Shemini 5768 - Rabbi Mark S. Diamond

Rescue and Redemption

March 29, 2008 / 22 Adar II 5768

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President, Board of Rabbis of Southern California

Torah Portion: Shemini ("On the eighth day..."), Leviticus 9:1-11:47

Special Maftir portion (Shabbat Parah): Lev. 19:1-22

Haftarah Portion: Ezekiel 36:16-36:38Parashat Shemini serves as one of the foundational texts of kashrut, the Jewish dietary laws. Chapter 11 of Leviticus provides a detailed account of the kosher species of land animals, fish and fowl. The passage ends with the only reason the Torah ever provides for these complex dietary restrictions: "I the Eternal One am your God; you shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am holy.... I am the Eternal One who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall be holy, for I am holy." (Lev. 11:44-45)

Commenting on these verses, Rabbi Gunther Plaut writes: "The chapter concludes by appealing to the people to raise themselves to a higher level by observing the laws just expounded. In similar terms, the Torah calls on them to sanctify themselves by ethical conduct." (Gunther Plaut, The Torah: A Modern Commentary)

The laws of kashrut may be seen as a means to an end. There are certain species we do not eat. There are certain foods we may eat, but which must be prepared in a special fashion. There are other foods we may eat by themselves, but which must not be combined.

The intent of these restrictions is to elevate the mundane act of eating to a higher level. In so doing, we infuse our daily lives with kedushah, holiness and spirituality. This is why our Torah reading concludes by mentioning the exodus of Egypt in connection with the dietary laws. Slavery degrades and debases life.Kashrut mandates that we respect life. Avadim (slaves) answer only to their human master. Those who keep kosher understand that, in the famous slogan of Hebrew National, we answer to a higher authority. The institution of slavery is built upon the premise that human life is cheap and expendable. The laws ofkashrut are built upon the premise that all life, especially human life, is holy and precious in God's eyes.

Earlier this week, my friend and colleague Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater shared thoughts and texts on slavery at the annual Pesah Sermon Seminar sponsored by the Board of Rabbis. He taught us that Article 4 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms." Tragically, our world is replete with insidious slave trafficking, with an estimated ten million slaves in Asia alone. 

E. Benjamin Skinner's recent opinion editorial in the LA Times (March 23, 2008 edition) highlights this modern-day plague, and reminds us that our own nation is not immune from the problem. The Justice Department estimates that there are some 50,000 people in "hidden bondage" in the United States. According to Skinner:

On March 4...two south Florida women were convicted on charges of enslaving and torturing a teenage Haitian girl named Simone Celestine. The two women face 10 years in prison. Celestine was freed by the FBI last year after being held as a domestic slave for six years, during which time she said she was beaten with closed fists, forced to shower outside with a garden hose, rented to other homes and not allowed to attend school.

When we sit together at our Passover seder tables next month, we should tell Celestine's story and the stories of other enslaved men, women and children. And we should remember our obligation to rescue and redeem the avadim in our midst.