Acharei-Mot - Yoni's Bar Mitzvah - Shabbat morning

For his Bar Mitzvah Yoni was privileged to read the double Torah portion Acharei Mot – Kedoshim that contains the main precepts of ethical Judaism. The laws in this week's Torah portion are meant to create and promote harmony among the people:

"Do not spread gossip. . .Do not hate your fellow in your heart . . .Do not take revenge or bear a grudge. . . Do not put a stumbling block before the blind…  Do not stand upon your neighbour’s blood” and the universal message of “Love your fellow as you love yourself".

It may be easy to say that only these ethical laws are truly important, as they can be understood and accepted by the modern mind and fit the sensibilities of a civilized person.  And indeed these laws can serve as a manual on how to be a good, decent person.  But the Torah portion Acharei Mot does not come right after Yitro, that describes the revelation on Mount Sinai, when God spoke to the Jewish people in a voice and gave them the Ten Commandments amidst thunder and lightning.  It does not come after the next portion Mishpatim outlying the entire judicial process, announcing the laws of justice that still hold much relevance for the civilized world.  Between the revelation of the ten commandments in Yitro, the laws of justice in Mishpatim and the exalted laws of holiness and ethical behavior in Acharei Mot – Kedoshim there are ten Torah portions that command Israelites to fill with holiness every detail of their lives, from building the Temple to dealing with the sacrificial animals to the intricate rules of purity governing the functions of human body, in order to elevate the nation to the level of receiving and accepting the ethical law.  The laws building up to the holiness are hard to understand, their meaning is mysterious, defying attempts at rational explanation. 

The Torah portion Trumah, that follows Mishpatim, describes the holy objects that constitute the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, the first portable sanctuary that was meant to be the dwelling place on earth for the divine: the Ark with the tablets of testament, written in stone, the golden Cover of the Ark, the Cherubs on top of the Cover, the Table, the Menora, the partition Curtain separating the Holy sanctuary from the Holy of Holies, the Altar and the Courtyard around the Sanctuary, down to precise measurements in cubits and the specific materials from which these objects were made. 

The next portion Tetzaveh describes the service of the Kohanim (priests) in the sanctuary, giving the special attention to the clothes, the eight golden garments that the Kohanim had to wear while serving in the sanctuary.  Tetzaveh introduces the series of chapters describing the animal sacrifice in the sanctuary, that can be quite shocking when read with attention, as it deals with the internal organs, fat and kidneys, and the High Priest, Kohen Gadol, dipping his finger in the sacrificial animal’s blood, smearing and sprinkling it around the altar, the ritual that we cannot even try to comprehend. 

The portion Ki Tisa describes in excruciating details the specifications of building the  sanctuary.  It is actually one of my favorite in the Torah, as it introduces Bezalel, the designer, as a man ‘filled with a spirit of God, wisdom, insight and knowledge, and with every craft’.  Ki Tisa shows the struggle and pitfalls in the spiritual journey, as the Israelites succumb to the weakness of spirit and misuse their creativity to mold the Golden Calf.  At the  peak of the drama Moses smashes the first tablets of the law and leads people in the first atonement ritual.  Ki Tisa concludes with forgiveness, as Moshe is granted the second set of stone tablets of the law and God himself descended in a cloud on Mount Sinai, where He revealed to Moshe the thirteen attributes of mercy. 

In the double portion Vayakhel - Pekudei the building of the sanctuary comes to completion, as it is started by Bezalel alone and is completed by the team of his students, the artisans, "all people who are of the wise heart".  After the laborious construction is finished, the inauguration ritual and the book of Exodus concludes with God himself descending upon the Tent of the Meeting in a cloud of glory that fills the sanctuary, continuing to lead the people in their journey as a cloud by day and pillar of fire at night. 

The next two Torah portions, Vayikra and Tzav, describe the detailed order of the animal sacrifice, karbanos. The animal brought as a sin offering had to be slaughtered and burnt on the altar completely, leaving only the ashes. The animal brought as a voluntary peace offering, intended to bring its owner closer to God, had to be slaughtered and divided into parts, and only fat and internal organs of the animal were burnt on the altar, while the actual meat was roasted and consumed by the ministering Kohanim, in the Holy of Holies part of the sanctuary.

Then in the portion Shmini we learn which animals, birds and sea creatures are allowed for human consumption, and as a reminder of the importance of all the details, we read about the instantaneous, sudden death of Nadav and Avihu, the oldest sons of Aaron the High Priest, who brought the strange fire, did something out of order and were punished in the order of their closeness to the Holy One. 

The double portion Tazria - Metzora moves Israelites from the laws concerning the animals to the laws of human purity, related to childbirth and skin conditions, various discolorations found on human skin and even clothes and houses, that would render the object impure. The parshia Tazria also describes the special role of the Kohen as the arbiter of pure or impure state, the person to whom people would come for guidance, as the Kohanim were the teachers of the nation and role models in the zealous service of God.  (Deut 33:10, Malachi 2:4).

Metzora starts with the purification ritual that the Kohen performed for the  person who recovered from the affliction of tzaraas that would allow him rejoin the community.  The mysterious ritual signifies the person’s spiritual rehabilitation in the areas of attitude, speech, action, intention and effort. By describing the meticulous details of the purification ritual Torah teaches us the seriousness of the relationship between man and God, shows us the magnitude of the loss when it is damaged, and the hard work that goes into restoring such relationship.

So all this work, all the details that deal with the construction material, animal and human flesh and blood preceded the laws of ethics presented in Acharei Mot - Kedoshim

Why do we need all these details, why did not we get all ethical laws right at the Sinai?  Why do we have to go through gore and blood to get to this shiny summit where things become clear to the human mind?  Why could not we jump from the Ten Commandments in Yitro and laws of justice in Mishpatim to the laws of morality and ethics in Acharei Mot - Kedoshim?  

Acharei Mot - Kedoshim is the crown jewel of Torah, our law, but this crown rests on the head and the head sits on the body made of flesh and blood, represented by the chapters that deal with the material details leading to the laws of holiness.  Observance of the minute commandments  related to everyday actions, like eating and drinking, dress code, Shabbat and holidays, makes us mindfully aware of God’s presence in our life, and that presence reminds us not to put the stumbling block before the blind, not to stand upon your neighbor’s blood, and to love your fellow like yourself. 

I'd like to compare this sequence of Torah narrative with raising a child – from the joyful bliss of wedding and honeymoon, to setting up a home, through the bloody and painful labor of childbirth, through the endless work dealing with diapers, preparing meals, providing clothes, cleaning and washing, to see the crown jewel emerging from all this work and pain – the young man, endowed with intelligence and good character, strong and kind, the man who is ready to accept the commandments of Torah, the law of his ancestors, his rightful possession, his pride and honor. 

Yoni, men are not born strong.  They come into this world as helpless babies.  But it is a choice and responsibility of a man to grow and to cultivate his strengths.  Man is born with a choice, the free will given to him by Hashem.  Even newborn babies make choices.  When you were very little you chose to accept life with joy and not to cry much at discomforts.  It was difficult to know when you were sick or uncomfortable because you did not complain, you were happy and content most of the time and that showed your very early choice to accept strength and happiness over childish weakness and misery. 

Throughout your childhood you were drawn to sports and built many of your friendships around basketball and team play.  You persevered in the high math class because you had the ambition to excel, to exercise your abilities rather than taking an easy road.  I never get tired to read your essays and discuss your book ideas.  My blessing to you is that becoming a Bar Mitzvah you will accept the commandments with all seriousness and grow strong in your faith and observance.