Like other portions in the book of Leviticus, one might wonder about the relevance of this portion – Emor – to our lives, as it is mainly dealing with the special laws of purity that were given to Aaron, the High Priest, and his descendents. For example, the priest should not enter a cemetery, not even for the funeral of certain relatives, so he would not become impure.
Rav Berg explains that, in this part of the Torah, we are getting the ability to control and even alter our DNA on a metaphysical level. Aaron was the son of Amram from the tribe of Levi, but not all Levites became priests, only the sons of Aaron. Through constant actions of compassion and sharing, Aaron created a new and unique DNA that was preserved until our time, 3,600 years later!
The idea is that with our consciousness and actions we plant seeds in the 99% realm. Those seeds, as strong as we create them, will bear fruits with time. In the portion of Emor, we get the energy and support from the Light of the Creator to uproot any negative seeds of selfishness we planted in the past and plant instead seeds of sharing and true caring – thus changing our reality and injecting healing to all areas of our lives and to the world.
The second idea we find in the Torah portion of Emor is the ability to elevate above the limitations of time, space and motion. The portion is dealing with all the major days of power throughout the year: Shabbat, Pesach, the counting of the Omer, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shmini Atzeret (Simchat Torah).
Rav Berg explains that at the time of Mashiach all the holidays will cease to exist as we know them. They will not disappear, though, but will be elevated to that realm which is not limited by time and space; therefore we will be able to enjoy their energy at any given moment (as our consciousness will elevate accordingly). This is exactly what is happening in the Emor portion (as also appears in the Pinchas portion). We are receiving a concentrated ‘injection’ of this elevated state of mind, thus becoming less limited in the bondage of the physical realm. We can meditate on different areas of our lives where we experience any kind of lack, and then elevate to this perfected realm, where all of our prayers are already answered.
The third gift we receive in this portion is the gift of the Menorah (candelabra). Moses guides Aaron as to how he should light the candles of the Menorah with pure olive oil. The Menorah enabled a constant connection with the Light of the Creator, thus giving us the clarity we need to make the best decisions, as well as the ability to tell right from wrong, the power to change our lives where possible, and the ability to accept with love and certainty those aspects we can’t change.
