This Week’s Torah Portion: Acharei Mot – K’doshim – אַחֲרֵי מוֹת – קְדֹשִׁים (Leviticus 16:1-20:27)
דַּבֵּר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃
“Speak to the entire congregation of the Israelites, saying to them: ‘Holy shall you be, for holy am I, Adonai your God’”
God reminds us in the Torah that holiness is a process, rather than a state of being or a destination. Each one of us has an innate holiness for being created in the Image of God, and we have the sacred responsibility of becoming more ourselves and becoming more holy through our lives by pursuing peace, justice, and love in our world. May we always remember our innate holiness and have the courage to find that holiness and cultivate it in ourselves and others.
Parsha Acharei Mot – K’doshim – אַחֲרֵי מוֹת – קְדֹשִׁים Torah Summary:
The duties that the head kohein must perform on Yom Kippur are delineated and the ceremony of the scapegoat is outlined. (16:1-28)
Moses instructs Aaron about the Yom Kippur laws for fasting and atonement. (16:29-34)
Warnings are issued against the offering of sacrifices outside the Sanctuary and the consumption of blood. (17:1-16)
Moses condemns the sexual practices of some neighboring peoples. Certain forms of sexual relations are prohibited. (18:1-30)
God issues a variety of commandments, instructing the Israelites on how to be a holy people. (19:1-37)
Various sex offenses are discussed and punishments for them are presented. (20:1-27)
“Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, your God יהוה, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
Our Torah sets the bar very high. We aim to be as sacred as God. We will never achieve the goal, but we need to always strive to be better, to be closer to what we ought to be.
Acharei Mot – K’doshim
The duties that the head kohein must perform on Yom Kippur are delineated and the ceremony of the scapegoat is outlined. (16:1-28)
Moses instructs Aaron about the Yom Kippur laws for fasting and atonement. (16:29-34)
Warnings are issued against the offering of sacrifices outside the Sanctuary and the consumption of blood. (17:1-16)
Moses condemns the sexual practices of some neighboring peoples. Certain forms of sexual relations are prohibited. (18:1-30)
God issues a variety of commandments, instructing the Israelites on how to be a holy people. (19:1-37)
Various sex offenses are discussed and punishments for them are presented. (20:1-27)
