This week’s first
Parasha's opening verse: "Now YHVH spoke to Moses after the death
[“acharey mot”] of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew close to YHVH,
and died" (Lev. 16:1, literal translation, emphasis added) underscores the
combination of "drawing close" to YHVH and "death".
Thus, in verse 2 we read: "Tell Aaron… not to come [just] at any time into
the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest
he die…” (italics added). This is the solemn introduction to the long
and detailed account of the necessary preparation and sanctification process of
the High Priest’s entrance to the Holy of Holies, culminating with: “This shall
be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the
month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all… For on that day the
priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you that you may be clean from all
your sins before YHVH. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall
afflict your souls. It is a statute forever… This shall be an everlasting
statute for you, to make atonement for the children of
Without actually pronouncing the term it is, of course, the description of Yom haKippurim. But rather than commence with that special day, its purpose, timing, and varying procedures, the text first deals with the needed course of action in relation to the High Priest, while the theme of Yom haKippurim unfolds gradually and inductively, ultimately bringing to light its goal. What is more, as we saw above, in this particular context the instructions are mentioned against the backdrop of the death of Ah’aron’s two sons, which enhances the seriousness and solemnity of the day, albeit without calling it by its explicit name.
The term
“atonement” in its various forms (which includes “kaporet” – translated “mercy seat”,
but in Hebrew is rooted in k.p.r – “to atone” or “cover” as we saw in Ex.
25:17), is repeated many times over in chapter 16, as is the blood of the
atonement, with which many of the items mentioned were to be sprinkled. What is
the purpose of sprinkling blood on inanimate objects? “So he shall make
atonement for the Holy [Place], because
of the uncleanness of the children of
In 16:2 we encounter the expression “inside the veil - parochet - before the mercy seat - kaporet". The veil – parochet - is made up of the same letters as “kaporet”.[1] The rest of verse 2 says, "I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat - kaporet". Thus, the rendition of the mercy seat and the veil in the same verse makes for an alliteration (kaporet and parochet), highlighting the connection of these two articles and the position of the mercy seat within the veil, where the High Priest may enter only under very strict and special conditions. “Parochet”, stemming from p.r.ch (pey, resh, kaf), means both “separating” and “covering” and together with “kaporet” points to the ‘cure’ for sin by the provision of the covering and the requirement of separation.
After readying himself and making a sin offering as atonement for his own person and household, the High Priest was to take two male goats, which he was to obtain from the congregation. These two were to be placed "in front of YHVH" at the opening of the Tent of Meeting where lots had to be cast for them, "one lot for YHVH and one lot for Aza'zel" (ref. 16:5-10). The goats mentioned here are “s'eerim” ("hairy ones," s'eer = "hairy"). The casting of lots is "goral", which is of the root g.r.l. (gimmel, resh, lamed), meaning "stone” or “stony place", since the lots are comprised of stones shaken after being put into a piece of cloth or a container [2]. Thus, in Matthew 27:35 we read the following about Yeshua: "Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, 'They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots'" (Ps. 22:18). In the same chapter of Matthew (v. 15-17 and 21b) we read the following: "Now at the Feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Yeshua Bar Abba (Barabbas). Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, 'Whom do you want me to release to you? Bar Abba, or Yeshua who is called Messiah?'… They said, 'Bar Abba!'" The verdict was pronounced. The goat on which YHVH's lot fell was to be a sin offering, as it is written: "Elohim by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3b).
The other goat was to be for Aza'zel (sometimes translated as “scapegoat”). “Aza’zel” is a compound word, made up of the word “az” (ayin, zayin), meaning “strong”, but can also be read as “ez” – goat, and “azal” (alef, zayin, lamed) - “that which is used up”, or “is no more”. The goat that was “to be no more” was sent to the wilderness by the hand of a suitable ("eeti”, meaning “timely”; "et" = the "right or appointed time") person (ref. 16:21). Thus, Yeshua Bar Abba the criminal and counterfeit of Yeshua the Son of the Father, stood in proxy, as it were, for the goat that was allowed to live for the purpose of being sent to the wilderness, or “eretz grzera” ("land of separation" or “verdict” 16:22) with all the sins and iniquities. The root g.z.r (gimmel, zayin, resh) is literally “to cut off, remove, decreed”. And while it was decreed that the unrepentant Bar Abba would be cut off and removed from the Father with his sins (see Is. 59:2), Pilate was the timely person who facilitated the whole process and scenario. Yet, it also says about the “Suffering Servant” of Yishayahu (Isaiah) 53:8: “For He was cut off [nigzar] from the land of the living” (emphasis added). We see, therefore, that in spite of our above comparison of Yeshua and Bar Abba, respectively, to the two goats, Yeshua also fulfilled the role of the second goat, as is confirmed by 16:21: “Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat...” (italics added). Yeshua Bar Abba, although partially fitting the role of the goat that was sent to the wilderness, definitely did not act the part of carrying vicariously sins and iniquities for the purpose of their removal.
