02 May PARASHAT EMOR: THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT

Parashat Emor
begins with the special
laws that apply to
the Kohanim. The
commentators noted
that the Torah opens this section with a
seemingly redundant phrase: “G-d said to
Moshe: Speak to the Kohanim, the sons of
Aharon, and say to them…” Surprisingly,
G-d instructs Moshe to “speak to the
Kohanim” and “say to them” that they are
bound by the special laws of the priesthood,
suggesting that these laws are to be spoken
to the Kohanim twice, and the obvious
question arises as to why this is the case.
The Sages answered that the second phrase
– “and say to them” – was added “Le’hazhir
He’gedolim Al Ha’ketanim,” to require
the adult Kohanim to ensure that their
children also comply with these rules. This
instruction is repeated to indicate that the
Kohanim must not only obey these special
laws, but also see to it that their children do
the same.
While this explanation answers the
question regarding the redundancy in this
verse, we cannot overlook the fact that
the text here makes no mention at all of
the children. This statement refers to the
instructions given only to the Kohanim

themselves about their compliance with
their laws. Yet, somehow, this repetition
also speaks of the successful transmission
of these laws to the next generation, to the
Kohanim’s offspring.
The reason why this is so touches upon
one of the fundamentals of parenting:
actions speak much louder than words. The
way the Torah admonishes the Kohanim
to ensure their children’s compliance with
these laws is by repeating the requirement
that they themselves comply with these
laws – because that is the most effective
educational strategy. Preaching and scolding
children has far less of an effect than
teaching by personal example. If we want
our children to grow with an appreciation of
and commitment to tradition, we have to set
an example for them to follow. We have to
show them just how important tradition is to
us, how far we ourselves go to observe the
Torah, and there is then a good chance that
they will follow suit.
The story is told of a certain Rabbi who
ate breakfast with his family and then left to
the yeshiva where he taught. Upon arriving
in the yeshiva, he realized that he had not
recited Birkat Ha’mazon. The house was
not a short walk from his house, but he
nevertheless put on his jacket, went out into

the winter cold, and made the trek home.
His son was surprised to see his father come
in at that hour, and the father explained to
him that he needed to return home to recite
Birkat Ha’mazon.
The Hinuch (training in Mitzvot) that was
achieved by the Rabbi that morning was
more than could possibly be achieved by
any amount of lecturing and haranguing
about the importance of Birkat Ha’mazon.
The child saw his father’s commitment to
this Mitzvah, and this spoke much louder
than any words.
This applies not only to child-rearing,
but also more generally to our desire to
influence the people around us and have a
positive impact upon the Jewish people and
the world. When we look around, it is hard
not to notice the major spiritual ills plaguing
contemporary Jewry, even within our
relatively narrow circle of Orthodox Jewry.
Many things upset us, as well they should,
issues such as laxity in Shabbat and Kashrut
observance, immodesty, dishonesty,
Lashon Ha’ra, and so many others. We
must remember that if we want to bring
about change, the most powerful weapon
in our arsenal is the personal example we
set. We will not change the Jewish people
by complaining and protesting. Change

happens slowly and gradually, as a result of
people seeing inspiring examples of proper
conduct.
The Hebrew word for “influence” is
“Hashpa’a,” which comes from the same
root as the Hebrew word for “incline”
(“Shipu’a”). Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky
(1891-1986) explained that influence
works like drops of liquid trickling down
an incline. It happens slowly and gradually.
When we set a positive example through
the way we conduct ourselves, we trigger a
“trickle down effect” which will, with time,
have an impact. Going around criticizing
and protesting will accomplish little, if
anything, and, more often than not, will have
the very opposite effect of what we want. If
we want to have Hashpa’a, we need to have
it “trickle down” by setting an example that
we want the people around us to follow.