Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27
As the Torah Turns
Rabbi Lader’s Weekly D’var Torah
Acharie Mot/Kedoshim (Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27)
This week’s Torah portion is 
another double portion – Acharie Mot/Kedoshim – Lev. 16:1-18:30/19:1-20:27. Kedoshim – Leviticus 19 – is also referred to as The Holiness Code. “You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal, am holy.” It is a blueprint for a holy life in imitation of God’s holiness. And… this directive is not just for the priests, not just for the leaders, not just for Moses… it is for all of us, as God tells Moses to tell this to the whole Israelite community. What does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to walk in Gods ways? We learn from the Midrash – As it is God’s way to be merciful and forgiving, so we should be merciful and forgiving to one another… As God is gracious and gives freely to all, so should we give freely to one another… As God is patient, so should we be patient with each other… It’s quite possible that as we have been making our way through these past seven weeks – living in close quarters, finding ourselves in challenging circumstances – the thought of holiness has not been uppermost on our minds. And yet, each act of kindness, each step back to give space, each patient response, each smile… can be seen as an act of holiness. Forward!
From Previous Weeks
Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33)
This week, we have a double portion for our Torah reading: Tazria and M’tzora (Lev. 12:1-15:33). These portions…
Sh’imini – Lev. 9:1-11:47 (4/17-18)
This Shabbat, we return to our Torah readings as we make our way through Leviticus.
Shabbos Chol HaMoed
The special Torah reading for this Shabbat during Chol HaMo-eid Pesach, the intermediate days of Passover, is Exodus 33:12-34:26…
Tzav – Lev. 6:1-8:36 (4/3-4/4)
Our Torah portion this week is Tzav – Lev. 6:1-8:36, and deals with the offerings that the priests and the people made…