17 Mar VAYIKRA: THE DANGER OF A SCHOLAR WHO LACKS MANNERS

In the opening
verse of Parashat
Vayikra, G-d
calls to Moshe and
invites him into the
newly constructed Mishkan to hear His
commands. The Midrash finds it very
significant that Moshe waited to be
called before entering the Mishkan. It
was Moshe who heard the commands
about the building of the Mishkan, and
who then painstakingly relayed these
instructions to the people and oversaw
the entire project. And, of course, he
was the nation’s leader and prophet who
regularly spoke with G-d. And yet, in his
unparalleled humility, he did not allow
himself the right to enter the Mishkan
without being first summoned by G-d. We
might draw a comparison to a Rabbi who
knocks before entering the synagogue
which he leads, out of courtesy and
respect for the people inside.
Commenting on the respect and courtesy
Moshe displayed by waiting to be invited

into the Mishkan, the Midrash makes
the following astonishing remark: “Any
Torah scholar who lacks wisdom – an
animal carcass is better than him.” If
a Torah scholar does not have basic
sensibility, and acts discourteously, then
he is considered worse than an “animal
carcass.”
Why did our Sages choose such an
unusual image – a carcass – to decry
scholars who lack basic manners and
decency?
One answer given is that whereas a
carcass emits a foul odor, which keeps
people away from it, a rude, discourteous
Torah scholar attracts a following
through his scholarship and piety. People
are impressed by his knowledge and by
his passionate commitment to learning
and Misva performance, and so they
flock to him and respect him. And this is
precisely what makes a Torah scholar so
dangerous – that people see him as a role
model for them to emulate. Rather than
distance themselves from him as they

would from an odorous animal
carcass, people respect him and
learn from his example of bad
manners, thinking that this is
what the Torah wants, Heaven
forbid.
Nowadays, all Halachically
observant Jews are considered
“Torah scholars” in this regard.
When gentiles or non-observant
Jews see an Orthodox Jewish
man with a Kippa, or an Orthodox

Jewish woman with a hair-
covering and modest attire, they

view them as representatives
of Orthodox Judaism no less
than they would prominent
Rabbis. If any Orthodox Jewish
man or woman acts without
“wisdom,” without basic courtesy and
good manners, then he or she unwittingly
conveys the dangerous message that this
is what Orthodox Judaism stands for.
Our involvement in Torah learning and
Misva observance does not ever excuse

discourteous behavior. To the contrary,
it requires us to aspire to especially high
standards of manners and courtesy, as
we are all ambassadors of Torah Judaism
and represent to the world what the
Torah teaches and the kind of behavior it
demands.