Holiness in Judaism is ephemeral – a wisp of a moment, fleeting, but full of love and life. We find it around our Shabbat tables, glowing with the candles, singing with our High Holy Day choir. No one can have it forever, not even Moses on Mount Sinai or the astronauts on Artemis II. Eventually we all must return to earth.
The name of this week’s double Torah portion seems to capture this: Acherei Mot-Kedoshim, which when put together means “after the death of holiness.” The deaths referred to here, are those of the sons of Aaron, Nadav and Abihu, who died in one of the greatest tragedies of our ancestors’ travel through the wilderness. They linger here even in the height of Leviticus when we read the essential Biblical mantra: “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself.” The message being, remember what is important, life is sacred and should never be taken for granted.
My family and I feel that as we celebrate Noam’s Bar Mitzvah. We feel it in the Jewish world as Israel celebrates its 78th birthday. These are moments we can never have back, and yet they stay with us throughout our lives.
Another hidden meaning in the name of our double portion is that holiness has an after life. Events that are impactful stay with us for as long as we are alive. They are what infuse our life with holiness even amid the mundane of everyday existence. Take a moment this Shabbat to feel them sing in your body and soul. How blessed we are to have come face to face with the sacred, no matter how fleeting those times in our lives actually are.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex