Aharon & the Kehunah
כהונהAharon HaKohen and the priestly service — the blessing channeled through the kohanim. The Sfas Emes on the kehunah.
160 essays
Vayeshev
Chanukah
- Chanukah’s Lasting LightChanukah · תר"מ · Essay 5
- Inner Divine Spark EnduresChanukah · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Sanctity of Chanukah’s OriginChanukah · תרנ"א · Essay 2
- Love and the Chanukah LightChanukah · תרנ"ד · Essay 6
- Hanukkah’s Priestly LightChanukah · תרנ"ה · Essay 3
- Chanukah’s Priestly LightChanukah · תרנ"ז · Essay 4
- Eternal Light of the Chanukah OfferingChanukah · תרנ"ז · Essay 6
- Chanukah and Enduring Divine KindnessChanukah · תרס"א · Essay 5
Shemot
Bo
Shekalim
Tetzaveh
- The hidden inner point of purityTetzaveh · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- The three crowns draw Heavenly lightTetzaveh · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Moshe and Aharon: voice, vessel, and the peace that holds blessingTetzaveh · תרמ"א · Essay 3
- Aharon as testimony of Israel's inner holinessTetzaveh · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Binding deeds to their root through the menorahTetzaveh · תרמ"ט · Essay 1
- Why Moshe's name is absent from TetzavehTetzaveh · תרנ"א · Essay 3
- Ner Mitzvah Versus Torah OrTetzaveh · תרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Torah, zechirah, and the erasing of AmalekTetzaveh · תרנ"ח · Essay 2
- The crown of Torah belongs to allTetzaveh · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Aharon draws chesed over dinTetzaveh · תרס"ב · Essay 1
- Moshe and Aharon: soul and body unitedTetzaveh · תרס"ג · Essay 2
Tzav
- Love covers the inner sinTzav · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Daily renewal of the Kohen GadolTzav · תרמ"ז-תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Daily renewal in avodahTzav · תרמ"ז-תרמ"ח · Essay 2
- Aharon and the mitzvah of deedTzav · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- Moshe's Torah repairs Aharon's blemish in deedTzav · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
- The tzaddik who encompasses the whole nationTzav · תרנ"ז · Essay 2
Shabbat HaGadol
Pesach
Shmini
- Hashem's command outweighs all human intellectShmini · תרל"ו · Essay 2
- Teshuvah heals the world's deficiencyShmini · תרל"ז · Essay 1
- True shame leads to joy not sadnessShmini · תרל"ז · Essay 4
- Eighth day light beyond natureShmini · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- Command outweighs reasons in mitzvosShmini · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- Mourning Nadav and Avihu as a duty for all IsraelShmini · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Teshuvah of Aharon elevates all IsraelShmini · תרמ"א · Essay 2
- Closeness to Hashem through bittul and commandShmini · תרמ"א · Essay 3
- Aharon's bittul and the path of teshuvahShmini · תרמ"ה · Essay 2
- Pure agency in the avodahShmini · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Each generation's madreigah and the strength of the klalShmini · תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Moshe and Aharon nurse Yisrael with measured holinessShmini · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Holy shame as path to closenessShmini · תרנ"ח · Essay 1
- The command outweighs all mystical intentionsShmini · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
Tazria
Acharei Mot
Kedoshim
Emor
- Kohen's holiness drawn from the peopleEmor · תרל"ז · Essay 4
- Emor תר"מEmor · תר"מ
- Enduring purity within Klal YisraelEmor · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Emor תרמ"בEmor · תרמ"ב
- Hashem's unbreakable promise of mutual distinctionEmor · תרמ"ד · Essay 1
- Light and vessel in the Kohen GadolEmor · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Three Crowns, Three Festivals, and Shabbos AboveEmor · תרמ"ה · Essay 3
- Hidden holiness revealed by refining the physicalEmor · תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Aharon's pure fear is the root of purityEmor · תרנ"ב · Essay 1
- Aharon's bitachon elevates Yisrael above natureEmor · תרנ"ג · Essay 1
- Bnei Yisrael draw down kedushahEmor · תרנ"ד · Essay 2
- Elevating the world to its rootEmor · תרנ"ז · Essay 3
- Torah as fire and water: two modes of purityEmor · תרס"א-תרס"ב · Essay 1
Bamidbar
Shavuot
Naso
- Shalom, the inner face, and Hashem lifting His faceNaso · תרל"א · Essay 4
- Hashem lifts the inner pointNaso · תרל"ד · Essay 2
- Naso Essay on Avot תרל"זNaso · תרל"ז
- Hashem's favor kindles the inner sparkNaso · תרל"ז · Essay 2
- Earned Torah versus bestowed priesthoodNaso · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Hashem's Favor Inspires TeshuvahNaso · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Individual greatness serves the collectiveNaso · תרמ"ה · Essay 1
- Bittul to Hashem as the source of all blessingNaso · תרמ"ו · Essay 2
- Shalom as the vessel for blessingNaso · תרמ"ז · Essay 3
- Raised hands draw blessing from the supernal rootNaso · תרמ"ט · Essay 2
- Blessing flows through the inner point of wholenessNaso · תר"נ · Essay 4
