Voices of WRJ: Emor

by HarrietAnn Litwin Parashat Emor delves into rituals of the priests and the prohibitions about coming into contact with the dead, marriage, the eating of ritual food, and instructions around the major Jewish holidays and festivals, and ends with a story about a blasphemous young man. Initially, I had difficulty identifying ways to link these topics. When I realized that they all dealt with separating, or not separating, people and rituals, I saw the connection. For priests, it is forbidden to come in contact with a corpse. For most priests, an exception is made for his mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and virgin sister. Notably separate is the priest’s wife. In marriage, the priest must follow a set of rules in selecting a wife who is ritually clean. She may not be a divorced woman or a harlot. Similar rules exist around the partaking of the ritual food, which is allotted only to the priests and their relatives. A woman from a priestly family who marries outside the priestly class is no longer entitled. While these examples are in place to maintain the purity of the priests, it is evident to me as a woman that many of the rules are designed to separate women from privilege. In each case, there are some women who are found to be unclean or no longer worthy. Jewish women are still struggling with issues related to worthiness and cleanliness today. Consider the Women of the Wall who are struggling with rules related to access to the Kotel, the right to wear tallit, and to read from the Torah. The latter two are rights that we, as Women of Reform Judaism in North America, take for granted today. The parashah goes on to discuss days of ritual purity where the Israelites were instructed to turn away from their daily work and commit themselves to Adonai. The holidays mentioned, although usually not by name, included Shabbat, Pesach, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. The focus remained on separating the sacred from the not sacred, but the role or exclusion of women is not expressed here. As the parashah comes to an end, the message changes to two concerns for social justice. The first relates to leaving crops at the edges of the field available for people who are without food. I imagine that some of these individuals were women who were without social standing or protection. The requirement allows individuals without means to come and gather for themselves, rather than depend on hand-outs or begging. It allows for the individuals to maintain their dignity. I thought about how to give charitably while allowing individuals to maintain their dignity. How do we, within our sisterhoods, find ways to invite women of lesser means to participate in our events? Many sisterhoods offer scholarships; do we make it easy to access these resources privately? Are there ways in which a woman who is unable to pay may participate? Do we have events where there is no cost? Perhaps there are women who are privately able to sponsor someone who is not currently in a good place financially. The parashah also describes a situation that arises when the son of an Israelite woman and a non-Israelite man commits blasphemy. The question arises as to whether this half-Israelite is immune from punishment. The parashah ends by saying that the rules that govern the community apply equally to everyone. In the greater community, all members, presumably including women, are considered equal under the law. The role of separation, equality, and inequality in our community has been in the news a lot lately. Evidence of rampant racial inequality in how the legal system is applied is no longer being ignored. Wage inequality for women, and even more so for women from minority backgrounds, is in news. However, income inequality and the difference between the wealthiest members and the rest of society, is increasing. Our society as a whole is not stepping up to increase the minimum wage. Finally, the right of all individuals to love and marry the partners of their choosing is an ongoing legal struggle. Women of Reform Judaism has taken a stand on these issues. At each Assembly, representatives debate and vote on resolutions related to social justice. Once a resolution has been passed, WRJ Districts and local sisterhoods are encouraged to pick up the banner, educating and acting on these topics. New resolutions will be discussed at our upcoming 50th Assembly this November in Orlando, FL. I hope to see you there. HarrietAnn Litwin is a WRJ Board member, WRJ Mid-Atlantic District Vice President and a member of Congregation Beth Emeth in Wilmington, DE, where she serves as the Critical Issues Chair of her sisterhood and the Social Action Chair for the congregation.