Vayikra

The matter of kedusha (sanctity) is very much stressed in the parshiyot of Vayikra. Parashat Acharei Mot starts with the service of the kohen gadol on Yom Kippur, whose pinnacle is in the Kodesh Kodashim of the mikdash. The parasha ends with the prohibitions of arayot (illicit relations), which is followed with the charge, “Be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d, am holy” (Vayikra 19:2). Rashi explains this to mean: “separate yourself from arayot and sin, for whenever you find separation from arayot, you find kedusha.” Parashat Kedoshim also ends with the commandment: “You shall be for Me holy, for I am holy, and I have separated you from the nations to be for Me” (ibid. 20:26).

In this week’s Torah reading, we learn of a prohibition to slaughter an animal and not bring it as a sacrifice (Vayikra 17:1-7). In Parashat Eikev, the Torah allows one who is at a significant distance from the Mikdash to slaughter an animal and eat it locally (Devarim 12:21).