By: Robert Zohar
In this week's Parsha, Parshat Emor, we learn about the things that Kohanim are allowed to do and what they aren’t allowed to do. For example, Kohanim are not allowed to stand next to a dead body because that would make them impure. Furthermore, the Parsha mentions that Kohanim are not allowed to let their hair grow too long.
We read this Parsha during the Omer, a time of grief, and during this time we are not allowed to cut our hair as a sign of mourning. This contradicts what the Kohanim are told they were forbidden to do. So while we are in a stage of mourning during the Omer, Kohanim don’t have to mourn at all; they just carry on with their natural lives. The letters of Emor unscrambled spell out Omer. Therefore, this week’s Parsha is teaching us the importance to keep living our natural lives because the days of mourning are almost over for everyone.
Shabbat Shalom!