רפואה מן התורה
Healing from the Torah
Healing from the Torah
Parashat Acharei Mot - Kedoshim
Leviticus 16:1-18:30
By Adam Ruditsky
Stepping out!
After the golden
calf incident there were consequences that changed the nature of Moses’ instructions
to Israel. In the same way after the
error of Nadav and Ahvihu new laws were given regarding the role of purity as
opposed to impurity that was to be mastered by all reflected in the conduct of
the community from the top down. So this
double parsha, Acharei Mot/Kedoshim, begins with the words, “after the death of Aaron’s two sons,” followed
by Moses instructing Aaron about how to approach the Holy of Holies on Yom
Kippur to avoid what happened to those very sons. As this section of Leviticus is the basis for
what would become the Yom Kippur service today, it can teach us how
to step out when approaching the sacredness of the day itself. Therefore, the instructions given to Aaron taught
that for his own sake, as well as for the sake of his household, he was to
bring a sin-offering before beginning his Priestly duties: not unlike the
mother in Tazria who was to bring a sin-offering after the birth of her
child (cf. Lev. 12:6). What did they do
that required a sin-offering? Perhaps
that is answered by what I consider the fulcrum of Israel’s identity from parsha
Kedoshim, -קדושים חהיו כ קדוש אני יהוה אלוהיכם ,
You (Israel) shall be holy, for I am Holy, the Lord your God.
Regarding Aaron the High Priest (cf. Lev. 16:6) he was to offer a sacrifice for וכפר (v’chipehr), or atonement. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch teaches that this is because this type of sacrifice is about the “burying of the past” itself, which is “the highest act of the absolute free-will" (הרשות בידו, lit. the authority in his hand), given by God. R’Hirsch continues to teach that this type of free-will, which is also found in the acts of God themselves, was so that human “consequences of the errors and sins of the past have no disturbing effect on the internal and external life of the future.” But R’Hirsch would also say that in this case וכפר (v’chipehr) is not כפרת דמים (kapa’rat damim), blood atonement, but וידוי דברים (vidui d’varim), a verbal confession. Given its proximity this appears to be about the recent past with Nadav and Ahvihu, whereas Aaron’s need to make a verbal confession represented the immediate future. So if the “blood” of the sacrifice represented life and therefore was a purifying agent so to speak that was ritually put upon the altar (דמי טהרה lit. the blood of purity; see Lev. 12:5 and Lev. 16:14), how was the past and future impacted by the Azazel released into the wilderness since there was no blood, no aroma and no act of ritual sacrifice? Maimonides would say that the Azazel served the purpose of freeing the people from the burden of the past, a symbol to guide the soul to repent. This is how Maimonides reads the Gemara from Yoma 67b that teaches how the procedure of the scapegoat is not a meaningless act since the sanctity of atonement was still achieved. Ibn Ezra notes via the Azazel, כי הכפור יהי עליו ופירושו לשלח אותו, “through it atonement will be, and this will be accomplished by sending it away.” Did sending the Azazel away erase the past or did it open up a door for the future? I think the past and the future are always connected so both were accomplished.
Aaron the High Priest was about to stand before God on Israel’s behalf, and on this day of Yom Kippur would beseech God for forgiveness and renewal. The ritual associated with this was grand, reenacted yearly during the Yom Kippur day service in Seder Avodah, a moving moment with great meaning. Yet we are dealing with just not the two sacrifices of Yom Kippur, one slaughtered and the other sent away, but Aaron’s own sacrifice. But how can we understand why Aaron had to initially sacrifice for himself if the sin-offering for the past and the future was already a part of the Yom Kippur ritual? Rashbam commenting on Leviticus 16:6 teaches that Aaron’s verbal confession had to happen before he undressed to put on the Priestly garments, a moment of transformation you might say. In other words, just as the new mom of Tazria needed to remove herself from the past to be fully be present for her new child, every year Aaron had to devoid himself of the past, both for himself and his household, to be fully present on the day of Yom Kippur so he could administer his duties for the sake of all Israel. Each year Aaron is reminded that he could not represent the future if carrying the stains of the past, hence the sin-sacrifice.
Here we turn to Kedoshim, and specifically from Leviticus 19:2 that says, “You shall be holy, for I am Holy, the Lord your God. We tend to go from 19:2 to 19:18 that talks about being holy and loving your neighbor, but in between we find laws of conduct and moral ethics that stem from the holy nature of who the people of Israel were to be and just not arbitrary behavior that served each as they pleased. Being holy is about being connected to a higher ideal that for Torah transcends our humanity and unites with the Divine. The middot themselves, or soul traits, are connected to the purity of the neshoma (soul/inner being) that asked Israel to separate, or consecrate themselves, not just from what was impure but toward what is pure. This is how Aaron’s sacrifice should be understood. Today then, with the first day of Rosh Hashanah and during the Yom Kippur day service, the Cantor/Prayer Leader steps out and recites the Hineni prayer, a prayer that includes the words, “Here I am empty of deeds and turmoil … I have come here to stand up and plead with you for your people Israel who have sent me, even though I am not worthy or fitting to come.” The Cantor is supposed to be at-one with the magnitude of the day by recognizing the sacredness of the moment that calls for the need to make וידוי דברים, a verbal confession, before representing the community to God for the year to come. That is an awesome responsibility that requires a great deal of anavah, or humility that is rooted in kedoshim (holiness), which begins with a cleansing of the past in order to be present for the future. This lesson that began with the new mom in Tazria, central for Aaron’s success in Acharei Mot, continues today not just for the Cantor but for all of us. Stepping out of the past is the first step for a better and brighter future always!
