fellow Jew or the nation as a whole, demanded thought, focus and a constant awareness of the act they were performing.  This need for total concentration on the task at hand, meant a Kohen who had just lost a loved one, was unfit for service.  A person whose mind would be so absorbed with thoughts of loss and grief, would be incapable of the single-mindedness that was required.  The Kohen Godol, however, says Reb Shneur Kottler zt’l, was a person elevated above his peers and was thus expected to be at a higher level. Even in his emotionally weakened state it was demanded that he retain the absolute dedication to his role and confine his thoughts to those only of his duty to Hashem and His people.  This was why he was chosen for this exalted position, due to his superior character and exceptional devotion and commitment.

The nature of the world is one in which there is day and night, summer and winter, darkness and light.  This is surely a reflection of life in which there are times of happiness and joy, interspersed with moments of sadness and tragedy.  In the good times keeping Hashem’s Torah is relatively easy. When feeling content and joyful, we may have a natural desire to do what is right, due to gratitude or perhaps simply in congruence with our general peace of mind.  But when the bad times inevitably arrive, be they short-lived or long-lasting, we often lose the desire to be our best and resign ourselves to sub-standard versions of ourselves.  We justify our actions by reasoning that we did not choose to be in the predicament we find ourselves, therefore it is not our fault.  How can I do the right thing when I feel so low!   We surely have no choice.  But deep down we know that though it may be more difficult and at times incredibly challenging, we always have a choice to act as we should.  It may take immense effort to bring that light into the gloom, but by doing so we are taking control of those parts of our life that are within our influence and showing how great we can be.

*May the radiance of Shabbos help us shine bright no matter what*    

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם 

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