Acharei Mot

The Scapegoat

Acharei Mot (אַחֲרֵי מוֹת‎ — Hebrew for "after the death") is the 29th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה‎, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the book of Leviticus. It constitutes Leviticus 16:1–18:30. The parashah is made up of 3,632 Hebrew letters, 1,013 Hebrew words, 80 verses, and 157 lines in a Torah scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה‎, Sefer Torah).

Summary

Acharei Mot begins with instructions for the Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) service, including the ritual of the scapegoat. It continues with laws regarding the sanctity of blood and concludes with a list of forbidden sexual relationships.

Yom Kippur Service

The parashah opens with God speaking to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, who died when they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord. God instructs Moses to tell Aaron not to come at will into the Holy of Holies, the innermost part of the Tabernacle, lest he die, for God appears in the cloud over the Ark of the Covenant.

Aaron is to bring a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to wear special linen garments and bathe before putting them on. Aaron is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering from the Israelite community. He is to cast lots over the two goats: one lot for the Lord and the other for Azazel. The goat designated for the Lord is to be offered as a sin offering, while the goat designated for Azazel is to be sent into the wilderness.

Laws on the Sanctity of Blood

The parashah continues with laws regarding the sanctity of blood. It prohibits the consumption of blood and mandates that all animal sacrifices be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

Forbidden Sexual Relationships

Acharei Mot concludes with a list of forbidden sexual relationships, including incest, adultery, and other forms of sexual immorality. These laws are intended to distinguish the Israelites from the practices of the Canaanites and the Egyptians.

Haftarah

The Haftarah for Acharei Mot is Amos 9:7–15.

In the Liturgy

Acharei Mot is read on Yom Kippur in both the morning and afternoon services. The section detailing the Yom Kippur service is read during the morning service, while the section on forbidden sexual relationships is read during the afternoon service.

See also

• Kedoshim
• Yom Kippur
• Leviticus