Acharei – Kedoshim, “After” and “Holy [things]”
Leviticus 16:1 to 20:27
Haftarah: Amos 9:7 to 17
Psalm 100
Apostolic Writings/Newer Testament/B’rit HaChadashah: Revelation 7:9 to 17
Today (Wednesday April 21st) is the 23rd Day of the Omer – 3 weeks and 2 days, so we pray:
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
It (Iyyar 7) is also the anniversary of the inauguration of the first Ghetto, in Venice in 1516. Venice's ghetto was surrounded by water, with a canal leading to its gates. At night the "Christian guards" patrolled the waters around the ghetto to ensure that the night curfew wasn't violated. At the same time of the establishment of this ghetto, numerous other degrading laws were enacted, including the requirement that all Jews wear yellow stars as identification. (For a terrific movie depiction, watch “The Merchant of Venice” with Al Pacino.)
Despite all these restrictions, the Jewish community blossomed and functioned normally. In 1797, the ghetto was abolished by Napoleon during the course of the French Revolution.
The site chosen to accommodate the Jews had once housed the city's foundries, gettos in Italian -- and thus the eventual popularization throughout Europe of the word "ghetto" to describe the city sections where Jews were forced to reside
“After” refers to the deaths last week of Avihu and Nadav. There are very strict rules regarding the bringing of sacrifices. Sacrifices are only acceptable when brought tot the Mishkan (Tabernacle) / Beit HaMikdash (Temple). This is the case right through to the future Temple, as we read in Isaiah chapter 56.
This passage has the restrictions on sexual relations, in chapter 18. There are 2 kinds of sexual relations which are unacceptable in The Almighty’s eyes. One is covered in the first 21 verses of the chapter. These are relations between relatives, but are all relations between males and females. The strong wording of verses 22 and 23 indicate that The Almighty finds these things not just unacceptable, but are an “abomination”. These are relations between: 1. Same species, same gender, and
2. Different species
The Hebrew word here is תַּבְלִיתָם which is a very strong word. We read that a person who does engage in this kind of action becomes “defiled”. While The Almighty shows grace to all, we mustn’t get carried away with any notions that such actions are acceptable.
The punishments for taking part in banned relations are given in chapter 20. In some cases, the punishment is childlessness, for some it is the death penalty.
“Kedoshim” is a passage which says, “You shall be holy, for holy am I, ה - ו - ה - י, your God.”
While “holiness” can and should refer to right-living, as we have discovered before, it really means being separate from. Here, specifically, it tells the Israelites not to be like the Canaanites, nor to serve the deities of the Canaanites.
The passage from Revelation is a reminder that ONLY The Almighty is truly holy; ONLY Yeshua our King is worthy of our praise.
There has been an international reminder this week that we mere humans are not actually in control of anything. Who, even a few months ago, would have thought that the eruption of a volcano on an island hundreds of miles off the northern coast of mainland Europe (Iceland is more than 600 miles from Norway, and nearly 200 miles from Greenland) could cause such disruption? Some of our dear friends at CMJ were caught up in the disruption, but Baruch HaShem (Praise The Name!) they should be back home by the weekend.
This week, we have commemorated those brave men and women who lost their lives protecting Israel, and e have celebrated the fact that, in spite of the odds being against her, the modern State of Israel is 62 years old!
There is much for which we can be thankful, so let’s be sure to thank the One Who makes all things new!
Shabbat Shalom