Chillul Hashem v Kiddush Hashem

Here is a different essay on the same subject - approached a little differently

Parshat Emor

by Rabbi Avi Billet

After introducing us to the concepts of not bringing an animal as an offering before it is eight days old, and after telling us that the animal and its parent (Rashi distinguishes between the animal’s mother and father) can not be slaughtered on the same day, the Torah tells us that we must keep God’s commandments. And – “You shall not desecrate My holy name, and I should be sanctified among the children of Israel.” (22:32)

In the Sefer HaChinukh, the author divides this verse into two commandments, one against desecrating God’s name (making a “Chillul Hashem”), and one promoting the sanctification of the same (making a “Kiddush Hashem”).

 He depicts the desecration of God’s name on three levels: the first involves violating a very serious commandment when enemies are pushing one to do so, the second involves violating a sin that is just meant to cause anger or angst (such as lying in court), and the third is simply not behaving in a way that gives people a good flavor for Jewish people and therefore for the God we claim to represent – such as promising to pay someone, and not following through with it quickly.

 Rabbenu Bachaye describes Chillul Hashem as being one of the most serious violations a Jew can commit. Even Yom Kippur doesn’t bring about atonement for the desecration of God’s name!

 However, Rabbenu Bachaye does give a way to atone for what one has desecrated, and that is the second half of our verse. Sanctify God’s name in a manner which is opposite the method and form of desecration, that overturns the desecration of God’s name. Proverbs 16:6 notes that with “kindness and truth sins can be atoned for…”

Bringing the example of Chananya, Mishael and Azarya from the book of Daniel, he notes, quoting the Sifra (9:4) that sanctification of God must come from a place where one is not expecting anything, but on the contrary, is ready to die for one’s beliefs. The reason Chananya, Mishael and Azarya are viewed in the way they are is because they were not expecting to be saved from a fiery furnace. They were ready to give up their lives rather than submit to the heresies to which they were being forced to participate.

 Rabbi Yaakov Kaminetzky asked an interesting question on this subject, as to how people in the Middle Ages who gave up their lives for God’s name justified taking the lives of their children as well? (Think Crusades, Inquisition, etc.) The children were not obligated to give up their lives at that age!

He answered that had the children been spared, they would have been taken by their enemies (assuming the enemies would not have killed them too!) and would have been raised in a manner equivalent to a forced conversion, which would have also turned into a desecration of God’s name, Jewish children being raised against the holy teachings of the Torah.

 It should never happen that we ought to be faced with such a difficult challenge that causes us to give up our lives for God’s name. But would we be prepared to do so?

Every time I see Jews fighting over some matter of ideology, politics, life-choices, I wonder if we have lost sight of the bigger picture. We are in this Jewish life together, we all have the same job to sanctify God’s name, and when we forget that, we cause fighting in our own ranks which is a bigger Chillul Hashem than the Chillul Hashem we think we are preventing. Let us remember that the enemies of the Jewish people think our very existence is a Chillul Hashem. They think the state of Israel is a Chillul Hashem. They think a chassid wearing Chassidic garb is a Chillul Hashem. They think a Jew owning a bank is a Chillul Hashem. They think a Jew asking for rent to be paid on time is a Chillul Hashem.

Obviously these kinds of thoughts from people who hate Jews no matter what are irrelevant to the discussion.

 Our job is to be good, honest people, to represent God honorably. If we are not doing that, then we are certainly desecrating God’s name in the eyes of those who may want to judge us favorably!

 We should always remember that those who hate us don’t need an excuse. We should go above and beyond our emotions to remember that internal strife and hatred towards our fellow Jews is the biggest Chillul Hashem we can commit because we give fodder to those who are looking for an excuse to see us as people not deserving of respect, and our God as not deserving respect. We owe it to ourselves and to God to rise above any and all internal strife towards our fellow Jews. Issues can be discussed, compromises can be reached. But hating another Jew is desecrating God’s name.