Where did this idea come from? Is this a Jewish ritual? Is this what the Torah intended when it ordained the holidays?
That is what I set out to investigate when studying this week’s Torah portion, Emor. The parsha opens with a discussion of regulations concerning the Priests, and then jumps to a different tone in which G-d commands the people regarding the holidays. There is a general pattern in the prescription for the observation of the holidays as seen in the description of Pesach: (Leviticus 23:1-2, 6-8)
“And YHWH spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: These are YHWH’s appointed days, mikraei kodesh, that you will call them, these are my appointed days….And on the fifteenth day of this month, it is the Day of Matzot for YHWH. Seven days you will eat matzot. On the first day is a mikrah kodesh for you, all types of work you will not do. And you will sacrifice a fire offering to YHWH for seven days. On the seventh day, it is a mikrah kodesh, all types of work you will not do.”
We are told that G-d spoke to Moses instructing him to speak to all the people (as opposed to the previous section which was reserved strictly for priests) about the holidays. He opens by telling the date, the name, and the length of the holiday. It is described as a mikrah kodesh, and we are told not to do work on this day and to make a fire sacrifice to G-d.
I understand the concepts of not doing work and of sacrifice as the way of communicating with G-d at that time, but I am puzzled by the term mikrah kodesh. What exactly does it mean and what does it tell us about how we are to observe these days?
Ramban interprets this verse as saying, “On this day everyone is called and gathered to sanctify Him, because it is a mitzvah for Israel to be gathered in the house of G-d on a designated day to sanctify the day in public through prayer and praise for G-d and with clean garments and to make it a day of feasting, as it is said in the tradition (Nechemia 8:10 – after reading the whole Torah to the people on Rosh HaShana), “Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy unto our Lord; do not be sad for the joy of the Eternal is your strength”.
However, Yom Kippur, among all of the other holidays, is also called mikrah kodesh in this parsha. Yom Kippur is not a day of eating or celebration or fun. Seforno (14-15th Century Italy) notes that, yes indeed, “It is appropriate to rejoice and celebrate by eating and drinking (on most holidays)….which is not true for (Yom Kippur which is about) testifying and getting rid of our sins….” But he doesn’t try to define mikrah kodesh in another way.
I believe there is a broader definition of mikrah kodesh than what the Torah commentators put forth.
Looking at the simple meaning of the words, this is a day of being called to holiness, or calling out to holiness – some physical action of proclamation revolving around holiness, something special implying an act of appreciation and elevation of the spirit. It is also commanded in the plural – “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them – this is not a private or individual act, mikra kodesh is a collective ritual.
In Nechemia’s time, people learned together, feasted, and shared the party with all. In Ramban’s time, time was also set aside for prayer and reflection. Today, what is the best way that we can make a holiday mikrah kodesh?
I don’t think mikrah kodesh implies rest – we have this in “do not do work.” I don’t think mikrah kodesh is necessarily about prayer – we have this in the fire sacrifice which evolved into prayer with the destruction of the Temple. So, what can it be?
David Lieberman (head of the Kolot Yeshiva) interpret’s Ramban’s interpretation of everyone being called by saying that a holiday is an opportunity in which “we each invite the other to dedicate the day to gathering together.”
I say, Let us take the Torah’s call seriously – how can we make this day holy, special? Studying Jewish texts? Singing songs? Show a film and hold a discussion? Take a tour of ancient sites? Does our special event need a designated space? Can it take place in the streets? Who decides what is on the program? The rabbis, a committee, politicians, JCC workers?
The people decide – it’s the people’s voices who need to be heard
The Jewish content of this congregation is a partnership between the rabbi, the leaders, the members, and the wider community. I can decide to open classes and impart words of Torah from morning till evening. I can decide to hold morning services on Shavuot – but if people don’t come, then what good is it?
The holidays are more than just rest and reflection. They are mikraei kodesh. The Torah calls us to create holiness, to stretch our imaginations and to make these holidays meaningful. This is the magic of being a human being. Whether we find this spark in the synagogue or in a music festival or something new that we create together, then we will truly be holy.