Emor: Sadigerer: Among His People

The 29th of Nisan is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Mordechai Shalom Yosef Friedman, Sadigerer Rebbe, the Keneses Mordechai (1897-1979) The son of Rav Aharon of Sadiger, and grandson of the 2nd Sadigerer Rebbe, Rav Yisrael.

“God said to Moses: Say to the Kohanim, the sons of Aaron, and tell them: Each of you shall not contaminate himself to a dead person among his people (Vayikra 21:1).” “To a dead person among his people,” Rashi explains that this is only if the corpse is still “among his people,” and does not apply to a Meit Mitzvah, a corpse found in middle of nowhere.

“Among his people,” only the person who maintains some connection, no matter how tenuous, to his people, even if most of his actions are destructive and evil, it is the tzaddik’s responsibility to elevate him and to helping repair his life. However the one who has totally left his people, and now lives with the status of a “corpse” it is a mitzvah to keep distance from him. (Knesset Yisrael)