The name of this week’s Torah portion. Emor, comes from the root of one of the common words – ויאמר (vayomer). Normally Torah portions are named after an unusual word in the few verses of the portion to help assist the reader in finding the place. Because there is no punctuation and relatively little paragraph spacing in Torah, unusual words become essential markers in differentiating one section to the next.
So, why use such a familiar word as the name of the portion. The first part of my answer is that while the root – אמר(A-M-R) – is found all over Torah, the imperative form of the word – Emor – is not. But, perhaps, there is another reason as well. By far the most common word in Torah – דבר (D-B-R) – also means to speak. The second part of my answer would be to note the difference between the two words. While דבר (D-B-R) is direct and specific, אמר (E-M-R) is softer and more general. It is only the words we use that communicate our message, sometimes our inflection and tone can be even more powerful. To speak to the priests, as Moses does in this week’s portion, is more delicate than speaking to all of the Israelites.
This week, my middle child Boaz becomes a B Mitzvah. In preparing for this important life cycle event, I wrote a poem to convey one of the core messages I wanted to share with my son. I offer it you in the spirit of the way our ancestors passed wisdom from one generation to the next.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
“Blessings For the Journey”
Our way forward Is not the only way forward
You must pave your own path forward
Through storm and border
Brick and mortar
Broken cracks and mothers’ backs
Through what we want and what we lack
We may appear settled on settled land
But the earth caves in where’er you stand
In that crater you must rise above
All our forgottens may seem too much
Yet we too rose and we too fell
Had moments when we failed to quell
Lying fallow we dared not climb
Breathing shallow we lost our line
Out of that despair we stood once more
Brushed off sorrows and settled scores
What you see now is just an illusion of
Embattled souls rising up
If we came back to try to again
We would forge ahead on different land
So my love we wish you luck
Our lessons learned will not be enough
We give you strength and our solemn word
But you must pave your own path forward
To dream beyond what we imagined
And when you’ve found your true passion
Do not allow those beyond your vision
To think that yours is the only mission
Because your way forward is not the only way forward
Let each of us pave our own path forward
-Alex Lazarus-Klein