Boulder Aish Kodesh

Case #1: The Kohanim are entrusted with communication between man and G-d. they serve as a bridge, bringing people closer to G-d, helping them overcome there own doubts, bringing their gestures of penitence before G-d. And they serve to communicate G-d’s will to people when they come to ak questions, and when they are ready to be healed of tza’ra’at and other forms of impurity.

They are entrusted with the holy task of, essentially, ‘eating for G-d’, eating the parts of the offerings that are designated for Hashem. They are first to bless in any situation, first to be called up to the Torah, first to be provided for in poverty, first to be redeemed from captivity.

And, they cannot marry whom they want. They cannot mourn in normal way. They are expected to be happy all the time.

Case #2: On Shabbat, according to the prayer k’gavna, which is from the Zohar, all klipot and negativity fall away. It is the time when G-d interacts with his creation in a special way. We are each given an extra soul, bringing new spiritual bliss every week, drawing us to deeper levels of relationship with every aspect of the physical and spiritual world.

And if you do work on Shabbat, you die.

Case #3: The possibility of bringing an offering to the Temple is fantastic! We are given a ritual that allows us to come close even if we have gone very far away. In a matter of moments, we can leap from the lowest low to the highest high.

And if you eat it at the wrong time or in the wrong place, then you are cut off.

What is this all about? The whole parsha is about the relationship between opportunity and responsibility. We are given the opportunity to walk with G_D all the time! Literally! To have every moment of our lives be saturated with G-d consciousness, to be always growing, evolving, learning, yearning, reaching, immersing, purifying, sanctifying.

But it’s not free. G-d says, ‘I have a special gift in my treasure house. It’s called Shabbat. Do you want it?’ Well there’s a catch. Shabbat is not your plaything. There is a reason why its been in my treasure house for so long – it’s delicate. It needs to be guarded. I am only going to give it to you if you take care of it.

Same thing with the Kohen. Maybe you take it for granted that you have someone who helps you reach G-d, and helps G-d reach you. But don’t. You have to treat him or her right. As the Parsha says, ‘He shall be holy to YOU!’ – treat him right.

Every holiday we have is an amazing opportunity to reach higher levels of consciousness. Each holiday bears a unique reflection of the G-dhead. And each holiday has its responsibilities as well. If you want to feel the light of pesach, eat matzah, and don’t eat chometz. If you want to feel the light of Sukkot, then sit in one, and shake the 4 species.

And if you want your loved one to love you, treat them right. The responsibility interlocks perfectly with the privilege. They need each other. They ultimately are the same.

The joy of caring for someone is reward in itself.