Weekly Services

Summary: 

This week's Torah portion contains two basic subjects:

1) The rituals to be performed in the sanctuary on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement:  The Israelites, on their way to the Promised Land, worshipped G-d in a portable tent-sanctuary.  Once a year, on Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter into the “Holiest Chamber” of the Tabernacle to seek atonement for Israel. Years later, when the Israelites arrived in the Promised Land, this ritual was transferred to the newly built Temple in Jerusalem. When the Temple was destroyed by the Romans, it was incorporated into the Yom Kippur synagogue service, where it is re-enacted to this very day.

2) A list of prohibited marital unions. Why does this list of forbidden unions follow the passage containing the atonement ritual for Yom Kippur?   One well-known answer given by commentators is: The exalted feeling of being cleansed from sin on Yom Kippur gave rise to an interesting custom in ancient Israel: On the afternoon of the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, socials were held for eligible bachelors and bachelorettes!  Yom Kippur, a holy day of sobriety and clear-headedness, was regarded as an ideal time for finding a suitable mate, explain the commentators!   And thus, just prior to these “social mixers,” the list of prohibited marital unions was read publicly in synagogues, reminding young people as to whom they would be permitted to wed! 

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus