Acharei Mot (after death)
Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30
Kedoshim (be holy)
Leviticus 19:1 - 20:27

In this week’s double Torah portion, we continue the narrative of the inauguration of the priesthood and we learn the importance of personal moral responsibility. The passage begins where the narrative left off in chapter 10, that is, the death of the two sons of Aaron. In chapters 11 - 15 we learn about the laws of purity. Thematically, these verses form a "parentheses" around the narrative, helping us to understand the need for preparation in coming in to the presence of God. Now in chapter 16, we have the priestly instructions for the Day of Atonement. For most of us, these verses of Torah seem very far removed from our lives today. Frankly, even for the Israelites of that day, these instructions were for the priests and not for the Israelites. However, as we continue reading, we find that in addition to the instructions for the priesthood, much is written about how each Israelite was to conduct him/her self in everyday activities. An important observation from this text is that spirituality is not defined simply as ritual - in this case - the priestly activity on the Day of Atonement, but rather also in the daily moral choices that we make. Chapters 17-20 describe the ways that spirituality is lived out daily. In fact, chapter 18:5 calls this activity - life!

Today everyone is looking for some type of spirituality. In fact in the Columbus Dispatch on 5/4/01 (yesterday), there was an extensive article on Kabbalah. Many people today believe that spirituality is something highly mystical and difficult to comprehend. However, from our Torah portion we learn that spirituality is a very practical matter. First we must have atonement for our sins. This, God had instructed via the animal sacrifices. Then as a result, we are to live moral lives. In chapters 18-19, we read the we are to be honest people; we are to respect elders, we are not to be gossips and we are not to practice sexual immorality of any kind. Unfortunately in our world today, we have separated the idea of moral responsibility from spirituality. We have defined spirituality as engaging in feel-good ecstatic experiences. But the torah teaches that spirituality is the practical way in which we respond to God. Remember what we read in the New Covenant book of James: faith without works is dead. In the New Covenant Book of Ephesians, Paul essentially tells the people that if they are now believing in the God of Israel, they had better live their lives in such a way as to reflect that belief. When we trust in the atonement that God provides in the death and resurrection of Yeshua, He empowers us to live moral lives.

May we be careful how we live - making right moral choices that reflect the nature and character of God.

Shabbat Shalom!