Parshas Tazriah-Metzorah 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- Apr 17
- 2 min read
והיה מדי חדש בחדשו ומדי שבת בשבתו יבא כל בשר להשתחות לפני אמר ה' ... (ישעי' סו-כג)
On Shabbos Rosh Chodesh, the Haftorah is taken from the concluding perek of Sefer Yeshaya, in which Yeshaya HaNavi speaks of the honor given to Hashem on Rosh Chodesh and Shabbos. Yeshaya states, “And it shall be that, at every New Moon and on every Shabbos, all mankind will come to prostrate themselves before Me, says Hashem.”
R’ Avraham HaKohen Pam zt”l (Chazon Avraham on Haftoros) quotes the words of the Yalkut Shimoni regarding this statement and writes that in truth, Hashem desires to be recognized by all of mankind, and the medium to accomplish this is through Klal Yisroel. When the Jewish people interact with all facets of mankind, fellow Jews and non-Jews alike, in a fair, honest, and respectful manner, it causes a universal sanctification of Hashem’s Name and achieves the highest goals of Creation. This underscores the centrality of the mitzvah of Kiddush Hashem and the fearful sin of Chillul Hashem in the life of a Jew.
In today’s crazy world where news is instantly peddled to millions of people, we tend to think that the parameters of Chillul Hashem is when a Jew does something wrong and his misconduct is splashed across the headlines of a news outlet. While it is certainly true that such a thing is in fact a Chillul Hashem, the true definition as defined by the Sefer Yereim, is when one causes a weakening of belief in Hashem and observance of Torah and mitzvos by not acting in accordance with behavior expected of a Torah-loyal Jew.