OU TORAH The Dual Nature of the Chagim in Parshat Emor By Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

What is a “moed”? Most of us would answer – a Jewish holiday [i.e. a “yom-tov”]. [Most English Bibles translate “moed” – a fixed time.] However, earlier in Chumash, the Hebrew word “chag” was used to describe the Holidays (e.g. see Shmot 12:14, 13:6, 23:16). So why does Parshat Emor prefer to use the Hebrew word “moed” instead? [See 23:2,4,37,44.] Furthermore, it is just by chance that the same Hebrew word “moed” is also used to describe the Mishkan, i.e. the “Ohel MOED”? [See Vayikra 1:1, Shmot 30:34 etc.] In this week’s shiur, we attempt to answer these questions by taking a closer look at Vayikra chapter 23.