Leviticus 16:1–18:30
Parshat Acharei Mot–Kedoshim
After the death of Aaron's two sons, the Torah describes the Yom Kippur service of the High Priest in the Holy of Holies, with its two goats, and then the laws of forbidden relationships. Kedoshim, usually read together with it, opens with “Be holy, for I am holy” and includes “Love your neighbor as yourself,” honoring parents, charity for the poor and honesty in business.
Essays
Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Be Holy Holiness is defined by our ability to live a G-dly existence in all aspects of life. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Don’t Let the Sodomite Salt Blind Our Open Eyes Blindness comes in many forms. The most challenging form is when our eyes our wide open with 20-20 vision, yet we fail to see the Divine in everything. This is the challenge of Galus-exile and will be remedied with Moshiach. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Exile Is Not a Curse?! It is axiomatic in Judaism, that when a person is given a challenge, he or she is also given the ability to meet that challenge. Ours is the challenge of Galus. We have the capacity to meet that challenge by bringing the Redemption! ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Honoring and Revering Parents Shabbos is our invitation to enter into G-d’s “space.” Honoring parents invites G-d to enter into our space. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Help the Blind Galus-exile is a time of disrupted Shalom Bayis- Domestic Peace. It is caused by spiritual blindness. Moshiach will open our eyes to see the G-dly and goodly in everything and everyone. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – I Don’t Need Your Gold, I Want Your Soul Gold is a metaphor for spiritual wealth. In conventional times and situations one must search for and offer our “gold” to G-d. In unconventional times, like Yom Kippur, we must transcend the “gold standard.” We must give our pure untainted and unadorned souls to G-d. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHI Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Judaism and the Occult One of Judaism’s many paradoxes is that it is simultaneously the most mystical and most rational belief system. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – L’chaim to Life – I There is an intrinsic quality to life. The greatest quality of life is the quality of life itself. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – L’chaim-To Life! Ii Life to be experienced in its fullest sense must be one of plurality dedicated to a singularity. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Loving Yourself Self-Esteem should be replaced with Soul-Esteem, the true self ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Live with Them The beauty of Judaism is that it allows us ot soar to the greatest spiritual heights but considers our transformation of the physical world its primary focus. Indeed, when we fuse the two movements together we get the Messianic symphony. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Odd Combination Although it sounds irrational, the highest and lowest realms can reside in the same person or situation. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – One Day Yom Kippur is much more than a Day of Atonement. It is a day of “At-one-ment” where we experience total unity with G-d. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Paradoxes of Judaism Judaism is replete with Paradoxes. Seven of its paradoxes are represented by the seven double Torah portions. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Reach for the Stars with Your Feet on the Ground Motivated by our selfish spiritual interests, spirituality and materiality are irreconcilable opposites. Motivated by G-d’s interests they are not only compatible; they complement each other. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Respect Your Parents and Be Holy Respecting parents is the equivalent of respecting G-d, their partner in our creation. Respecting the Shabbos is the equivalent of respecting G-d even as we indulge in the physical pleasures of life. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Responsible, Sweet and Intermingled We are commanded to rebuke our fellow. Yet we must not cause sue division amongst ourselves. Successful rebuking requires love and empathy. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Revenge Is Not Very Sweet The key to healing our divisions is to defuse conflicts. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Stand Up for Us Honest introspection demands that we don’t overlook our flaws. Honest introspection also demands that we don’t overlook our qualities and virtues. If this is true for every individual it is certainly true for our people as a whole. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Temporary Denial Asceticism has its place in Jewish thought and life. However, denial of the physical is at best a preparation for the time when we will “have our cake and eat it too” in the most holy fashion. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – The End of Deception Exile is a deception and it robs us of our soul’s nutrition. Anyone with a shred of integrity cannot tolerate staying in exile and with heartfelt passion pleads and indeed demands the Redemption. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – The Great Principle Love and Unity are the catalysts that bring us to the Final Redemption ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – The “I Love My Fellow” Virus The most difficult negative trait is envy. The antidote to envy is loving our fellow as ourselves, the “Great Principle of Torah. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – The Yom Kippur Lottery While nothing in life is arbitrary there are things that defy logic. Yom Kippur introduces us to that higher dynamic, which enables us to change. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Theft in the Singular and in the Plural Moral decisions have to involve the realization of what our actions cause collectively and individually. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Unity and Separation The ultimate goal is not unity but unity within diversity. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM – VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE All of the different classes of non-Jew, Jew, Kohain, Levi, Yisroel will remain in the Messianic Age even as we will experience the greatest feeling of unity ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM Parsha Acharei-Kedoshim – Which Way Shall We Go? Why is there so much juvenile crime and violence now? The answer lies in the exposing of powerful youthful energy before Moshiach. Parents and teachers have the responsibility to steer this energy in the right direction. They should not ignore it or suppress it. ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM ACHAREI-KEDOSHIM