Moshe and Aharon nurse Yisrael with measured holiness

בפסוק וידבר ה' אל משה ואל אהרן לאמר אליהם.

On the verse, "and Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying to them" (Vayikra 11:1).

The Sefas Emes notes the unusual phrasing addressing both Moshe and Aharon together.

משמע דפרשה זו מיוחדת למשה ואהרן ביותר.

This implies that this parsha is especially designated for Moshe and Aharon.

The verse's wording suggests these laws have a special connection to Moshe and Aharon in particular.

הגם דחז"ל דרשו לאמר לאלעזר ואיתמר מ"מ הפשוט נמי אמת.

Although Chazal expounded "saying" to refer to Elazar and Isamar, nevertheless the plain sense is also true.

The midrashic reading does not displace the simple meaning that the parsha pertains specially to Moshe and Aharon.

דאיתא שני שדיך הם משה ואהרן המניקין לבנ"י.

For it is brought that "your two breasts" (Shir HaShirim 4:5) are Moshe and Aharon, who nurse Bnei Yisrael.

Chazal compare Moshe and Aharon to two nurturing breasts that feed Yisrael spiritually.

א"כ המזון בא לבנ"י על ידיהם.

If so, the nourishment comes to Bnei Yisrael through them.

Since Moshe and Aharon are the "breasts" that nurse Yisrael, all spiritual sustenance flows through them.

ולכן ע"י ניתן להם לברר מינים הטהורים לאכול.

Therefore, through them was given the clarification of the pure species to eat.

Fittingly, the laws distinguishing kosher from non-kosher foods — physical nourishment — were given through these two "nursers" of Yisrael.

והענין הוא שבנ"י שמזון שלהם בא מקדושה עליונה לכן צריכין לאכול בטהרה וקדושה.

And the matter is that Bnei Yisrael, whose nourishment comes from a supernal holiness, must therefore eat in purity and holiness.

Because Yisrael's sustenance originates in a holy source, their eating itself must be conducted with purity and kedushah.

כדכ' והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים פי' חז"ל אדם מקדש עצמו מלמטה מקדשין אותו מלמעלה.

As it is written, "and you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" (Vayikra 11:44) — Chazal explained: a person sanctifies himself a little from below, and they sanctify him much from above.

When a person makes even a small effort toward holiness, Heaven responds by granting him far greater holiness from above.

וכמ"ש רש"י אני אקדש אתכם לעתיד לבוא ובישיבת מעלה.

And as Rashi wrote: "I will sanctify you" in the future to come and in the heavenly academy.

The promise "you shall be holy" points to a sanctification that Hashem will bestow in the future and in the World to Come.

ופי' והתקדשתם מלמטה להיות נפרש ממאכלות אסורות.

And the meaning of "and you shall sanctify yourselves" from below is to separate from forbidden foods.

The human part of holiness — "from below" — is simply abstaining from forbidden foods.

כי עצם הקדושה אינו למטה רק פרישה בכלל קדושה כמ"ש והיא מתקדשת מטומאתה.

For the essence of holiness is not below; only separation is included in the category of holiness, as it says, "and she becomes sanctified from her impurity" (cf. Vayikra 15:28).

True holiness cannot be generated by man from below; what is within his reach is "separation" (perishah), which is counted as a form of holiness — like the verse where becoming pure is called becoming "sanctified."

גם פי' בספרים והתקדשתם בגוף והייתם קדושים בנפש.

The sefarim also explain: "and you shall sanctify yourselves" refers to the body, and "and you shall be holy" refers to the soul.

The two phrases distinguish bodily sanctification (the effort) from the soul's holiness (the result).

והתקדשתם הוא בימי המעשה.

"And you shall sanctify yourselves" is during the weekdays.

The active effort of self-sanctification belongs to the six workdays.

והייתם קדושים בשבת שיורד בו קדושה מלמעלה לבנ"י והוא הנשמה יתירה.

"And you shall be holy" is on Shabbos, when holiness descends upon Bnei Yisrael from above — and this is the neshamah yeseirah (extra soul).

The promised state of being holy is fulfilled on Shabbos, when Hashem sends down holiness from above in the form of the extra Shabbos soul.

וגם שבת הוא מעין עוה"ב מקוים בו והייתם קדושים כמ"ש רש"י ז"ל.

And also, Shabbos is a taste of the World to Come, and "you shall be holy" is fulfilled on it, as Rashi wrote.

Since Shabbos is a foretaste of Olam Haba, the future sanctification Rashi spoke of is partly realized already on Shabbos.

והנה מרע"ה הוריד הקדושה מלמעלה שהוריד התורה מן השמים.

And behold, Moshe Rabbeinu brought down the holiness from above, for he brought the Torah down from Heaven.

Moshe's role is the downward flow: he drew holiness from above into the world by bringing the Torah down.

והוא הרמז מן בזכות משה.

And this is the hint of the mann being in the merit of Moshe.

The mann, which came down from heaven, was in Moshe's merit — fitting his role of drawing down from above.

ואהרן הי' עמוד הטהרה והוא בחי' והתקדשתם להיות נפרש מן הגשמיות להיות מוכן אל התורה והשפע מן השמים.

And Aharon was the pillar of purity, and he is the aspect of "and you shall sanctify yourselves" — to separate from physicality so as to be prepared for the Torah and the flow from Heaven.

