Acharei mot

Parashas Acharei

Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30

HafTorah

Isaiah 58: 1 – 12

Brit Chadasha

Hebrew 7:23 – 10:25

Please Pray this

Prayer

First before reading.

In the name of Yahushua

Our Messiyah,

I pray for the Spirit of Understanding

The Spirit of Knowledge and

The Spirit of Wisdom

As I read through this Parashas.

The Torah portion of Acharei Mot, is the 29 Torah portion of the year which precedes the portion of Kedoshim, begins with the word; ‘The Creator spoke to Moses’ ‘Acharei Mot’ of the two sons of Aaron ‘Nadav and Avihu,’ when they came close to the Creator and they died.

The word acharei mot, meaning after the death at the beginning of this portion do more than refer to the event that take place after the death of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron. These words mean that we have the power to be after death, to transcend its power. This power or capability is the ability to decide where we will be after death, is the Light revealed on the Shabbat of Acharei-Kedoshim.

There is a state that a tzadikim, or elevated soul, the ego achieve, where the connection to the body is no longer selfish. When we reach this state of spiritual maturity, we gain complete dominion over the Angel of Death. He can no longer touch us. This is the state that Revelation 3:21 talks about, those who gets to rule and reign with Messiyah.

We can decide that we have completed our work here on Earth, and we can just let go. In the case of Aaron two sons, even though they were priest, they still had more work on their ego to do.

Acherei Mot says that when the Kohen HaGadol presided over a service in the Tabernacle, he change his clothes four times. There’s a parable that explains why that is so. “There was once a beggar who dressed in rags all the time because he had no money. A kind tailor decided to help him. The tailor took his measurements and told him to come back in a few hours. When the beggar returned and tried on the clothes, he immedediately began to scream angrily at the tailor, look what you have done! You just wanted to make fun of me! These clothes do not fit.  Patiently, the tailor told him to calm down. The new clothes will certainly fit you, if you take off the old ones first.”

It is for this same reason; the Kohen HaGadol had to repeatedly change his physical garment as he was preparing to do his work in the Temple. From this we learn that we too need to remove our old righteousness, our desire to receive for the self alone, otherwise there is no chance for the Light of the Creator to enter us.

As this Sabbath falls on the seventh day Sabbath, we experience a Sabbath Gadol a high Sabbath. If we do not let go off last year blessing or crop we will not have room for the new crop we are harvesting.

The Shabbat of Acharei Mot-Kedoshim is one of the Shabbats that is not about arriving at a new understanding. It is a Shabbat that overwhelms us with devekut. It is the Shabbat when the level of being acharei mot, after death, is revealed to us and to the world.

It is the Shabbat of overwhelming Light, of overwhelming joy, of overwhelming love.

This Parashas introduces the Yom Kippur service by saying that EL YAHWEH spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, which implies that there was a connection between the two: the tragedy and Yom Kippur service.

In addition these verses added a new dimension to the cause of their death, by saying that they died when they approached before EL YAHWEH, details that was omitted from the narrative of 10: 1 – 2, which mentioned only their sin of offering an unforebiden incense or fire.

From the description here in Parashas Acharei, it seem that they were punish only for entering an area that was forbidden to them. This apparent discrepancy will be discussed. Why is the death of the righteous Nadab and Abihu mentioned in conjunction with the chapter on Yom Kippur service?

As Yom Kippur brings atonement, and extends the life of the righteous, which is pleasing to EL YAHWEH, the death of the righteous does not please our Creator. Only the people, who recognize Yom Kippur as the Day of Atonement and treat it as such, are those to whom life will be given. Those however, who callously observe Yom Kippur as Nadab and Abihu did with their worship do not find atonement.

Those who do not honor the righteous in life do not benefit from their ascent to Heavens in death. Verse 10:1 speaks of strange fire and unforbiden incense, while this chapter speaks only of their approach before EL YAHWEH.

Although Nadab and Abihu had all the right to bring fire before EL YAHWEH, there is a proper way of doing it, as we learn from their experience that there is also a wrong way of doing it.

Acharei Mot is read twice: once on Yom Kippur and once on this Sabbath. Because of this, when we listen to or connect with the reading on Sabbath, we are also connecting with the light of Yom Kippur. As it does on Yom Kippur, however, this gift carries the responsibility for us to do some deep introspection and to awaken a desire to spiritually cleanse ourselves.

Lev 16:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh after the death of the two sons of Aharon, as they drew near before יהוה, and died. – Again we see the proof that what is been written here is the Word of The Creator, and not Moses’ words, as is so often disclosed by those who reject the law. The lesson being taught here is a believer must be careful how he or she draws near, how we come to EL YAHWEH is prayer and in worship, how we bring our gifts. We cannot assume to just finish eating pork and the next minute singing Him praise with unclean lips. No uncleanness can come before a perfectly Holy Elohim. Light and darkness cannot mix.

Lev 16:2 And  יהוה said to Mosheh, “Speak to Aharon your brother not to come in at all times to the Set-apart Place inside the veil, before the lid of atonement which is on the ark, lest he die, because I appear in the cloud above the lid of atonement. – Moses a truly obedient person, did what he was told to do. EL YAHWEH spoke to Aaron as he was commanded. When EL YAHWEH tells us to speak to someone, He has already prepared the heart of that person to receive that Word. HE alone knows the heart of man, and what is require for them to progress spiritually.

This message to Aaron, was a Word that was design for a moment such at that time. It was not for a few weeks later, it was for that moment. It could be that maybe Aaron was planning and doing something rash, by even trying to enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the rest of his sons, or it could be the more obvious, reason that Yom Kippur was drawing close and EL YAHWEH was preparing Aaron for the occasion.

This is the imperfection of the old Covenant, the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies one a year, while the new covenant, Yahushua our Messiyah is in the Holy of Holies, 24/7. In the old covenant there was a veil, in the new covenant there is no veil. The original veil was rent in two when Yahushua died on the Stake.

Lev 16:3 “With this Aharon should come into the Set-apart Place: with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering. – Aaron was now being prep, on the stringent requirement of those who were qualified to enter the Most Holy Place. The most expensive sin offering was a young bull and a ram the best of the smaller offering were to be sacrifice. Today, we enter the Holy of Holies by the Blood of the most expensive offering ever conceive by EL YAHWAH, the Greatest Sacrificial Bull of them all is El Yahushua.