And just as Pilate washed his hands after having succumbed to the demand to crucify Yeshua (Mat. 27:24), so was it commanded that the person who was to send the goat of azazel, would have to “wash his clothes and bathe his body in water” (Lev. 16:26).
Whereas chapter
16 began with a strong exhortation and command to the High Priest regarding the
time, place, and procedures of coming before YHVH, chapter 17 enjoins the
ordinary people not to sacrifice according to their own whims, lest they should
be suspected of sacrificing to idols or be even led astray and carry out such acts.
And so. we read in 17:7: "They shall no more offer their sacrifices to
demons, after whom they have played the harlot…" "Demons"
here is “s'eerim”, being the word that we have just encountered in the previous
chapter for “male goats”. Goat worship prevailed in
Parashat Acharey
Mot is made up of four sections. Aside from the part which leads up to Yom haKippurim,
and the section regarding the right place for the offerings (most of chapter
17), there are two more sections concerning the prohibitions of eating meat
with blood (17:10-16), and incest (
"Stranger"
here is “ger”, and originates from the root “gur” (gimmel, vav, resh),
meaning "to dwell, tarry, sojourn", as well as
“to fear (see Ps. 22:23 for example: “fear Him all you offspring of
The last section of Parashat Ahcarey Mot deals, as mentioned, with the prohibitions against incest and other sexual offenses. It is sandwiched between statements regarding the practices of the inhabitants of the land which the Israelites have just left, and the practices in the land which they were about to enter (see 18:3, 24-25). Presently we observed that YHVH’s people were commanded to include the strangers living among them, while here they are solemnly warned not to defile themselves with that which their neighbors were defiling themselves (v. 27). We see here a fine line between including the ones who choose to come into the household of Yisrael, and between keeping firm and clear boundaries of separation from other non-Israelites.
According to Torah, when one comes in contact with anything which is (ritually) unclean, one is contaminated by it. The converse, however, is not true; i.e., coming in contact with that which is holy does not make one holy. The land, therefore, by reason of the practices of its inhabitants would be subject to spiritual contamination with the resulting consequences that “… the land [will] vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you" (18:28). The following Parasha (Kdoshim) closes off with the same warning, as part of the command to stay separate (ref. 20:22).
Finally, in 16:30 we read: "For on this day He [some translations replace “He” with “the priest”] shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you; for all your sins, before YHVH you shall be cleansed," or “before YHVH you shall be purified”, or “before YHVH you shall purify yourselves”. Here is a fervent call to appropriate by faith the atonement enacted by the Almighty, and thus to receive the fulfillment of His promise. However, this could not be achieved without the High Priest, first and foremost, complying implicitly with all of YHVH’s instructions. [4]
In contrast to most of YHVH's addresses in the previous Parashot we have been studying, here the “entire congregation of the sons of Israel” – kol ah’dat b'ney Yisrael (19:2) - is being addressed on the matter of being as set-apart as their Elohim. We have here an assortment of directives, both of commission and omission. The penalties described (and mainly found in chapter 20), even if not exercised and carried out in our day and age, indicate how YHVH views the transgressions to which they are appended.
The theme of Parashat Kdoshim is encapsulated in 20:24b-26: "I am YHVH your Elohim who has separated you from the peoples. You shall therefore distinguish (literally “separate”) between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. And you shall be holy to Me, for I YHVH am Holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine". This clearly illustrates the contaminating effect that the unclean has upon Elohim's People. At the same time, it highlights the separateness of those who belong to Him and who are rendered set apart by this fact. The single verb used here for “separate” and “distinguish” is “havdel” (b.d.l, bet, dalet, lamed), used 3 times in the creation account in B’resheet 1, in regards to the separation of the light from darkness (v. 4), the separation of the water above the firmament from the water below it (vs. 6,7), and in creating heaven’s lights that were to divide the light from the darkness (vs. 14,18). Thus, the usage of the root b.d.l points to the distinct category that YHVH has allocated for His people among other people groups, as well as to the way they were to conduct their daily life.
Going back to chapter 19, we will notice that most of the injunctions or clusters thereof end with "I am YHVH your Elohim". We read about reverence for father and mother and keeping the Shabbat (v. 3). This is followed by a command to reject idols. Verse 5 deals with offering a peace offering “lirtzonchem” – translated ‘of your own free will’, but in Vayikra 23:11, regarding the command to bring the ‘beginning omer’, “lirtzonchem” is also mentioned and translated “so that you may be accepted”. Is this also the meaning of “lirtzonchem” in the case before us? If this offering is eaten on the third day (as its remains were supposed to have been burnt by the third day), then it will be considered an "abomination" that shall not be accepted. "Abomination" here is rendered by the very strong term "pigul", and is indicative of the fact that it is not only the 'holy' which is set aside and separated, but so is that which is unclean and unacceptable.
