Introduction Rabbi Elazar of our mishnah was from Modiin (which is where I live!), the ancestral home of the Hasmoneans (Maccabees). This is his only appearance in the mishnah but he appears many times in aggadic texts in the Talmud. According to legend he was Bar Kochba’s uncle but when Bar Kochba suspected that he wanted to surrender, Bar Kochba assassinated him.
Rabbi Elazar of Modiin said: one who profanes sacred things, and one who despises the festivals, and one who causes his fellow’s face to blush in public, and one who annuls the covenant of our father Abraham, may he rest in peace, and he who is contemptuous towards the Torah, even though he has to his credit [knowledge of the] Torah and good deeds, he has not a share in the world to come. Rabbi Elazar lists five sins that cause a person to lose a share in the world to come (see the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin). One who profanes sacred things: this refers to one who causes sacrificial animals to become impure, uses them for his own benefit, damages them or takes them out of the Temple precints. His disrespect for them is a sign that he does not believe in their validity. In other words he does not believe in the validity of the Temple and its worship service. One who despises the festivals: this refers to one who does work on the intermediate days of the festivals. Although it is permitted to do some types of work on these days, in situations where cessation of work will not cause a financial loss, work is generally forbidden (there are exceptions). One who causes his fellow’s face to blush in public: a well-known aggadah teaches that one who causes his fellow to be embarrassed, it is as if he had killed him. The rush of blood to his face is similar to bloodshed. One who annuls the covenant of our father Abraham: this refers to one who does not circumcise his son or one who uncircumcises himself (this was a surgical procedure known in the ancient world, and mentioned many times in the Talmud, despite how painful it must have been). This person is making a statement that he does not want to be part of the Jewish people, for circumcision is the most basic sign that identifies a person as a Jew (at least it was when most people did not circumcise, and especially in the Greek world where circumcision was abhorred.) He who is contemptuous towards the Torah: this refers to one who ascribes disgraceful or improper meanings to the contents of the Torah. The Meiri notes that Rabbi Elazar does not speak of transgressions that come about as a result of an overpowering evil impulse, such as eating forbidden foods or performing forbidden acts. Many of these are connected somehow to heresy (the possible exception being embarrassing one’s friend in public).
Questions for Further Thought:
• Why is one who is not scrupulous in his observance of the intermediate days of the festival sanctioned so harshly? In other words, why does Rabbi Elazar mention this transgression as opposed to one who breaks the Sabbath, for instance?