Parshat Acharei: Living God's Love in the World

In this portion there is a new reference about the death of Aaron's elder sons: "And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death (acharei mot) of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they died." (Leviticus 16:1) to remind us about being and manifesting the ways of the Creator, and not our ways when we strive to be close to His Love for the sake of our Oneness with Him.

Our Sages have different opinions about the two sons who brought a "strange fire" to the Sanctuary and died there. They say that, one hand, the two brothers and deputy high priests were indeed bringing their individual versions of what an offering to the Creator should be, and on the other they did it with the ultimate intention of becoming One with Him "no matter what".

Our Sages teach us that the lesson here is to follow God's ways in all aspects of our lives, including how we relate to Him in our individual desire to be close to Him. They also indicate that our lives must be bound to His ways while we are in this material dimension, because here is where He wants us to reveal His Presence. With this reminder we recall the entrance of four of our ancient Sages into the Garden of Eden. One didn't want to return to the world and he left his body, one returned to the world and lost his sanity after realizing the difference between Earth and Heaven, one rejected any possible human wisdom and became a hermit, and one returned as if nothing had happened. The latter is referred as Rabbi Akiva from whom it is said that "he entered into Heaven in peace and returned to Earth in peace".

We must learn from Aaron's sons and Rabbi Akiva's visit to Heaven that we are meant to live our life in this world and not in a different dimension. We have said that the Divine Presence is already revealed in other dimensions that we call Heaven, Paradise, and other realities far beyond our mind. If we live in those there is no point to reveal or transform anything because everything there exists in its own perfection. It is in this material world where we are summoned by the Creator to fully reveal His Presence concealed under the darkness of our materialistic and egotistic approach to life. Hence, it is in this darkness that we must be and manifest Love's ways and attributes as the Light that dissipates the negative aspects of our consciousness that prevent us to live in the Love of God.

The parshah continues with the preparation of the High Priest for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). We have said that the clear discernment of our intention to be close to the Creator is what ultimately transforms (atones for) all aspects of our consciousness. This discernment makes a difference between two realities: "And Aaron shall place lots upon the two male goats: one lot 'For the Lord', and the other lot 'For Azazel'." (16:8). One representing the elevation of all dimensions of consciousness in order to be transformed by God's Love with the purpose to be and manifest His ways and attributes; and the other, all the negative expressions of our existence that must descend to the depths of nothingness (into the desert) from where they came: "The male goat shall thus carry upon itself all their sins to a precipitous land, and he [the carrier] shall send off the male goat into the desert." (16:22).

From this we learn that ego's (the male goat) materialistic fantasies and illusions (the sins) belong to the realm of nothingness, because they come from there and must return there. On the other hand, our dedication and devotion to Love's ways and attributes, and redirecting our existence in them, are the means to elevate us to the realm of the absolute Truth that God is. Our oral tradition tells us about Azazel as one of the two fallen angels during the times of Enoch, who taught women how to attract men by using make-up. One lower desire triggered by ego's illusion to possess and control, reinforced by another illusion called make-up.

Our offerings to elevate every aspect of consciousness to God's Love must take place exclusively into the Sanctuary (17:3-4) because it is there where we are completely aware of our connection to God. Any other place represents the lower dimensions that keep us separate from Him and therefore "cut off": "And they shall no longer slaughter their sacrifices to the satyrs after which they stray. This shall be an eternal statute for them throughout their generations." (17:7).

Later in the portion there is a new warning about not falling in the lower traits and desires that potentially lead to negative behavior: "Like the practice of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt, you shall not do, and like the practice of the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you, you shall not do, and you shall not follow their statutes." (18:3). This is remarked by the repeated statement that we are created by God's Love, and it must be in Love's ways and attributes that we must conduct our lives: "You shall fulfill My ordinances and observe My statutes, to follow them. I am the Lord, your God. You shall observe My statutes and My ordinances, which a man shall do and live by them. I am the Lord." (18:4-5).

The portion ends with a reiterated emphasis (18:24-20) warning us that when we defile our consciousness by living under the rule of lower thoughts, emotions, passions and instincts, we expel ourselves of the unity that Love's ways and attributes are as the Promised Land that God's Love gives for us to proclaim His Glory in this world, "because He is the Lord our God".

