The Power of Personal Narrative and the Oral Torah timesofisrael.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesofisrael.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
This past week on Lag BâOmer a terrible tragedy struck in Meron in the midst of what ought to have been joyous celebrations. The phenomenon of
simcha turning into sorrow is, unfortunately, not as rare as it should be in Israel. That is because for all of Israelâs advances in science, especially in the area  of medical innovations that save lives, the goal of peace with the Arabs who surround her remains elusive. All of the various strategies that have been employed have not succeeded in removing hatred and enmity, and the specter of terrorism striking in the most unlikely places still remains.
Parshah Emor delineates the special laws regulating how the high priest conducts himself. He must live according to a higher standard of sanctity than the âordinaryâ Jew. For example, he is prohibited from coming in contact with a dead body.
If a close relative dies he must guard his state of purity and not participate in the funeral. The only exception to this restriction is the case of the meit mitzvah. This refers to an individual who has no close relatives to arrange his burial. It is then a commandment upon every Jew to oversee his internment and the first person to encounter him is charged with that responsibility. What if that happens to be the high priest?