#27 — Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim
Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27
Overview
The weekly portions of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim are both read on a single Shabbat except for leap years when the two portions are separated. Indeed, there is a thematic relationship that holds the two parashot together – the “kedushah” or holiness of G-d and the requirement that His people will be “kedoshim” (holy), from both a ritualistic and moral perspective. The L-rd’s requirement for His people is: “You shall be holy, for I the L-RD your G-d am holy” (19:2).
Acharei Mot deals primarily with sacrifices (chapter 16-17) and commandments to refrain from Canaanite immorality (chapter 18); while Kedoshim continues with commandments that would set Israel apart as a people called out to a life of holiness (19-20).
מה נהדר היה כהן גדול בצאתו בשלום מן הקדש
“How splendid was the high priest
when he came out in peace from the holy place.”
(Seder Ha’avodah, Yom Kippur)
A Splendid High Priest
Only the Kohen Hagadol, Once a Year, and Not without Blood
The focal point of Parshat Acharei Mot is the ritual of Yom Kippur and the service (avodah) of the high priest (kohen hagadol) on that day. The service was to be performed yearly and atonement (kapparah) was made for Aaron himself as high priest, all the priesthood (the kohanim), and the entire congregation of Israel (16:17). The blood of bulls and goats was brought into the Holy of Holies (Kodesh Hakodashim) to be sprinkled in front of the Ark.
Only Aaron and his successor high priests were permitted to enter Kodesh Hakodashim and this entrance was limited to a single time in the year, on Yom Kippur (16:34). For this reason Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year.
But a question must be asked: today in the absence of the essentials which G-d commanded – the Temple (Beit Hamikdash), a functioning high priest, and the appropriate sacrifices (korbanot) – can the mere observance of the day secure our atonement (kapparah) and the forgiveness of our sins? Can fasting, Torah reading, and prayer fulfill the requirements G-d set forth for Yom Kippur?
The Rambam (Maimonides) states that “On Yom Kippur, the day itself atones…as it is written: ‘for (on) this day, shall atone for you’” (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 1:3). His interpretation is based on the most often quoted verse in the liturgy of Yom Kippur: “for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord” (16:30).
However, this is a misreading of the verse which clearly refers to the kohen gadol and the unique service (avodah) he performed on this great and awful day, thereby obtaining forgiveness for Israel. It is not “the day” that provides the kapparah. Rather kohen hagadol and the entire nation depended on the high priest’s performance of the prescribed ritual.
Indeed, the Order of Service (Seder Ha’avodah) included in the Yom Kippur liturgy describes in detail the work of the high priest and laments his absence and the offering of sacrifices: “For we have no high priest to offer up a sacrifice, and no altar to offer up a burnt offering.”
The Parashah also makes clear that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement” (17:11).
If blood is required, and if fasting and observing the day aren’t enough, then how can we find atonement in our day without the Temple? Did God change His mind about what is required for atonement? With the destruction of the Temple, did He leave us without a way to be atoned?
No! One generation before the destruction of Beit Hamikdash, Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah appeared to offer Himself up as a sacrifice on behalf of the sins of Israel in fulfillment of prophecy. He is both King (Melech Hamashiach) and High Priest (Kohen Gadol).
Since Yeshua was completely righteous, he did not need to offer up a sacrifice on behalf of himself like the high priests who came before him, nor did he need to repeat the same animal sacrifice year after year; but rather “not through the blood of goats and calves, he entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption (geulat olam) (Hebrews 9:12).
By means of His death, Yeshua provided an eternal atonement. He rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of G-d, to become a merciful and faithful Kohen Gadol, atoning for the sins of His people. “but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12).
Even though there is no temple in Jerusalem today, if we come to God in faith, trusting in Messiah’s atoning sacrifice, we can say of Yeshua “How splendid is our High Priest!”