Kevin Bemel ·
Where Do We Find Holiness in Daily Life?
I hate wasting time. I know the benefits of getting enough sleep and relaxing with my family. But sometimes I despair of meeting the 60% of my goals that are incomplete despite my having passed the half-century mark a few years ago. Fortunately Parshas Emor shows I'm not alone:
You will count for yourselves . . . (Vayikra/Leviticus 23:15)
This week’s parsha sets forth the standards of purity for a Kohen who serves in the Temple. Then it specifies the physical requirements of sacrifices, what must be done with an offering that has a blemish, and proclaims the Sabbath, Passover, Shavuos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkos to be holidays. It discusses the pure olive oil for the Menorah and loaves of bread, known as the Showbread, for the Table. It ends with the story of a man who blasphemed G-d's name.
Everyday Holiness
I remember counseling a young sailor who had a number of challenging events happen. When I asked her how long she has been in the navy she said in two days it would be nine months. She was counting the days until her enlistment ended. Unfortunately she overlooked the inherent holiness that comes from being present in each moment of her life.
Her count is a stark contrast to the counting of the Omer. In her case each day, hour, and minute that passes brought her closer to the end of a situation she hated. Time was endured not lived. The Omer count focuses on two goals:
1. Each day, bring yourself closer to the anniversary of the seminal event in history, receiving the Torah, G-d’s word to mankind.
2. Make yourself aware of the preciousness of each day. You have only a limited number and you don't know when they'll end.
Holiness in the Everyday
The second sense, counting your days, is a religious imperative. The Chafetz Chaim, Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan (1838-1933), once made the analogy that life is like a picture postcard. Remember being on vacation and wanting to touch base with a friend? In former times you would send a pretty picture of the place you were visiting. Usually you wrote just a few words, but then found more and more to say with less and less room to say it. You wrote smaller and smaller and then started writing around the rim of the postcard. By the end you turned the postcard upside down to squeeze in the last few vital words.
The same is true about life. The longer I live the more I want to accomplish. So I count my days, and recommend you do the same. You'll bring holiness to them. Don't waste this precious gift.
What do you do to make the most of each day?
You can leave a comment on this question or ask another question below ↓
Every year beginning on Simchas Torah, the cycle of reading the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, ends and begins again. Each Sabbath a portion known as a sedra or parsha is read. Its name comes from the first significant word or two with which this weekly reading begins.
Do you have a question about the Old Testament? Ask it here and I will answer it in a future Parsha Nugget!
