


The Portion of Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16:1-18:30)
The portion of Acharei Mot picks up following the deaths of Aaron’s older sons, Nadab and Abihu. It contains the instructions for the Yom Kippur — or Day of Atonement — service in the Tabernacle, and forbids slaughtering animal offerings outside the...
Amos’ Vision of the Third Temple Period
The Torah portion of Acharei Mot (Leviticus 16-18) begins with a reference to the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who died bringing a “foreign fire” while performing the service in the Tabernacle. Directly after this personal tragedy, God...
Can We Bring Sacrifices Without a Temple?
The Torah goes to great lengths to mandate that all Jews must only bring sacrifices to the same place; the Tabernacle (wherever it stands), and, later, the Temple in Jerusalem. Speak to Aharon and his sons and to all B’nei Yisrael and say to them: This is what...
The Torah Prohibition Against Blood and Hunting
In Leviticus, God prohibits Israel from eating blood in the strictest terms. This prohibition also includes hunting and eating from the carcass of a dead animal (Leviticus 17:10-16), and the punishment for one who violates this is karet. In fact, the prohibition...