When dark clouds cover the sky and the world grows dark, remember that even now, above those thick dark clouds, the sun is shining its magnificent light as brilliantly as always.
Kohanim were given the opportunity to be divorced from the need to gain their daily bread, to elevate themselves above the rat-race. They were able to cleave to The Eternal, where there is no sadness, no strife. By living in this dimension of Peace, they were able to infuse their brothers with the realization that the sun is always shining above the clouds. The Kohanim stem from the Sefira of Binah, one of the three unchanging Sefirot that are always united, always at peace. They were therefore commanded to stay away from the ultimate separation, the epitome of loss, when the spirit leaves the body.
On Shabbos and on YomTov as well we do not mourn, we do not work. On these holy days all the Worlds are elevated, and Malchus, which governs the physical world, ascends to Binah. On these unique days the whole nation can taste of that eternal perfection that awaits those who lift their eyes to The Eternal.
But one who sees only the here and now, is completely caught up in the travails of everyday living. When things don't go his way he cannot accept it, for he cannot see things from a broader perspective. His subjectivity compels him to blaspheme the Truth and the unity it stands for. Thus he is in a state of separation and has no peace, deemed unworthy of this world, the world of preparation for Eternity.
Based on Rabbi Vali's book on Vayikra. More about the concept of Tahara in the next weeks. Questions can be mailed to: the Yeshiva