- Birkas Kohanim, the Avos, and the soul's levelsNaso · תרנ"ב · Essay 2
- The good eye that turns din into berachahNaso · תרנ"ד · Essay 4
- Birkas Kohanim as a channel of blessingNaso · תרנ"ו · Essay 2
- Earning blessing through avodah without shameNaso · תרנ"ז · Essay 2
- Blessing as reconnection to the rootNaso · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
- Birkas Kohanim rooted in the AvosNaso · תר"ס · Essay 1
- Birkas Kohanim requires heartfelt intentionNaso · תר"ס · Essay 2
Beha'alotcha
- Beha'alotcha תרל"דBeha'alotcha · תרל"ד
- Serving Hashem through unchanging bittulBeha'alotcha · תרל"ד · Essay 2
- Holding fast to first inspirationBeha'alotcha · תרל"ה · Essay 1
- Serving Hashem while beholding His revealed gloryBeha'alotcha · תרל"ו · Essay 1
- Matching deeds to one's true willBeha'alotcha · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- Mitzvos as the candle for Torah's lightBeha'alotcha · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Elevating the Self Through MitzvosBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Aharon the unchanging "stander" elevatedBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ו · Essay 3
- Mitzvos as vessels for the hidden Torah-lightBeha'alotcha · תרמ"ז - תרמ"ח - תרנ"ב · Essay 1
- Menorah's eternal supernal lightBeha'alotcha · תרנ"א · Essay 1
- Birkas Kohanim, the Avos, and Aharon's eternal blessingBeha'alotcha · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
- Menorah as eternal light of TorahBeha'alotcha · תרס"ג · Essay 1
Korach
- Holiness in Klal and PratKorach · תרל"ה · Essay 2
- Sustaining the World Through KindnessKorach · תרל"ו · Essay 1
- Priesthood as Divine GiftKorach · תרל"ו · Essay 3
- The kehunah as a Divine gift, not earnedKorach · תרל"ט · Essay 2
- Pure leadership without self-interestKorach · תר"מ · Essay 2
- Penimiyus versus the hollow externals of KorachKorach · תר"מ · Essay 3
- Korach's flaw: self-made wholeness vs bittulKorach · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Korach תרמ"בKorach · תרמ"ב
- Aharon's daily Divine choosing versus KorachKorach · תרמ"ב · Essay 1
- Korach תרמ"גKorach · תרמ"ג
- Aharon's silence and the power of bittulKorach · תרמ"ג · Essay 1
- The Kohen renews the realm of deed dailyKorach · תרמ"ג · Essay 2
- True achdus needs righteous leadershipKorach · תרמ"ג · Essay 3
- Korach תרמ"דKorach · תרמ"ד
- The tzaddik who actualizes every Jew's avodahKorach · תרמ"ד · Essay 3
- Torah needs the vessel of avodahKorach · תרמ"ו · Essay 1
- Love of Hashem as a giftKorach · תרמ"ו · Essay 3
- Dispute for Heaven's sake ends in unityKorach · תרמ"ז · Essay 1
- Severity must yield to kindness and truthKorach · תרמ"ח · Essay 1
- Aharon's bittul versus Korach's graspingKorach · תרמ"ח · Essay 3
- Korach split from the root by grabbing giftsKorach · תרמ"ט · Essay 2
- Binding deeds to their root aboveKorach · תרנ"א · Essay 2
- Kohanim and Levi'im: Sweet and Bitter AlmondsKorach · תרנ"ב · Essay 3
- Balanced humility of the KehunahKorach · תרנ"ב · Essay 4
- Chesed and din in Korach's disputeKorach · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Aharon draws the distant near in peaceKorach · תרנ"ד · Essay 2
- Kohen and Levi: nearness, distance, and one's portionKorach · תרנ"ז · Essay 1
- Chosenness versus self-earned closenessKorach · תרנ"ט · Essay 1
- Three stages of ascent and Korach's separationKorach · תר"ס · Essay 2
- Korach's war against the peace of TorahKorach · תר"ס · Essay 3
- Every soul's boundary versus Torah's unityKorach · תרס"ג · Essay 2
- Aharon's staff and drawing nearKorach · תרס"ג · Essay 3
Chukat
Balak
Pinchas
- Zealousness Rooted In UnityPinchas · תרל"א · Essay 2
- Peace Holding Divine BlessingPinchas · תרל"ד · Essay 1
- Earning the Divine GiftPinchas · תרל"ח · Essay 1
- Awakening From BelowPinchas · תר"מ · Essay 1
- Self-Sacrifice Earning Eternal PriesthoodPinchas · תרמ"א · Essay 1
- Kohen As Nation's EmissaryPinchas · תרמ"ז · Essay 2
- Pinchas Restoring The Covenant SealPinchas · תרנ"ד · Essay 1
- Nadav and Avihu ReincarnatedPinchas · תרנ"ו · Essay 1
- Earning Kehunah Through DeedsPinchas · תרנ"ט · Essay 2
Masei
Shoftim
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
- Sukkos teshuvah of love through closenessSukkot · תרל"ט · Essay 1
- Baalei teshuvah enter the innermost placeSukkot · תרמ"ב · Essay 2
- Sukkos as Aharon's chesed after judgmentSukkot · תר"נ · Essay 5
- Aharon's teshuvah and the Clouds of GlorySukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 7
- Sukkah of bittul, Shemini Atzeres of receivingSukkot · תרנ"א · Essay 12
- Sukkos: the war that brings peaceSukkot · תרנ"ג · Essay 2
- Sukkah of peace and lulav of victorySukkot · תרנ"ד ותרנ"ו · Essay 2
- The willow as the power of speech and silenceSukkot · תרנ"ד ותרנ"ו · Essay 8
- Sukkah's peace: near and far shalomSukkot · תרנ"ח · Essay 2
- The Lulav: Yearning and Deveikus Like AharonSukkot · תרנ"ח · Essay 4
- Two kinds of peace on SukkosSukkot · תר"ס · Essay 3
- Emunah makes a person truly freeSukkot · תרס"ג · Essay 2
- Sukkos as the Shechinah dwelling among usSukkot · תרס"ה · Essay 1