SPIRIT
Our Laws, Our Lives
T
his week’s parshah
opens with a twist on
a repeated line of the
biblical narrator: “
And God
spoke to Moses after the
death of the two sons of
Aharon.
”
While we are accus-
tomed to God speaking
to Moses, this draws our
attention not only to the
surprising and sudden
death of Nadav and
Avihu but to the state of Moses,
their uncle, as he is instructed
to transmit a particularly
important and difficult
collection of laws.
Often referred to as
the Holiness Code, the
list of mitzvot explores
the details and dynam-
ics of intimate ritual
and relationships. Much has
been written by commentators
throughout time seeking to fully
understand and incorporate
these laws into day-to-day life.
For contemporary readers,
these mitzvot are often difficult
and indeed painful. Even if we
understand the Holiness Code
to be, as Rashi points out, about
differentiating ourselves from
our ancient Cannanite and
Egyptian neighbors, much of
their content challenges ethos
of inclusion and love we often
take for granted today. This is
particularly true in terms of the
exclusion and oppression
of LGBTQUIA people
that has been built upon
the text of this week’s
parshah for hundreds of
years.
Rabbis, scholars and
activists have offered
myriad readings that
rebuke the vile use of Torah as a
source of ostracization; there is,
nevertheless, a seemingly
unavoidable difficulty
encountered. It is a ten-
sion that exists at the
intersection of a litany of
laws regulating intimate
aspects of our lives and
the Torah’s famous decla-
ration: v’ahavta l’reacha kamocha
(love thy neighbor as thyself),
which we will read in the very
next chapter of Leviticus.
This brings us back to our
opening verse: “and God spoke
to Moses after the death of
the two sons of Aharon …
” A
casual reader may forget that
Aharon’s two sons were also
Moses’ nephews. He is receiv-
ing these words in a moment
of grief and trauma. He is
responsible for transmitting
laws of holiness and acceptable
and unacceptable behavior just
moments after his nephews are
killed for their well-intentioned
transgression of these very laws.
In this way, our parshah
reminds us of a difficult and
important truth, namely, that
leadership does not take place
in a vacuum. We are called to
lead, whether at home, at work
or in the community, as our full
and complex selves. The dif-
ficult moments and questions
do not wait for our comfort or
convenience; they emerge in
the midst of life’s experiences,
which tends to be messy more
often than not.
Each of us is given oppor-
tunities to lead in life, to stand
before our community and to
be, in our own way, God’s mes-
sengers. This week’s parshah
affirms that doing so is best
accomplished when we step
into the task as our full selves,
knowing that it is all the pain,
joy and everything in between
that truly constitutes holiness.
Rabbi Ari Witkin is the director of
Leadership Development at the Jewish
Federation of Metro Detroit.
TORAH PORTION
Rabbi Ari
Witkin
Parshat
Achare Mot:
Leviticus
16:1-18:30;
Ezekiel
22:1-19.
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Join the Jewish Community
Relations Council/American
Jewish Committee-Detroit for
its 2022 Annual Meeting at 7
p.m. on Wednesday, May 11.
During the online
program, attendees will hear
from the first U.S.-educated
Uyghur-American lawyer,
Nury Turkel, who will discuss
the human rights abuses
facing the Uyghur people in
China.
In addition, the second
annual Sheryl “Sheri”
Terebelo Schiff Heart of Gold
Award will be awarded to
Patrice “Patti” Phillips, the
board will thank outgoing
president, Seth Gould,
highlights of the last year
will be shared and the 2022-
2023 board slate will be
announced.
Register at jewishdetroitcalendar.org/
event/jcrc-ajc-annual-meeting-2/
JCRC/AJC
Annual Meeting
Patrice
Phillips