Achray Mos - Died for Your Sins

In parshas Acharei Mos HaKadosh Baruch Hu talks to Moshe rabenu after the death the two sons of his brother Aharon. The tone is one of consolation but the words are cryptic. It mentions that Nadav and Avihu died while bringing sacrifices but omits any suggestion of impropriety. First Aharon should be cautioned that there are dangers in entering the inner sanctuary of Hashem and it should not be treated like an ordinary occurrence. On the contrary his thoughts, dress, and cleanliness when doing so are significant. Next instructions are given on how to make ritual atonement for himself, his family, and the nation of Israel.

The object is to cleanse the inner sanctuary and the Temple as a whole from the defilement caused by the children of Israel. This defilement was caused by their sins, some of which were done maliciously. The Temple is described as being in an environment that is always filthy.

A major part of the purification rite is ritual of the scapegoat. In it the high priest, Aharon in this case, puts all of the sins of the entire nation on the head of this goat. After that the goat is sent into the jungle and to the devil who is to be found there. All of this plus fasting is to be done annually as part of the Yom Kippur holiday.

It is possible to view the scapegoat in two contradictory ways. It can symbolize a person,practice, or idea that is sinful and causes Israel to sin as did Yeravan ben Nevat. So to speak this goat caused Israel to sin and now it is being sent to hell. Alternatively it can be like the suffering servant in Isaiah chapter 43 who is harmed and humiliated by every stupidity and malicious act committed by the Jewish people. In that case the symbolism is that the sins of the children of Israel put a righteous person through hell and killed him. It can also be something in between.

From the standpoint of the narrative Aharon's sons are the scapegoat. It would seem that they were flawed tsadikim but also corrupted by society. The idea of the dangers of entering into the inner sanctuary of Hashem is that there are truths that can destroy. As such preparation especially in recognizing personal, family, and national frailties is essential. For example a person can be very learned and righteous but with a very thin heinous streak in their personality that is not only overlooked by others, but encouraged too. When it is viewed with omniscient knowledge with all of its horror and ugliness, the results can be shocking, especially if they constantly surround the Temple of Hashem and corrupt that which is most holy. In the final analysis HaKadosh Baruch Hu is merciful, long suffering, and cleanses sins one after another.

לע"נ  האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח

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