Parashat Acharei Mot - Sixth Aliyah

In this aliyah we stand before one of the most powerful and penetrating passages in the Torah, a passage that sets clear and incisive boundaries regarding the holiness of the family, modesty, and sexual morality in the people of Israel.

Forbidden Relations: Not Only a Sin, but a Desecration of Holiness

“Ish ish el kol she’er besaro lo tikrevu legalot ervah ani Adonai” (None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness, I am Hashem, verse 6).

The Torah enumerates in breathtaking detail all the forbidden relationships, from parents and children, to brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, daughter-in-law and son, as an absolute warning: the body is not ownerless, and the family is not permitted.

Every uncovering of a forbidden sexual bond is not merely a moral transgression. It is an injury to the holiness of the person, to the honor of the family, and above all to the connection with Hashem.

The Morality of the Torah Versus “Modern” Morality

In a world where boundaries are blurred, the Torah insists on setting clear boundaries. The Torah does not apologize, but places a backbone of identity:

“Ani Adonai” (I am Hashem).

It reminds us, again and again, that these boundaries are not dictated by society, but by holiness that stands above all time and place.

The Gravest Prohibition: Offering Children to Molekh

“Umizar’akha lo titen leha’avir lamolekh” (And you shall not give any of your seed to pass through to Molekh, verse 21).

A verse that shakes every heart: the offering of a child, whether in the literal sense or the symbolic, is the height of moral degradation. Nothing is holier than life, and Hashem commands us to honor every soul, especially that of children.

Sexual Morality Is Part of Holiness, Not a “Private” Matter

A person is required to control desire, not to suppress it, but to direct it to its proper purpose: within the life of marriage, in love, in responsibility, and in holiness.

The central message of this aliyah: Holiness begins at home. In the family. In boundaries. In honor.

More Questions on the Parsha

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Do the two goats represent two forces within a person, one offered to holiness and one that must be sent to the wilderness?

The two goats of Yom Kippur as a mirror to the human soul: the same inner force can become holiness when directed, or wilderness when released without limits.