How to Be Holy
Apr 24, 2026 By Raymond Scheindlin | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
This week, we read two parashiyot from Leviticus: Aharei Mot andKedoshim. Taken together, they cover five clearly defined topics. Aharei Mot deals with the rituals of the high priest on Yom Kippur; regulations governing the slaughter of animals for food and sacrifice; and the prohibition of various sexual relations, especially incest. This last subject is resumed at the end ofKedoshim. Between the two discussions of sexual relations is the famousChapter 19, which opensKedoshim. This chapter stands out from the rest of our double parashah鈥攊n fact, from the rest of the book of Leviticus. It is a reprieve from the seemingly endless ritual instructions, most of which are no longer applicable, that make up the bulk of the book; and, thoughChapter 19does include some important ritual instructions, it is mostly devoted to the kind of rules for life that should govern every well-organized society, rules that people of most cultures and religions have tried to inculcate for everyone鈥檚 benefit.
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Love Beyond Grudges: Living the Mitzvah of Love Your Neighbor
May 9, 2025 By Jonah Guthartz | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
Parashat Kedoshim begins by laying out dozens of mitzvot, including the prohibition against idolatry and the mitzvot of charity, Shabbat, honesty in business, honoring one鈥檚 parents, and the sanctity of life. Perhaps the best- known mitzvah is 诇止纸讗志转执拽止旨证诐 讜职诇止纸讗志转执讟止旨专謾 讗侄转志讘职旨谞值郑讬 注址诪侄旨謹讱指 讜职讗指纸讛址讘职转指旨芝 诇职专值注植讱指謻 讻指旨诪謶讜止讱指 讗植谞执謻讬 讬职-讛止讜指纸讛變 (Lev. 19:19) 鈥淵ou shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow [Israelite] as yourself: I am the Lord鈥� Rabbi Akiva famously names this as a fundamental value of the Torah (Sifra, Kedoshim 4:12).
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What Do the Dead Know?
May 3, 2024 By Jonathan Boyarin | Commentary | Aharei Mot
This week鈥檚 Torah portion begins with the words 鈥渁fter the death,鈥� referring to the death of Aaron鈥檚 sons Nadab and Abihu. I appreciate the chance to contribute this week鈥檚 commentary, since I鈥檓 currently teaching a course titled 鈥淒eath, Dying, and the Dead鈥� at 91抖阴. Much of the course is about Jewish death rituals, but I also aim to convince my students that Jewishness per se is inconceivable without some notion of the continuing presence of the dead in the world of the living. The tradition for the most part seems to take this continued presence for granted, though questions arose about exactly how it manifests.
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Making God Holy
Apr 28, 2023 By Amram Altzman | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
Parashat Kedoshim, the second of the two parashiyot that we read this week, ends just as it begins: with an imperative for us, the Children of Israel, to be holy. Our parashah opens with, 鈥溩ё撟┳欁� 转讛讬讜/You shall be holy,鈥漚nd the penultimate verse tells us that, 鈥溩曌斪欁欁� 诇讬 拽讚砖讬诐/You shall be holy to Me, for I God am holy, and I have set you apart from other peoples to be Mine鈥� (Lev. 20:26). Although almost identical, our parashahends with the idea that we are not just holy in general, but are specifically designed as holy to God. How, then, are we supposed to not just be holy, but holy to God?
Read MoreYom Kippur Torah Reading
By 91抖阴 | Collected Resources | Aharei Mot | Yom Kippur
The Yom Kippur Torah portion is taken from Aharei Mot. In the morning service, the reading (Leviticus 16:1-34) describes the priestly duties on Yom Kippur and the ritual of the scapegoat. While the afternoon (18:1-30) describes forbidden relationships and marriages. The Haftarah in the morning is from Isaiah 57:14-58:14 and highlights themes of repentance and fasting. During mincha, the book of Jonah is read.
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Who is the Stranger?
Apr 29, 2022 By Linda S. Golding | Commentary | Aharei Mot
What a great invitation, I thought, to write a d鈥檝ar Torah on Aharei Mot! The opening verses that include 鈥淭ell your brother Aaron that he is not to come at will into the Shrine behind the curtain . . . lest he die鈥� came immediately to mind. The directive to be mindful and thoughtful when entering God鈥檚 presence and the presence of others certainly aligns with a chaplain鈥檚 way of being. When entering a hospital room, for example, I know that the Shekhinah, God鈥檚 healing presence, is at the head of the patient鈥檚 bed. Holiness is already in the room, and I must be prepared to pay attention.
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The Palace of Torah Expanded: 15 Years Later
Apr 23, 2021 By Daniel Nevins | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
For many modern readers, engaging with Torah presents a paradox. Biblical and rabbinic voices reaching us from the distant past are like starlight emitted millennia ago鈥攂rilliant and often shockingly current, but also artifacts from light sources that may have dimmed or even expired. This paradox can be constructive, drawing modern readers out of our own cultural assumptions, challenging us to notice wonders that we might otherwise miss. The Torah鈥檚 poetry, its stirring demands for justice, and its vast system of devotional rites prime us for faith and sanctity. And when we encounter a Torah text that rings false or hurtful, we may use that encounter to clarify our own understanding, to articulate our community鈥檚 sacred values.
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Holiness Through Restraint
May 1, 2020 By Joshua Rabin | Commentary | Aharei Mot | Kedoshim
I am a rabbi who works with teenagers, and you cannot talk to adults about teenagers without the conversation quickly focusing on smartphones and social media. And it quickly turns depressing.
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