The Holiness Within Us
D’var Torah for Acharei Mot—Kedoshim
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
April 25, 2023
The double-portion comprising this week’s Torah reading is Acharei Mot—Kedoshim, (“following the death—holy”), Leviticus 16:1-20:27.
These portions follow the calamity that befell two of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, on the day of inauguration of the Tabernacle. Having offered “a strange fire” to God, they were struck dead by a fire that came from God. The tragic incident, discussed by rabbis and commentators for centuries, is vague, perhaps on purpose. What they did that provoked such an immediate and extreme reaction from God is not clear. Perhaps the purpose of this episode is to remind people of the dangers associated with religion, and in particular either drawing too near to God, or doing so without proper preparation.
The focus of Acharei Mot—Kedoshim is not on the tragedy itself however, but rather on how we should approach God and holiness—a counterpart to Nadav and Avihu’s wrongful behavior.
While the first of the two portions focuses on sacrifices, the second, Kedoshim (“Holy”), takes a surprising turn. It doesn’t speak of sacrifices or prayers; rather, it turns our attention to the way people should interrelate to one another. Found precisely at the center of the Torah, at the Torah’s heart as it were, the laws of Kedoshim comprise the section of the Torah sometimes called The Holiness Code. These verses are read not only during the regular cycle of weekly readings, but also on the afternoon of Yom Kippur—the holiest day in our Jewish calendar.
These laws contain the essence of Jewish thinking: holiness isn’t found only in our complex and diverse relationships with God. Holiness exists in the way we treat one another. Just as we would bring to God our best offerings, both in material and in spiritual terms, so we must behave with our fellow human beings, and indeed, with the earth and all its creatures. Some of these laws outline sexual morals and ethics (including the infamous laws against homosexual relations, now understood in terms of dominance and subjugation rather than as an expression of love and equality).
Respecting the elderly; paying the day laborer at the end of the workday; leaving the edge of one’s field unharvested (for the poor, the homeless and even for foraging animals) are examples of behavior that bring holiness into our lives.
Even for an atheist, these laws are representative of decency and goodness. How much more so for believers in a higher force!
Back when these laws were written into the Torah, there were basically two ways of connecting with divine forces: prayer and sacrifice. The Holiness Code brings a new idea into human awareness: that interpersonal relationships in themselves contain holiness or—at the very least—are pathways to God.
How we speak to one another matters. How we treat one another makes a difference. Seeing the holiness that is inherent in ourselves as well as in others is the same as seeing God in the world around us. It’s as simple as that.
© 2023 by Boaz D. Heilman
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