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April 16, 2011
PARASHAT ACHAREI MOT
(“AFTER THE DEATH”)
1ST Aliyah (P. 480, verse 1)
For the last two Shabbatot, Parashats M’tzora and Tazri-a, we have
discussed the individual’s state of purity. The parashats discussed
how an Israelite could become ritually impure. Various situations that
could lead to impurity included birth, skin infections, bodily fluids and
contact with blood. The list continued to include the Tazria (impurity)
of a house. Solutions to the state of impurity or ways for the individual
to return to a state of purity involved separation, animal sacrifice and
immersion in water. Once brought back to a state of purity, the
individual could become part of the community again and participate
in the sacrificial system. Acharei Mot shifts the purity from the
individual Israelite to the Sanctuary and Tabernacle. The Sanctuary
and the Priests who engage in its sacrificial system and maintenance
must also remain in a state of purity. Atonement rites to maintain a
pure Sanctuary are discussed in this Parashat. This is an important
issue since an impure or defiled Sanctuary would induce God to
withdraw His presence from the Israelite community. A question we
can ask concerning our own community is: What could cause God to
hide his countenance or withdraw His presence from us? This is not
only a question for the Jewish community but also for society itself.
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2nd Aliyah (Sha ne) (P. 483, verse 18)
At the root of Parashat Acharei Mot, according to The Women’s
Commentary is the question of change. How is it that a person
undergoes a transformation? What does it mean and how does it
change his/her orientation to the Divine? The Priestly writers also
wondered how the people of Israel can undergo a collective change.
The answer they provide is that change comes about through
properly-performed ritual. The Priests taught that both the body and
the Sanctuary have the potential to reach purity and optimal Holiness.
On the other hand, the body can become impure and the community
tainted by transgression—Priestly ritual mediates between the state of
purity and impurity. This portion shows us the boundary between
purity and impurity so that the individual and community alike can
know where they stand in relation to God and to others. The body is
not at fault for entering the state of impurity. It is part of the natural
process. With the appropriate rites, it can be reversed. As it
developed, Priestly thought comes to consider the state of impurity
due to moral transgression as well as physical impurity. This Parasha
combines two levels of Priestly thought that modern critical scholars
label as “P” for the Priestly school (Leviticus 16) and “H” for the
Holiness school (Leviticus 17-18). The Holiness of the Sanctuary
most concerns the “P” source, whereas the sacred nature of the land
most concerns the “H” source. Both sources grant contaminating and
purifying power to blood. To the ancient writers of Leviticus, its
system of animal sacrifice awakens the soul so that it can flourish in a
state of purity. Today, instead of sacrifice, we have prayer and the
study of Torah, mitzvoth, deeds of loving kindness, tikun olam
(repairing the world), and proper ethical behavior.
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3rd Aliyah (Shileshe) (P. 484, verse 26)
A sermon entitled, “On Being Fully Alive”, Rabbi Sidney Greenberg
states that, “Some years ago a religious sect adopted as its motto
these words, ‘Millions now living will never die’, whereupon one
observer remarked, ‘Yes but the tragedy is that millions now living are
already dead but do not know it.’” The Rabbinic teachers may have
been pointing in the same direction in the comment on the opening
verse of this Sidrah. The opening line is: “The Lord spoke to Moses
after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too
close to the presence of the Lord…” The sages said that they had
suffered a peculiar kind of death: “Their souls were consumed: their
bodies remained intact.” Had the sages filled out the coroner’s report,
it might have read, “Biologically sound, spiritually dead. The ancient
Rabbis confirmed here a moral verdict that the wicked even in life are
considered dead. A wise man once blessed his younger grandson in
these words: “My child, may you live all the days of your life.” To live
all the days of our lives means keeping our minds alive, to be open to
new ideas, to entertain challenging doubts, nurture a lively curiosity
and strive constantly to keep learning. To live all the days of our lives
means to keep our hearts alive, to deepen our compassion, add to
our friendships and to grow more sensitive to the beauty of the world,
and to the wonder and the miracle of being part of it. To live all the
days of our lives means to keep our souls alive, to grow more
responsive to the needs of others, more resistant to consuming greed
and more devoted to truth and integrity. It means to remain rooted in
our rich heritage, to be sustained by worship and to be strengthened
by our community. Nadab and Abihu failed to do this. Let us here at
Temple Beth El seek to live all the days of our lives.
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4th Aliyah (Rive-e) (P. 485, verse 2)
Leviticus 16, which is the Torah reading for Yom Kippur morning,
consists of instructions for the service of atonement performed by the
High Priest in the Tabernacle on Yom Kippur. The focus on the ritual
observance highlights the theme of Yom Kippur—the relationship
between the ethical and the ritual. The Torah reading reminds us that
even when we have done all we can do to cleanse ourselves—
physically, emotionally and morally—something more is required: the
dramatic rituals of Yom Kippur. Before atoning for the community,
Aaron must atone for himself and his household. Aaron then makes a
selection by lottery to determine which of two goats will be sacrificed
and which will be burdened with the sins of all Israel and flung into the
wilderness as a scapegoat. The rituals are designed to return Israel
to a pristine condition, free of sin, to start a new year. The scapegoat
ritual, however, reminds us that our control is limited and that our
destiny is a mystery. As modern commentators have pointed out, two
things are happening here. First, the Sanctuary is being purged of the
ritual pollution that has accumulated from both Priests and by people.
