This week’s Parshah is a double one: Acharei Mot and Kedoshim.
Acharei Mot speaks about the service in the Temple for Yom Kippur—what is required and how to perform it. The Parshah then discusses various laws pertaining to sacrifices performed outside the Temple Mount, and laws forbidding idolatries and the consumption of blood. It concludes with the prohibition of illicit relationships, such as father-daughter, son-mother, aunts, and homosexual relationships. All of these are forbidden relationships.
The custom is that on the morning of Yom Kippur we read the opening passages from this Parshah, recalling the service of the day. Then, at Minchah, we read from the closing passage about forbidden relationships. Why? Because most sins we ask forgiveness for on Yom Kippur are of the sexual type—whether in thought, word or deed—and thus it is read to remind us to be careful of boundaries in our relationships.
The Zohar teaches that the main urge a person faces from the evil inclination is in these types of relationships. One who is careful is called a tzaddik! (See also Likutey Moharan I, 2). Conversely, one who violates these laws causes himself to be “cast out” of the Land. Well, that explains the long exile we are enduring. But in practical terms for contemporary life, what does “cast out of the land” mean?
The answer is that the land—the earth, i.e., even materialism—will spit us forth. The generations have descended and descended to ever lower depths. Today we have “WOKE,” a way of life that perverts every norm. Murder is permitted by many (e.g., Hamas, etc.), relationships are confusing (e.g., how many genders are there?), and theft and destruction of property by demonstrators are accepted norms. In simple terms, the material pursuits that pervade our lives have reached such low levels that decent people struggle to get through the day.
The Torah thus teaches us in the strongest terms to avoid forbidden relationships and to strive for at least a semblance of purity. Reb Noson adds that all the forbidden items are impulses that originate in the mind. Therefore, controlling one’s thoughts and directing them into holy—or at least neutral—areas can bring great benefit to a person.
Have a great Shabbos!
