This is Sally, one of our sassy Cinnamon Queens. This week, we decided to let her have (heavily supervised) free-range time in our yard. That night, the kids asked me what was for dinner (their favorite question, my least favorite question). I casually told them that I’m grilling chicken on the BBQ, and my three year old asks – without missing a beat – which chicken? As in, which one of our six chickens am I throwing on the BBQ for dinner? 🤣
This is one of the first parshas of Leviticus that actually makes sense to me. Very explicit, very black-and-white – do not do these things kind of rules. We may never fully understand, on this side of Heaven, The Lords reasonings behind them, but the Torah is very clear that there are reasons.
Yom Kippur – The Day of Atonement
We are given a very sacred and special day, one that has the power to purify us of all our sins for the year. It’s incredibly powerful, and one that almost every Jew – regardless of their level of observance – connects to in some way: “And this shall be to you a law for all time: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. For on this day atonement shall be made for you to purify you of all your sins; you shall be pure before GOD. It shall be a sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; it is a law for all time.” (16:29-31)
Things That Shouldn’t Be Normalized
The rest of the parsha goes through a wide range of laws – ethics, sexual relations, bearing grudges, occult practices, honesty in business, idol worship, keeping the Sabbath, and everyday items and practices, a way of being, behaving, conducting ourselves. Not just isolated rules, but a way of living. A way of behaving that sets a standard—one that is meant to elevate, to refine, to separate.
And while we likely won’t understand the reasoning behind many of these laws, we have a somewhat vague answer on why: “You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. For it is because they did all these things that I abhorred them and said to you: You shall possess their land, for I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I the ETERNAL am your God who has set you apart from other peoples.” (20:23-24)
The word “abhorrent” shows up multiple times throughout these parshiyot. It’s a strong word – something that causes deep disgust, something morally repugnant, something that should not be normalized.
In this weeks parshiyot, what is called abhorrent tends to fall into three categories:
- Sexual boundary violations (especially incest, bestiality, etc.)
- Idolatry / Molech worship
- Practices that destabilize moral and societal order
And the Torah repeatedly emphasizes: these are not just personal sins—they affect the land and the collective. The Torah is presenting a different model entirely than the normalized – what I do is my business, what you do is yours. The Torah is presenting that behavior has weight beyond the individual. That it shapes a home, a community, and even a land.
Moral Structure
My great-uncle wrote a beautiful note to our family a few weeks ago, and one line has stayed with me ever since. It feels especially connected to this week’s parshiyot, so I’m going to share it with you: “There is a moral structure to the world, and that we are meant to live within it, not just create it as we go.” And somehow, it feels most visible in the smallest, everyday moments.