And second, dealing with the accumulation sins of the community and
receiving atonement. The chapter is built on different uses of the verb
“Kippur”, which can mean covering, purging and atonement. The
highlight ritual, of course, is the ceremony of the two goats. The
message of the day is to bring each person into harmony with others
and with God. Today, instead of the Sanctuary, instead of animal
sacrifices and instead of scapegoating, we have personal prayers,
personal purgation and personal atonement that involve us, our
family, our neighbors, our community and our God. The Rabbis have
created an inward-looking holiday that demands human morality. We
are the instruments of God’s purity through which we can transform
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ourselves and the world. Yom Kippur has followed the messages of
the Prophets who insisted that sacrifice rites alone cannot reconcile a
human being to God. They held that sins are forgiven only if the
sinner experiences a change of heart leading to a change of ways.
The Prophets constantly urge people to return to God. So Yom
Kippur changed from a purification of the Tabernacle ceremony to a
sacred occasion asking Jews to change their behavior. This is what
the act of purification actually means.
5th Aliyah (Ha meshe) (P. 486, verse 8)
This section comes at length to a topic of deep contemporary
concern—sexual morality. Leviticus simply enumerates certain forms
of sexual conduct that are forbidden and condemned. Modern
morality owes a debt, one way or the other, to Leviticus 18-26. How
should one behave in the sexual realm, to maintain his or her purity?
Incest laws are virtually universal in all ancient and modern societies.
The Torah also is concerned with the erotic behavior of pagan
society, notably the Canaanites. This is why Leviticus 18:33 states,
“nor shall you follow their laws. My rules alone shall you observe…”
At the end of this portion it states, “Do not live with a male as one lies
with a woman; it is an abhorrence.” This rigid condemnation leaves
many, in modern societies, dissatisfied. It shows absolutely no
understanding of psychological or genetic needs. The Reform
movement calls for a complete about-face concerning Jewish
attitudes toward homosexuality. Leviticus contains important insights,
according to the Women’s Commentary, that contemporary Jews can
affirm—we need some boundaries in sexual relationships; individual
behavior is connected with the ethical character of our social world.
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Leviticus 18 seeks to implement these ideas in its own time and
place. But we need to find ways to express these insights in the
context of an ethic of sexual Holiness appropriate for the 21 st century.
We can see Leviticus 18 not as a static document that we must
accept or reject, but as part of Jewish tradition that grapples
problematically with on-going human problems. We can also use it as
a starting point for raising hard questions about our own sexual
values. What should be included on a list of forbidden and permitted
relationships today? Are there certain limits we should follow? How
do we balance the need to safeguard those with less power in sexual
relationships with the desire to construct a vision of Holy sexuality?
How do we ensure that our sexual values reflect fundamental values,
such as honesty and justice? How should pleasure figure into our
ethics? A contemporary response to Leviticus 18 requires both
criticism and transformation. It requires careful examination and
rejection of those presuppositions of Leviticus that produce and
support injustice. But it also involves imagining an alternate ethic to
create the foundation for a sexuality that is sensitive and life-giving for
all.
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6th Aliyah (She she) (P. 489, verse 6)
We know what our prayers to God are but what does God pray
about?
God’s Prayer
Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yose: “How do we
know that the Holy One says prayers? Because Scripture says:
‘I shall bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in
My house of prayer (beit t’fillat)’ (Isaiah 56:7). It is not said ‘their
prayer’ (t’fillatam) but ‘My prayer’ (t’fillati); hence you learn that
the Holy One says prayers.
What does the Holy One pray? Rabbi Zutra ben Tobi said in the
name of Rav: “May it be My will that My mercy suppress My
anger, and that My mercy prevail over My other attributes, so
that I deal with My children via the attribute of mercy and, on
their behalf, not be constrained by strict justice!”
It was taught: Rabbi Ishamel ben Elisa said: “I once entered
into the innermost part of the Temple to offer incense, and I
saw—seated upon a high and exalted throne—Akatriel Yah
Adonai Tz’va-ot, who said to me: ‘My son Ishmael, bless Me!’ I
replied: ‘May it be Your will that Your mercy suppress Your
anger, and that Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes, so
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that You deal with Your children via the attribute of mercy and,
on their behalf, not be constrained by strict justice!” Akatriel Yah
Adonai Tz’va-ot nodded to me.”
Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot
7th Aliyah (Shive e) (P. 492, verse 22)
Yom Kippur Prayer by Shirley Blumberg
(Leviticus 16)
I tread gently on the alpine meadow,
and the blue lake does not suffer from my presence.
Do I deal as gently with those I love
and who love me?
I scorn those who leave rutted scars
on tender mountain earth.
Have I left scars on the souls of those
who put their trust in me?
I hope not, oh how I hope not,
but what I meant ot be justice
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may have been felt as harshness
and all my warm interest as unwelcome intrusion,
and my kind helpful guidance
as unpleasant nagging,
as perhaps it really was.
Maftir (P. 493, verse 27)
Haftarah—“Shabbat Hagadol” (P.1005 )
“Ya-a-mode, Ya-a-mode, Ele-e-ezar ben Daveed v’Shrona, Maftir
Chazak”
or:
“Ya-a-mode, Ya-a-mode ben Ben Moshe, Maftir Chazak”
