Video Study for Parsha Achrei Mot-Kedoshim

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Shalom JTF members,

Today is Thursday April 18th and once again it is time to prepare for this coming Shabbats Torah reading. This week we read another 'double portion', this time the portions of Achrei Mot and Kedoshim.

The first portion starts by resuming the narrative after Nadav and Abihu were killed (Achrei Mot means After the death). The laws concerning the service of the High Priest (Kohen Gadol) is explained. This includes the incense service and the service of the scape-goat. Many other laws are detailed including the laws concerning sexual morality.

The second portion is called Kedoshim (Being Holy) and states that "You will be holy, for I the L-rd am Holy".... Many more laws including prohibition of Idolatry, keeping the Sabbath, honesty in business, and several more are included in the portion exhorting the Jewish people to be a Holy nation, a nation of priests...

Here is the portion in a nutshell according to Chabad:

http://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2894/jewish/Acharei-Kedoshim-in-a-Nutshell.htm

Following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, G‑d warns against unauthorized entry “into the holy.” Only one person, the kohen gadol (“high priest”), may—but once a year, on Yom Kippur—enter the innermost chamber in the Sanctuary to offer the sacred ketoret to G‑d.

Another feature of the Day of Atonement service is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which should be offered to G‑d and which should be dispatched to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness.

The Parshah of Acharei also warns against bringing korbanot (animal or meal offerings) anywhere but in the Holy Temple, forbids the consumption of blood, and details the laws prohibiting incest and other deviant sexual relations.

The Parshah of Kedoshim begins with the statement: “You shall be holy, for I, the L‑rd your G‑d, am holy.” This is followed by dozens of mitzvot (divine commandments) through which the Jew sanctifies him- or herself and relates to the holiness of G‑d.

These include: the prohibition against idolatry, the mitzvah of charity, the principle of equality before the law, Shabbat, sexual morality, honesty in business, honor and awe of one’s parents, and the sacredness of life.

Also in Kedoshim is the dictum which the great sage Rabbi Akiva called a cardinal principle of Torah, and of which Hillel said, “This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary”—“Love your fellow as yourself.”

Here is Rabbi Richman's latest (2 days ago) video on the portion:



And from 2010:

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Rabbi Yehuda Moses from Los Angeles doing a TorahAnyTime talk on this weeks sidrah..

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The great Rabbi Trugman from BeThereIsrael gives a short talk on the portion...

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Rabbi Nagin seems like such a likable Rabbi, he is a Rabbi at the Otneil Yeshiva...



http://www.ravkooktorah.org/yesha/otniel.htm

Otniel is a religious settlement in the central Har Hebron region of Judea. Otniel is situated on a ridge of the Hebron Mountains at 950 meters (3,100 feet) above sea level. The settlement commands a stunning view of the Judean Mountains and enjoys the crisp, clean mountain air of the region. Otniel is just off the new Jerusalem-Beersheba Highway (the Bethlehem-Hebron bypass route), approximately 30 minutes from Beersheba in the Negev Region and 50 minutes from Jerusalem. Regular public transportation services (4 Egged Bus Lines) are available to Jerusalem and Beersheba.

Otniel was established in 1983. Today the settlement is the largest and most developed settlement in the Har Hebron Region, comprising over 70 families and 500 residents. The families of Otniel range in age from young couples to well-established families. The Yeshivat Hesder and Kollel of Otniel, and the varied ages and backgrounds of Otniel's residents combine to provide a particularly rich social, cultural and Torah environment.

 
Otniel places special emphasis on educational programs for its many children. The settlement has 4 nursery schools, 2 kindergartens, an afternoon Talmud Torah and an elementary school; a rich curriculum of afternoon cultural and educational enrichment programs; and an active branch of the Bnei Akiva youth movement. The children of Otniel attend special afternoon educational enrichment classes at the settlement's modern community center, which includes an advanced computer center. High School students attend the Yeshiva high school (boys) and the Ulpana high school (girls) in Kiryat Arba.

Otniel also has its own medical clinic, synagogue, mikveh, mini-market, community center (with separate facilities for adults and children), library, playground, sports facilities and swimming pool. The settlement also hosts the Har Hebron Regional Council and the Har Hebron Religious Council which provide a broad range of services to the residents of Har Hebron.
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The great Rabbi Svirsky, who always has an interesting insight into the deeper meanings in the parsha.

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Now let us hear the wisdom of Rabbi Yitzak Ginsburg, as he discusses some of the Kabbalistic ideas involved with the scape-goats.

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Rabbi Finkelstein from Memphis discusses our portion..