Dvar Torah Emor 5785 - Beauty in the Beast

Beauty in the Beast

The Torah tells us (Vayikra 21:16-17): “Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to Aharon, saying: any man of our offspring throughout their generations in whom there will be a blemish shall not come near to offer the food of his G-d”. The Torah then lists such blemishes, including a man “who is blind, lame, one whose nose has no bridge, or one who has one limb longer than the other” and other physical abnormalities (Ibid. 21:18-20).  The Talmud derives 140 different blemishes that disqualify a Kohen from participating in bringing any sacrificial offering.

Why would that be? A Kohen or any person cannot be held responsible for any physical defects on his body that he is born with or acquires throughout life. These are in Hashem’s hands, not ours.  If the Kohen did nothing wrong spiritually, why should he be disqualified from officiating in offering the sacrifice?

Further perplexing is that despite this blemish, the “food of his G-d from the most holy and from the holy may he eat.” (Ibid. 22). If the Kohen is blemished, then why is he still permitted to eat the sacrifice?

The Sefer Hachinuch (Mitzvah 275) answers that the requirement that the Kohen be without blemish is for the purpose of the person bringing the offering. People’s thoughts are often drawn to the messenger who is bringing the sacrifice, and not to the sacrifice itself. If the Kohen who brings the offering has a noticeable physical difference, then the giver may be distracted, and will lose focus on the sacrifice whose purpose is to cleanse and purify the spirit of the giver. However, this is true only for blemishes which are open and visible. If a Kohen suffers an internal injury, or through surgery loses a kidney or spleen, or even if he suffers a fatal internal wound, his service is still accepted, and he is qualified to bring the sacrifice.

Thus, the Kohen’s disqualification is purely external. It has no reflection on the internal purity of the Kohen. Accordingly, the Torah tells us that the Kohen with the blemish still eats the sacrifice. By eating the sacrifice, the internal moral integrity of the Kohen elevates the offering of the animal to the state of holiness, enabling the people who brought the sacrifice to obtain forgiveness. As the Talmud states, שהכהנים אוכלים ובעלים מתכפרין – the Kohanim eat and the owners are atoned. (Pesachim 59b). This demonstrates that it is the internal holiness of the Kohen that causes the sacrifice to be accepted, irrespective of his external blemish. (See Rabbi Munk on 21:18).

We see the contrast between the way the people view other people and the way the Torah views them. People tend to focus on appearances, and that can distract them from achieving purification through bringing the sacrifice. Therefore, the Torah requires the Kohen who brings the sacrifice to have no external blemish. However, the Torah recognizes that it is the internal purity of the Kohen who eats the sacrifice that causes the sacrifice to be accepted. Therefore, even a Kohen with an external blemish eats the sacrifice.

The Torah tells us to look deeper than outward appearances. Hashem does not value physical perfection – He values inner character. We should strive to emulate Hashem in this way. Rather than being distracted by the superficial externalities of a person, we should train ourselves to appreciate the true beauty in others - their spiritual purity and inner moral character. As we approach Shavuos we can truly love other people, אוהב את הבריות, and in that way acquire the Torah (Pirkei Avos 6:6).