Beating Back the Ghosts and Spirits

The means by which the sages of the rabbinic period came by their messages has always fascinated me. As with all preachers, the messages that they thought their audiences needed to hear were always paramount, but their means for creating a link between their messages and Scripture showcased their careful, deliberate and creative reading of texts. And so, it is with Parshat Emor, which opens with certain very particular regulations regarding the behavior kohanim (priests), the religious leaders of people. These laws follow immediately after the legislation known as the holiness code which governs the life and behavior of the entire holy community of Israel.

Scripturally, these two passages are distinctive, linked only in being positioned side by side. It is this juxtaposition, know as “smikhat parshiyot”, that one particular darshan found both intriguing and inspiring enough to teach what he thought was a significant message.

Parshat Emor opens:

The Lord said to Moshe: Speak to the priests, the sons of Aharon, and say to them: None should defile themselves for any [dead] person… (Leviticus 21:1…)

As is readily apparent to the reader, these laws have a limited audience since they are aimed at a very small cadre of people – the kohanim. This being the case, one thoughtful rabbinic reader looked to the passage which preceded this one for insight and formulated a message:

“Speak to the priests”: What is written above the matter? “A man or a woman who has a ghost or a familiar spirit […].” (Leviticus 20:27) And afterwards, “Speak unto the priests.” This text is related [to a verse from the prophet Yishayahu): “And when they say unto you, ‘Inquire of ghosts and familiar spirits.” (Isaiah 8:19) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel [in the continuation of the verse]: “If they say to you, ‘Inquire of ghosts, and forsake the God who is in the heavens,’ say to them (ibid.), ‘should not a people inquire of its God?’” … So, if you should say, “Of whom shall we inquire?” See, it says: “And you shall come unto the Levitical priests and unto the judge […. You shall act….] (Deuteronomy 17:9-11) [So,] “when a man or a woman has a ghost or a familiar spirit.” What is written after that (in Lev. 21:1)? “Speak unto the priests.” (adapted from Tanhuma Emor 2)

So, what are we to make of this midrash, since few are drawn to ghosts or spirits these days? (I may be wrong on this count!) The quotes from the prophet Yishayahu (Isaiah) give us a clue. He speaks of the situation where people are turning from God and favoring idolatrous behavior. People are often drawn to what is foreign and mysterious, often searching for religious answers outside their own tradition. This has been a time-honored challenge for Judaism, a religion of a perennially small people. The Tanakh (the Jewish Bible) is filled with examples and in the centuries since, the problem has not subsided. What is so bad about being Jewish? Why can’t people find answers at home?

I think that for the author of this midrash the challenge is two-fold. First, serious Judaism is never given a chance. The assumption that the anemic Jewish education most people receive will answer the serious adult religious and existential questions which arise in life leads many to search for answers outside the tradition because they are more available in the public sphere and hence more readily accessible than Jewish answers. And besides, out of ignorance, it is assumed that what little is known about being Jewish is considered inadequate.

The other challenge rests in the quality of our religious leadership (our modern day kohanim) which may not be adequately trained or inspired to offer authentic religiously fulfilling life and messages to counter what is being offered outside the tradition.

It is our challenge, both as laity and religious leaders, then, to rise up to this task, to beat back the ghosts and spirits with friendly, vibrant and meaningful Jewish life and learning to fill in the gaps that lead people astray. This is surely a message for all generations.