Parshas Acharei Mos (5760)

Parshas Acharei Mos (5760)
by Mordechai Dolinsky

Here we are after Pesach, it is so important to crystallize the points of inspiration we attained and to internalize them.  It’s Parshas Acharei and the sobering subject of Yom Kippur comes to focus.  The fact that it is on the topic agenda is a special hashgacha that we benefit from. We are about to initiate the summer season, after Maaravi, as Pesach leaves the minhag here in Yerushalayim is that everyone wishes each other “a gezunte zummer”, a healthy summer!!  And now to find a connection for all this.

The second subject dealt with in the parsha is “arayos”, sexual offenses.  The fact that this subject was selected to be the partner of Yom Kippur is no wonder, as the Chazal point out that ‘arayos’ is responsible for most of our spiritual pitfalls.  Likewise we read this portion on Yom Kippur.  All this puts our focus on the subject of ‘arayos’, a very sensitive and delicate issue.  The most important, valuable and helpful advice is to do everything in the range of our available avenues of efforts to avoid situations that present a test.  This mentality as simple as it may sound is really diametrically opposed to the “are you a man or a mouse” way of thinking we find so prevalent today unfortunately.  The attitude of the Torah is that we do anything and everything in our power to avoid or limit our “nisayon”.  Reb Yisroel Salanter points out that when Yaakov Avinu informed Rochel and Leah that HaShem instructed him to leave the house of Lavan, they remarked to one another that firstly they had nothing to gain by staying and secondly HaShem had instructed them to leave.  The difficulty is obvious, they should have reversed the order.  Reb Yisroel explains that we are witnessing here a classical demonstration of this important principle of dealing with nisyonos, limit them as much as possible.  Don’t say I’m happy to find ways of showing my faithfulness to Hashem and prove your strength and loyalty.  Are you a man or a mouse?  From our own vantage point—we run….   In Yerushalayim they say—have a healthy summer.  Someone just told me in America they say—Kayitz Kasher V’Sameach!!!  Gut Shabbos.