Torah Portion: Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Emor (‘Speak’)
‘Social distancing’. A term that was unfamiliar to us at the beginning of 2020 has, in just a few short weeks, become an overriding factor in our actions and attitudes. History shows us that ‘social distancing’ was not always an unknown. The even more devastating ‘Spanish Flu’ of 1918, claiming possibly 100 million lives worldwide, eventually saw this measure being implemented.
‘Social distancing’ of other kinds has also been practised, notably the social elite not wishing to ‘rub shoulders’ with the lower classes. Perhaps the distinct ‘business’ and ‘economy’, ‘first’ and ‘standard’ classes on airliners and trains (respectively) are a contemporary illustration of this.
Levitical ‘Social Distancing’
The chapters in Leviticus covered in this week’s Torah portion include instructions that concern a kind of ‘social distancing’. The priests were to avoid touching a corpse or entering the home of a person who had died (Lev 21:1-3, 11). They were also to avoid marriage to any woman apart from a virgin from their own people (Lev 21:7-8, 13-15).
Temporary ‘social distancing’ (termed as being ‘unclean’) with regard to eating “sacred offerings” was imposed on priests having an infectious disease or bodily discharge (or other prescribed situations; Lev 22:4-8), while priests with worse physical defects were permanently excluded from the altar and the Holy of Holies (Lev 21:16-23).
These instructions affected the attitudes of the religious leaders at the time of Jesus. Sadly, they misunderstood the spiritual significance of what God was saying through the priestly ordinances and adopted a gross sense of misplaced superiority. They “passed by on the other side” when seeing the sick and diseased (Luke 10:31, 32). Those whom they judged as ‘sinners’ were subject to clear ‘social distancing’ protocols (Luke 18:10-13; 19:7).
The Non-Social-Distancing Father!
The action of Jesus totally contrasted that of those leaders, as highlighted by Luke: “Now the tax collectors and ‘sinners’ were all gathering round to hear him [Jesus]. But the Pharisees and teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them’” (Luke 15:1-2). Jesus then told a series of parables clearly showing that ‘social distancing’ was not on God’s agenda!
In that context, the Parable of the Lost Son might be re-labelled: ‘The Parable of the Non-Social-Distancing Father’! The son had deliberately turned his back on his father and family, “squandered his wealth on wild living” and ended up socially excluded by everyone as he fed pigs. Repentance brought him back on the road home. His father saw him from a distance and “ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). Such action in our days of ‘lockdown’ would result in a fine or imprisonment!
Jesus’ ministry showed that ‘social distancing’ was no part of his plan to “seek and save the lost”. He touched a coffin, ordered a grave to be opened, entered the room of a dead girl. He walked into the environment of the sick and diseased, touched lepers, held the hand of a fevered woman.
Holding Your Hand
He has not changed. In the ‘environment’ which we are now having to navigate, we need to remember that God is with us, never leaving nor forsaking us. God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah in a graphic way: “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you’” (Isa 41:13). Is He ‘holding’ your hand?
Author: Stephen Bishop