Parshat Acharei: Being as different as it takes

The quest for sacredness as the permanent connection with the Creator continues in Acharei signaling to the day in which we are united with Him after we cleanse our consciousness from negative patterns. This is the premise for an atonement directed to fulfill that unity.

"For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins shall you be clean before the Lord." (Leviticus 16:30)

Maimonides teaches that "on Yom Kippur, the day itself atones as it is written: 'For on this day shall atone for you'." (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Return 1:3), and he clearly refers to the particular time when that action takes place.

We have learned already that the revelation of the Torah in Sinai occurs the same day when we commemorate Yom Kippur, making us aware that this is the time in which we are one with our Creator. It also reminds us that before we received the Torah we engaged in a cleansing and purification period of seven weeks to separate our consciousness from its materialistic patterns and attachments in order to become the vessel for God's ways and attributes.

The Creator asks us to be holy because He is holy and with this we learn that He does not cohabit with anything different from His ways and attributes. All our offerings (traits, thoughts, emotions, desires, passions and instincts) are directed to do what is sacred and holy to honor and celebrate our oneness with Him; and these offerings should not be presented to anything else.

"And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the satyrs, after whom they go astray. This shall be a statute forever unto them throughout their generations." (Leviticus 17:7)

This means a permanent, constant and continuous connection with God. The parshah then refers to the divine prohibition for Israel not to eat the blood of any living creature.

"Because the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement by reason of the life." (17:11)

In our commentary on Metzorah we said that water also represents life and the renewal of life. Thus the Torah remarks to cleanse ourselves with living waters in order to remove impurities derived from transgressions against God's ways and our fellow man. In a deeper meaning, God's love sustains life and blood represents both life and what sustains it. Hence the action of eating blood defiles our own life and consciousness.

In this sense blood represents a divine essence whose purpose is to consecrate life and not to desecrate or diminish it with lower impulses or negative desires. Life is to be elevated, enhanced and consecrated to what it is by essence: Love as the material manifestation of God's love.

That is our purpose in life and in this world: to reveal God's love as the sustaining essence of life.

With this we learn that we must not abuse, misuse, damage or destroy life and its source, God's love. With living waters we cleanse our transgressions against life, including eating blood.

"(…) he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening; then shall he be clean. But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity." (17:15-16)

In this context the unwillingness to return to God’s ways and attributes keeps us separated from Him. The cleansing process continues in this parshah emphasizing what the Creator wants from us in order to be permanently connected with Him. He wants us to be different from the "nations" and their ways.

Our sages explain that the people of Israel inherit the Promised Land in order to be a holy nation and a kingdom of priests, where the priesthood is the constant awareness of our connection to God. Becoming such nation requires leaving behind the ways of Egypt and the Canaanite nations that represent lower and negative thoughts, emotions, passions and instincts.

"And God told Moses: 'speak to the children of Israel and tell them: I am the Lord your God! After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt, shall you not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, where I bring you, shall you not do; neither shall you walk in their statutes. My ordinances shall you do, and My statutes shall you keep, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes, and My ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the Lord'." (18:1-5)

The constant awareness the Torah demands from us is what makes us different from the rest of the nations and gives us our true identity as the chosen people. This means being aware of God's love as the cause and effect of all Creation, and also aware that our mission is to reveal this eternal truth.

We are destined to reveal love concealed in the darkness of the illusions of the material world. We fulfill this destiny when we follow God's ways and attributes, and live by them, "which if a man does, he shall live by them".

Our sages point out "to live by them" suggesting not to die by them. One of the meanings of this is to be aware that we live by and for life’s sacredness. This sacredness consists in doing the Creator's ways and attributes, and not what denigrates the holiness of life's.

The parshah enumerates what the other Canaanite nations did related to sexual relations that are prohibited for the children of Israel, in order to be close to the Creator.

"(...) because all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled; that the land does not vomit you out also, when you defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. Therefore, shall you keep My charge, that you not do any of these abominable customs, which were done before you, and that you defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God." (18:27-28, 30)

Being different from the "nations" is the destiny that our God wants for Israel. As we have said, the difference lies in being always aware of God's love in all levels of consciousness, and living according to His commandments, and His ways and attributes.