Parashat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim
April 25, 2023
Geri Bloch, Former High School English Teacher
As an adolescent sitting in an afternoon Hebrew School, I did not always give my full attention to my teachers, but I tended to listen to them when discussions of the Rabbis Hillel and Shammai were involved. I have no idea why that was except that I probably thought it “cool” that two rabbis were arguing! The story that was repeated just about every year concerned an individual who asked Hillel if he could summarize the Torah while standing on one leg. A man had asked Shammai the same question, but Shammai essentially chased the man away. Hillel responded by saying, “What is distasteful to you, don’t do to another person. The rest is commentary; now go study the commentary” (BT Shab. 31a). My teachers never revealed if Hillel answered the man while standing on one leg, but it was clear that Shammai lost the argument. Aharei Mot and Kedoshim are part of that commentary.
Last week’s double parashiot also dealt with purity and impurity, everything from tzaraat on a human body to taking apart a house and removing affected stones, timber, and coating because the “plague” in the house could not be cleansed. Aharei Mot and Kedoshim continue the discussion of purity, starting with the rituals for the Kohen Gadol.
But first, the parashah must remind the reader that God killed Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, who “offered before the Lord alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the Lord” (Lev. 10:1-2). The sanctuary was to be a holy place, and those who trespassed, those who did not follow the “rules” for entering the sanctuary, those individuals would be slain for bringing impurity into a holy place.
As the Kohen Gadol, Aaron had to follow God’s words carefully to maintain the purity expected of someone who was to lead the service for the Day of Atonement. He would have to wash and then put on a linen tunic. He would have to bring his own sacrifice of a bull, a ram, and two he-goats from the community. One of the goats would be for God and one for Azazel. The he-goat for God would be a purification offering, but the goat designated for Azazel would be left alive as expiation and sent off into the wilderness. These preparations reveal how important this day was to be: “For on this day expiation shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall be pure before the Lord” (Lev. 16:30).
The parashah continues with the admonition about the “practices of the land of Egypt . . . or of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws” (Lev. 18:3). The Israelite nation was to become a holy nation; therefore, their behavior was to reflect the sacred, not the profane. “Abhorrent practices” that might cause the defilement of individuals or of the Israelite society were definitely condemned. To the modern sensibility, the rules set down in Aharei Mot vary from the common sense to the harsh and unyielding, but the beginning words of Kedoshim, “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2), underscore their purpose.
Indeed, Kedoshim reiterates laws of holy behavior designed to mold the Israelites into a holy nation. Again, most of them are of the common sense variety, but one stands out because it is the one with which modern man seems to have the most trouble: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18). This statement with the imperative to love one’s fellow man seems to be violated often in today’s world. We have forgotten God’s words; we have forgotten Hillel’s words: “What is distasteful to you, don’t do to another person. The rest is commentary; now go study the commentary.” The words of Tazria, Metzora, Aharei Mot, and Kedoshim urge us to become better human beings. If we are “b’tselem Elohim,” created in God’s image, we must heed the injunctions before us. It is time to study the commentary.
But first, the parashah must remind the reader that God killed Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, who “offered before the Lord alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them. And fire came forth from the Lord and consumed them; thus they died at the instance of the Lord” (Lev. 10:1-2). The sanctuary was to be a holy place, and those who trespassed, those who did not follow the “rules” for entering the sanctuary, those individuals would be slain for bringing impurity into a holy place.
As the Kohen Gadol, Aaron had to follow God’s words carefully to maintain the purity expected of someone who was to lead the service for the Day of Atonement. He would have to wash and then put on a linen tunic. He would have to bring his own sacrifice of a bull, a ram, and two he-goats from the community. One of the goats would be for God and one for Azazel. The he-goat for God would be a purification offering, but the goat designated for Azazel would be left alive as expiation and sent off into the wilderness. These preparations reveal how important this day was to be: “For on this day expiation shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall be pure before the Lord” (Lev. 16:30).
The parashah continues with the admonition about the “practices of the land of Egypt . . . or of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws” (Lev. 18:3). The Israelite nation was to become a holy nation; therefore, their behavior was to reflect the sacred, not the profane. “Abhorrent practices” that might cause the defilement of individuals or of the Israelite society were definitely condemned. To the modern sensibility, the rules set down in Aharei Mot vary from the common sense to the harsh and unyielding, but the beginning words of Kedoshim, “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2), underscore their purpose.
Indeed, Kedoshim reiterates laws of holy behavior designed to mold the Israelites into a holy nation. Again, most of them are of the common sense variety, but one stands out because it is the one with which modern man seems to have the most trouble: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the Lord” (Lev. 19:18). This statement with the imperative to love one’s fellow man seems to be violated often in today’s world. We have forgotten God’s words; we have forgotten Hillel’s words: “What is distasteful to you, don’t do to another person. The rest is commentary; now go study the commentary.” The words of Tazria, Metzora, Aharei Mot, and Kedoshim urge us to become better human beings. If we are “b’tselem Elohim,” created in God’s image, we must heed the injunctions before us. It is time to study the commentary.
Shabbat Shalom