Netvort Emor 5772:   Such a Lot of Living to Do

By Rabbi Joshua (appointedly known as the Hoffer) Hoffman

The second part of parshas Emor discusses the laws of the moadim, or the appointed festivals. It begins, however, with several verses that prohibit the performance of any labor on Shabbos. This seems a bit incongruous, because, unlike the appointed festivals, which are termed as such because Beis Din determines when they will be observed, Shabbos was set by God at creation to be observed every seventh day always. Why, then, does this section begin with Shabbos?

Rashi cites the explanation of the Midrash that the juxtaposition teaches us that whoever desecrates the festivals is considered as if he desecrated the Shabbos, and whoever upholds the festivals is considered as if he upheld the Shabbos. Rav Dovid Feinstein explained that observance of Shabbos reflects a belief in God as Creator of the universe, while observance of the festivals reflects a belief in God’s continued involvement in the world. As the Ramban, among others, has pointed out, if one truly believes that God is the Creator, then he must also believe that He has control of creation. Someone who observes Shabbos without observing the festivals demonstrates that his belief in God as the Creator is hollow. A person who observes both, however, demonstrates the strength of his belief in God as the Creator.

The Ramban writes that the proper way to understand the mention of Shabbos before the festivals is to set it off from them in regard to their respective labor prohibitions. While labor necessary for the preparation of food for the festivals is permitted to be done on them, on Shabbos, all thirty-nine categories of labor are forbidden. The Torah also hints to the fact that even when one of the festivals falls on a Shabbos, food-related labors are still forbidden.

Perhaps we can suggest yet another explanation, which views the mention of Shabbos as connected to the previous parsha, rather than to what follows. The last verse in the previous section of Emor declares, “You shall not defile My holy Name, and I shall be sanctified among the children of Israel; I am the Lord Who sanctifies you (Vayikra 22:32). This verse, as the Ramban points out, teaches that in a few limited cases, it is necessary to sacrifice one’s life rather than transgress a certain prohibition. This mandate is the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, or sanctifying of God’s name. My teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveichik, zt”l, often pointed out that the Rambam, in his Laws of the Foundations of the Torah (Chapter 5), begins his discussion of this mitzvah with the general principle that in the overwhelming majority of cases, one need not sacrifice his life to avoid transgressing a prohibition, and only after that discusses the few in which he must make the sacrifice. The emerging message, said Rav Aharon, zt”l, is that it is a much greater imperative to sanctify God’s name through daily life than to do so through one’s death.

With Rav Aharon’s teaching in mind, we can understand the mention of Shabbos following the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem. Even though the prohibition of labor on Shabbos is much more inclusive than that of the festivals, and its punishment much more severe, this prohibition is disposed in order to save the life of a human being. As the Rambam writes so beautifully in his Laws of Shabbos (2:3), great Torah scholars, rather than people such as minors and slaves, should be the ones to perform the necessary labors in such cases, to show that God’s laws are not meant to bring vengeance to the world, but, rather, to bring mercy, kindness and peace to it. Shabbos, therefore, is mentioned immediately after the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem, to teach us that living a life in which one sanctifies God’s name is the primary mandate of this mitzvah.