Achrei Mot-Kedoshim
Lev. 16:1-20:27
Précis: Achrei Mot begins with Adonai speaking to Moses
after the death (achrei mot) of Aaron’s sons. It describes the rituals
for Yom Kippur, including the prescribed sacrifices. The parasha concludes with a listing of
prohibited marriages.
The opening words of Kedoshim are “You shall be
holy” (kedoshim tihyu), and it continues with various descriptions of
how the People are to strive for holiness. Consideration of the poor
through the commandments to leave the corners of fields for gleaners is
included, as are mandates which complement the ethical principles of the Ten
Commandments (being honest, avoiding vengeance). This parasha is often viewed as the very
core of moral teaching for the Jewish People.
Lev
19:18: You shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children
of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
To whom does this commandment apply? Who is
your “neighbor”? Robert Silverman has written about this difficult matter (Mosaic,
12/16/15).
Among the earliest inquiries on record is found
in the Christian Gospel according to Luke, composed about 100 CE. There, a “learned Jew” asks
Jesus who is the "neighbor" discussed in this verse.
Jesus responds with the parable of the Good
Samaritan, when a Jew is robbed and eft for dead on the road to
Jerusalem. Two Jews see him lying there but offer no help. Then “a certain
Samaritan” finds him and cares for him. Jesus then asks: “Which now of these
three was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?” “He that showed
mercy,” says the “learned Jew.” (It is important to note that the Samaritans
were considered to be enemies of the Jews.
But how did Jewish exegetes explain
the verse? Some suggested that the correct interpretation was more like “friend”
or "companion” based on its usage in the book of Job. This implies a closer
relationship than the Samaritan.
Subsequent rabbinic interpretation became
(unsurprisingly) ever more complicated, depending of course on how the Jews
were being treated by the majorities where they lived after the destruction of
Israel. Some, including Rambam, felt that this commandment
applied only to fellow Jews (and some extended this to include only those
fellow Jews who observed the mitzvot!).
However, the majority of Jewish commentators take
note of Lev. 19:33-34, describing the “ger” (resident alien or
foreigner) who lives among Jews. The passage emphasizes that the Israelites
should treat these foreign residents with respect and kindness, similar to how
they would treat their own native-born citizens. Israelites are commanded
to love the ger as themselves, because they were strangers in Egypt.
Of course, the issue of how to treat strangers
among us is at the front of the debate regarding immigration. Here, it seems that the Christian and the predominant Jewish thoughts converge: the “ger” (the
“alien who lives among you” is to be treated with respect and love.
