We Are Holy, and Wholly Human

By Hazzan Sandler.

This week we read the double parasha of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim. The former translates to “After the Death of” and refers back to the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. The latter translates to “Holy Ones” as the parasha begins by saying “You shall be holy, for I, your God, am holy.”

What strikes me is that we refer to the double parasha as “Acharei Mot Kedoshim” which would translate to, “After the Death of the Holy Ones” and in this is a subtle but uplifting lesson. The deaths of Nadav and Avihu came as a consequence for offering an alien fire upon the altar. I tend to interpret this as a natural consequence of them misusing the space, rather than an instant smiting punishment. I also like to imagine that Nadav and Avihu thought they were doing the right thing, appealing to their zealous desire to worship God – but having made a grave error in their execution, were swallowed up. In any case, their death was a tragedy. And Aaron’s silence was valid and deeply understandable.

We all make mistakes. We all miss the mark sometimes. But the Torah cycle gives us a clue that their sin of offering a foreign fire did not undermine or retract their intrinsic holiness. After the death of the holy ones — they were and are still holy even though their death came about by their error. And I think this is true for each of us as well. None of us are perfect, and all of will make mistakes. But our holiness is intrinsic. Our holiness comes from our innermost connection to God, our soul. This remains pure and holy no matter what. And when we die, and all that’s left of us is our eternal soul, we join Nadav, Avihu, and all who came before as Kedoshim, as holy ones. This is reflected in the Memorial Prayer which speaks of “the souls of the holy and the pure.” 

And we revisit this parasha on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, which situates us on the  precipice of life and death. This reminds us that while we are here, living, we can do teshuva and work to be our best selves. We can return to our pure and holy nature, no matter what, so long as we do the work to do so. Just as Aaron’s sons made a mistake and are still considered holy, we too can recover our inner holiness in the wake of our imperfections.