Regarding Aaron the High Priest (cf. Lev. 16:6) he was to offer a sacrifice for וכפר (v’chipehr), or atonement. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch teaches that this is because this type of sacrifice is about the “burying of the past” itself, which is “the highest act of the absolute free-will" (הרשות בידו, lit. the authority in his hand), given by God. R’Hirsch continues to teach that this type of free-will, which is also found in the acts of God themselves, was so that human “consequences of the errors and sins of the past have no disturbing effect on the internal and external life of the future.” But R’Hirsch would also say that in this case וכפר (v’chipehr) is not כפרת דמים (kapa’rat damim), blood atonement, but וידוי דברים (vidui d’varim), a verbal confession. Given its proximity this appears to be about the recent past with Nadav and Ahvihu, whereas Aaron’s need to make a verbal confession represented the immediate future. So if the “blood” of the sacrifice represented life and therefore was a purifying agent so to speak that was ritually put upon the altar (דמי טהרה lit. the blood of purity; see Lev. 12:5 and Lev. 16:14), how was the past and future impacted by the Azazel released into the wilderness since there was no blood, no aroma and no act of ritual sacrifice? Maimonides would say that the Azazel served the purpose of freeing the people from the burden of the past, a symbol to guide the soul to repent. This is how Maimonides reads the Gemara from Yoma 67b that teaches how the procedure of the scapegoat is not a meaningless act since the sanctity of atonement was still achieved. Ibn Ezra notes via the Azazel, כי הכפור יהי עליו ופירושו לשלח אותו, “through it atonement will be, and this will be accomplished by sending it away.” Did sending the Azazel away erase the past or did it open up a door for the future? I think the past and the future are always connected so both were accomplished.
Aaron the High Priest was about to stand before God on Israel’s behalf, and on this day of Yom Kippur would beseech God for forgiveness and renewal. The ritual associated with this was grand, reenacted yearly during the Yom Kippur day service in Seder Avodah, a moving moment with great meaning. Yet we are dealing with just not the two sacrifices of Yom Kippur, one slaughtered and the other sent away, but Aaron’s own sacrifice. But how can we understand why Aaron had to initially sacrifice for himself if the sin-offering for the past and the future was already a part of the Yom Kippur ritual? Rashbam commenting on Leviticus 16:6 teaches that Aaron’s verbal confession had to happen before he undressed to put on the Priestly garments, a moment of transformation you might say. In other words, just as the new mom of Tazria needed to remove herself from the past to be fully be present for her new child, every year Aaron had to devoid himself of the past, both for himself and his household, to be fully present on the day of Yom Kippur so he could administer his duties for the sake of all Israel. Each year Aaron is reminded that he could not represent the future if carrying the stains of the past, hence the sin-sacrifice.
Here we turn to Kedoshim, and specifically from Leviticus 19:2 that says, “You shall be holy, for I am Holy, the Lord your God. We tend to go from 19:2 to 19:18 that talks about being holy and loving your neighbor, but in between we find laws of conduct and moral ethics that stem from the holy nature of who the people of Israel were to be and just not arbitrary behavior that served each as they pleased. Being holy is about being connected to a higher ideal that for Torah transcends our humanity and unites with the Divine. The middot themselves, or soul traits, are connected to the purity of the neshoma (soul/inner being) that asked Israel to separate, or consecrate themselves, not just from what was impure but toward what is pure. This is how Aaron’s sacrifice should be understood. Today then, with the first day of Rosh Hashanah and during the Yom Kippur day service, the Cantor/Prayer Leader steps out and recites the Hineni prayer, a prayer that includes the words, “Here I am empty of deeds and turmoil … I have come here to stand up and plead with you for your people Israel who have sent me, even though I am not worthy or fitting to come.” The Cantor is supposed to be at-one with the magnitude of the day by recognizing the sacredness of the moment that calls for the need to make וידוי דברים, a verbal confession, before representing the community to God for the year to come. That is an awesome responsibility that requires a great deal of anavah, or humility that is rooted in kedoshim (holiness), which begins with a cleansing of the past in order to be present for the future. This lesson that began with the new mom in Tazria, central for Aaron’s success in Acharei Mot, continues today not just for the Cantor but for all of us. Stepping out of the past is the first step for a better and brighter future always!
Shabbat
Shalom!
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