This is succeeded by how one is to treat those less fortunate than one’s self (the poor and the sojourner), by leaving for them the gleanings of the fields and vineyards, for “… I am YHVH your Elohim". The "gleanings" are especially interesting. The verb that is attached to them is "te'olel" (le'olel in the infinitive). It is a term we encountered once before, in Parashat Bo (specifically in Ex. 10:2, where it is translated "made a mockery" – of Paroh ). The root that both of these words share is a.l.l (ayin, lamed, lamed). Thus, if one does not obey the commandment to leave one's gleanings to the poor it is as though he is deliberately disregarding and mocking them, and their Maker.
Theft, deception, lying, and swearing falsely in
YHVH's name are enumerated next. These constitute "profaning" His
Name (vs. 8, 12,
"Brother", aside from its obvious meaning, could also relate to one's “fellow man”, just as do the following terms: "Associate" - amit (19:11, in the translation ‘one another, while in vs.15,17b the translation renders it as ‘neighbor’), and "re'ah", that is, “friend or fellowman” (again, more commonly rendered "neighbor" in the English translations. See 19:13,16,18). The utilization of these terms clarifies that ‘others’ are equal to one’s self, and therefore should be treated accordingly. In verse 17 there is also an instruction of commission, relating to the action that should be taken when the need arises to reprimand or rebuke one’s fellow man (rather than harbor hatred and bitterness in one’s heart). If "open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed” (Prov. 27:5), how much more does this apply when hate is the option? One is not to nurse vengeance nor bear a grudge against one's own people, logically leading to the highest dictum; that one is to love one's fellow man as one's self (v. 18), while in Hebrew the word used is “re’ah” – friend, associate. Again, this is sealed by "I am YHVH". Loving one's fellow man as one's self may be enabled because he (or she) is no different from one's self. "Ve'ah'ha'vta le're'a'cha ka-mocha". "Ka-mocha" may also be read: "as you are", that is, he/she is like you. Moreover, the omission commands that precede this one (starting in v. 9 through 19) can only be obeyed if one "loves one's fellow man as one's self".
After the prohibitions regarding the mixing of seeds and improper nuptials, chapter 19 continues with the tending of trees in YHVH's Promised Land - which for the first three years are to be considered “uncircumcised” – “arelim” (pointing to the covenant with Avraham and thus to the land’s importance). The usage of ‘uncircumcision’ in regards to (fruit) trees may be tied to the statement found in Dvarim 20:19, where it literally says, “for man is the tree of the field” (see also Mark 8:24, the blind man who at first saw “men like trees walking”). In the fourth year, the trees are to be “praises to YHVH" - “hiluleem”, and may only be partaken of in the fifth year (ref. 19:23-25). This continues with prohibitions concerning all pagan idolatrous customs. "I am YHVH" seals these passages, and is also appended to the Shabbat’s observance and to the honor due the elderly. The next cluster deals with the sojourner, because of the Israelites’ own experience in Egypt. Chapter 19 ends with the injunction to utilize strictly honest and just measurements, as befitting a Nation of a just Elohim. "You shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them…" (v. 37) brings this chapter to a close, to which words we must append 18:5 (of the previous Parasha) “…which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am YHVH”. It is no wonder, therefore, that the Renewed Covenant's mandate is to do just that – to enable His People to live out this Torah of Life (or the life of Torah) through Him Who is the "Torah Incarnate' and the Giver of Life.
Chapter 20 echoes Chapter 18 (in Parashat Acharey Mot), in dealing largely with various forms of incest, forbidden forms of cohabitation, and abominable sexual practices, which are described by the phrase, “exposing the nakedness” (again, nakedness is tantamount to not having a “covering” – “kippur” or "kapara"). “Nakedness” here is “erva” of the root a.r.h. (ayin, resh, hey). A similar word, stemming from the root a.r.r (ayin, resh, resh) and means “stripped” and “childless” is “ariri” (e.g. Gen. 15:2; Jer. 22:30). Thus, we read verses 20 and 21: “And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness - erva. They shall bear their sin. They shall die bereft of children – arireem. If a man takes his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness - erva. They shall be childless - arireem” (italics added). This makes evident the fruitlessness and lifelessness of sin, symbolizing the fact that sin results only in death (or bareness, in this case). This entire section (vs. 10-21) is preceded by: "Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am YHVH your Elohim. ' And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am YHVH who sanctifies you. 'For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him" (20:7-8). Again, pointing to the sanctification theme, but with an emphasis on the centrality of sound family life by the stern warning against anyone who would dare to dishonor his parents (remember the Parasha's opening words speak of revering father and mother, in 19:3). The rest of the commandments, which deal strictly with incest, relate to and elaborate on the same topic of the family's sanctity, including the very severe penalty against anyone who gives his seed – child – to Molech and against those who shut their eyes in face of this abomination (20:2-5).
[1] Notice the "k" and "ch"
here denote the same letter, i.e. "kaf".
[2]
The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon, Francis Brown
Hendrickson.
Publishers,
[3]
Online Bible, Gill Commentary
[4]
Thirty verses convey the High Priest’s orders, versus one verse with
instructions for the people.
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