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Emor (Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23)
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Meaning of the Torah portion name
The portion is named Emor, literally "say", because it begins with commands Moses is supposed to convey to the priests concerning their special purity laws.
The portion begins with instructions to the priests, forbidding them to become impure by being close to the dead. Priests are only allowed to do so for their closest relatives - parents, children, brothers, and unmarried sisters. In addition, they are forbidden to marry divorcees, and daughters of priests are punished harshly for prostitution. The High Priest is commanded to observe the purity laws even more strictly, and may not approach any dead, even his parents. The priests must be physically perfect, and any priest who has any form of handicap is forbidden to perform his duties in the Temple, and also animals with blemishes are not allowed to be sacrificed. The priests who do perform their duties are given extremely strict purity laws.
The portion continues to give a list of all the Israelite holidays, their dates, the sacrifices that are to be brought in honor of them, and the different cultic practices associated with them.
The portion ends with a story of an Israelite, the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian man, who cursed God. The people placed him in custody and waited for instructions so as to know what to do with him. They are told to stone him to death, and do so.
List of dates
| 09 May 2009 | |
| 01 May 2010 | |
| 07 May 2011 |