Parashat Emor 5783

Lo tehal’lelu
You shall not
profane
pollute
desecrate.
Do not.

You and I
and each of us,
holy leaders
great and small,
let us think twice
about what we do,
let us remember
and pay attention,
that we do not
profane
pollute
desecrate…

…ourselves
or others (Lev.21:9) —
precious
are you
are they
am I,
beloved
by one or more,
sacred;

…our children, (Lev. 21:15)
mine
yours
theirs
ours,
the future they are;
we will not be here
one day
but they will,
they will only
if we remember
and if we restrain
and if we transform
our baser
instincts;

…the Name; (Lev. 21:6)
you
are not the center
of the Universe
nor am I
nor he nor she
nor they nor them —
much is beyond us
greater
more important,
critical on every level
to functionality
to wellbeing;

…the sanctuary of the Oneness (Lev. 21:12)
the Breathe
the All-Encompassing
the Mystery—
minuscule though we are,
you hold
and I hold,
the power
to wreak havoc;

…any place sacred to the One— (Lev. 21:23)
is there a place not cherished
by the Initiator
of all
holding that hallowedness?
what does it take
for us to notice the sanctity
feel it
respect it
care about it
treasure it—
what does it take;

…the Unnamable’s Name (Lev. 22:2)
containing within it
every name
of every being
of every kind
and every silent one
that is
or ever was
or ever will be
including mine
and yours;

…the sacred donations (Lev. 22:15)
the gifts of the heart
the love
the caring
the compassion
that you give
and I give
and every one of us
humans
and so many non-humans
give.

All of this,
I pray of you,
I beg of you,
and of myself
lo nehallel
let us not,
we shall not,
we must not
profane
pollute
desecrate
define

because if we do
there will be no remedy,
for the world
cannot
be remade. (Kohelet Rabbah 7:13:1)
_______________
Rabbi Katy Allen (’05) is the founder and rabbi of Ma’yan Tikvah – A Wellspring of Hope, which holds services outdoors all year long and has a growing children’s outdoor learning program, Y’ladim BaTeva. She is the founder of the Jewish Climate Action Network-MA, a board certified chaplain, and a former hospital and hospice chaplain. She is the author of A Tree of Life: A Story in Word, Image, and Text and lives in Wayland, MA, with her spouse, Gabi Mezger, who leads the.singing at Ma’yan Tikvah.