Aharon's role is the upward preparation: through separation from physicality (taharah), a person makes himself a fit vessel to receive the Torah and bounty that Moshe draws down.

והוא הרמז ענני כבוד בזכות אהרן.

And this is the hint of the Clouds of Glory being in the merit of Aharon.

The Ananei HaKavod, which separated Yisrael from the surrounding world, came in Aharon's merit — fitting his quality of separation and purity.

להיות נבדל ונפרש מהבלי עולם.

To be set apart and separated from the vanities of the world.

Aharon's quality is withdrawal from worldly vanities.

ושניהם ענין א' היא.

And the two of them are one matter.

Moshe's drawing-down and Aharon's preparing-from-below are ultimately a single unified process.

כי כפי בחי' הטהרה שנמצא בבנ"י זוכין לקבל הקדושה.

For according to the level of purity (taharah) found in Bnei Yisrael, they merit to receive the holiness.

The amount of holiness one can receive from above depends precisely on the degree of purity one prepares below — so the two roles are interdependent.

ולכן תיקון המדות בימים אלו.

Therefore the refinement of one's character traits (middos) is appropriate in these days.

This is why the period of Sefiras HaOmer is the time to work on refining one's middos.

שקודם קבלת התורה צריכין לתקן המדות ולהתטהר כדי שנוכל לקבל קדושת התורה.

For before receiving the Torah one must refine the middos and become pure, so that we can receive the holiness of the Torah.

Just as Aharon's purity prepared a vessel for Moshe's Torah, we must purify our character before Shavuos in order to receive the Torah's holiness.

לכן יסדו מס' אבות כימים אלו.

Therefore they established Maseches Avos for these days.

Pirkei Avos, which teaches character refinement, is read during these weeks of preparation.

והתחיל משה קיבל תורה לומר כי כל אלו המוסרים ותיקון המדות מלבד שהם נאים לעושיהם.

And it begins with "Moshe received the Torah" (Avos 1:1), to say that all these ethical teachings and refinement of middos — beyond being becoming to those who practice them.

Avos opens with Matan Torah to teach that good character is not merely admirable in its own right.

אבל עיקר הכוונה צריך להיות בתיקון המדות כדי להיות כלי אל התורה.

But the essential intent of refining the middos must be in order to become a vessel for the Torah.

The true goal of character refinement is to make oneself into a fit vessel to receive and hold the Torah.

ונק' משה ואהרן שני שדיך כי שם שדים הוא בחי' הצמצום כמ"ש במ"א כי התינוק יונק ע"י השדים שיש בהם נקב קטן לצמצם החלב שלא יזיק התינוק.

And Moshe and Aharon are called "your two breasts," for the term "breasts" denotes the aspect of tzimtzum (constriction), as explained elsewhere, that the infant nurses through the breasts, which have a small opening to constrict the milk so that it should not harm the infant.

The breast restricts the flow of milk to a measure the baby can handle; so too Moshe and Aharon "constrict" the overwhelming Divine flow into a form Yisrael can safely receive.

והנה יש ב' בחי' צמצום שהאדם צריך להיות בו בחי' צמצום במיעוט התענוגים ולהיות נפרש מגשמיות.

And behold, there are two aspects of tzimtzum: that a person must have within himself the aspect of constriction, in minimizing pleasures and separating from physicality.

One form of "constriction" is on the human side — limiting indulgence and withdrawing from materiality (Aharon's quality).

וכפי הפרישה כך זוכה שיתגלה לו הקדושה.

And according to the separation, so does he merit that the holiness be revealed to him.

The more one constricts physical indulgence, the more holiness is revealed to him.

וזה בחי' משה רבינו שע"י הוריד הקב"ה התורה מן השמים כי התורה נעלמה מעיני כל חי.

And this is the aspect of Moshe Rabbeinu, through whom the Holy One, blessed is He, brought down the Torah from Heaven, for the Torah is hidden from the eyes of all living.

The second form of tzimtzum is the Divine side: the Torah is utterly beyond all creatures, and Hashem constricted it through Moshe so it could be received.

אך לאהבת ישראל צמצם הקב"ה הקדושה שיוכלו בנ"י לקבל קדושה עליונה בכח התורה שלפנינו:

But out of His love for Yisrael, the Holy One, blessed is He, constricted the holiness so that Bnei Yisrael could receive the supernal holiness through the power of the Torah that is before us.

Out of love, Hashem "shrank" the infinite holiness of the Torah into the comprehensible form we now possess, like milk measured through the breast, so that Yisrael could safely absorb it.

Summary: The laws of kosher foods were given through Moshe and Aharon because they are the "two breasts" that nurse Yisrael, and Yisrael's sustenance flows from a holy source, so their eating must be in purity. "And you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy" reflects two stages: man's effort of separation from below (weekday, body, Aharon's purity) and the holiness Hashem sends from above (Shabbos's neshamah yeseirah, Torah from Heaven, Moshe). Moshe draws holiness down while Aharon prepares the pure vessel to receive it — two halves of one process, which is why these days of Sefirah are devoted to refining middos in order to become a vessel for the Torah. Both Moshe and Aharon embody tzimtzum, like a nursing breast that constricts the milk: man constricts his physical indulgence, and Hashem, out of love, constricted the infinite Torah into a form Yisrael could safely receive.