Aharay Mot - Rabbi Mark Diamond

Passover & Yom Kippur: Preparation, Abstinence, Remembrance

April 19, 2008 / 14 Nisan 5768

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond
Executive Vice President
The Board of Rabbis of Southern California

Torah Portion: Aharay Mot ("After the Death..."), Leviticus 16:1-18:30

Haftarah for Shabbat Hagadol ("Great Sabbath" before Passover): Malachi 3:4-24


On this final Shabbat before Passover, we read a Torah portion focused on another Jewish holy day--Yom Kippur. Chapter 16 of Leviticus details the ancient rites of this annual day of expiation. The confluence of our parashah and the Pesah holiday prompts me to ask: What are the similarities and differences between these two sacred festivals?

In these frenetic days of Passover purchasing, cooking and cleaning, I ran into a friend at a local kosher market. Like me, he was immersed in the challenge of buying and preparing tasty, edible meals for his family for Pesah. I asked him, "How is Yom Kippur different from Passover?" He laughed approvingly when I answered my own query, "The food is better on Yom Kippur!"

On a serious note, there are profound commonalities and distinctions between the two holy days. Pesah is a home-centered observance highlighted by the Passover seder; Yom Kippur is devoted to prayers and rituals in the synagogue. Passover commemorates the Exodus from Egypt and freedom from bondage; Yom Kippur is a time of repentance and atonement. Pesah celebrates the spring harvest; Yom Kippur has no special agricultural ties or significance.

Yom Kippur and Passover share three common themes that lie at the heart of each holy day:

Preparation - Carly Simon might have had Passover and Yom Kippur in mind when she wrote her famous song "Anticipation." In the weeks preceding Yom Kippur we devote ourselves to the tasks of spiritual preparation: self-scrutiny, repentance, and seeking forgiveness from those we have wronged during the past year. In the weeks before Pesah we devote ourselves to the tasks of physical and metaphysical preparation: removing hametz (leaven) from our homes and our hearts. As each holiday draws to a close, we eagerly anticipate the break-fast meal that marks the conclusion of Yom Kippur, and the resumption of eating bread and other leavened products after Pesah. Anticipation and preparation are essential to the spirit and observance of the Festival of Freedom and the Day of Atonement.

Abstinence - Yom Kippur is a day of self-denial (Lev. 16:29-31), traditionally observed by a full fast and abstinence from bathing, wearing leather and sexual relations. Pesah is marked by a complex set of rules regarding hametz: total abstinence from eating or deriving benefit from leavened foodstuffs and their derivatives. These restrictions are designed to focus our energy and attention on the spiritual dimension of our lives.

Remembrance - Passover and Yom Kippur are two of four occasions during the year when we recite yizkor prayers in memory of our deceased loved ones and friends. Holidays are times when we feel most acutely the pain and grief of loss. When we sit together at the seder table, at our pre-Yom Kippur dinner and post-Yom Kippur break-fast meal, we remember those who are no longer with our family, congregation and community.

I enter Pesah this year marking many recent deaths among my own circle of relatives, friends and colleagues. The death of our pet dog Yoda has added another dimension to our family's sense of grief and loss. When we gather at our seder this weekend, we will remember loved ones who are not at our Passover table. And we will recall a furry, four-legged member of our family who was always there to greet us at the door. Yoda radiated great joy and love without ever saying a word, and we will miss him.

I find wisdom and comfort in the order of the regular Torah-reading cycle, juxtaposing this week's portion, Aharay Mot ("After the death of the two sons of Aaron...") and the portion that follows Pesah, Kedoshim ("You shall be holy..."). In our grief and mourning, we are drawn to reflect on that which is holy in order to give purpose and direction to our lives. This Passover, as before, we cherish the gift of life by thanking God for granting us life, sustaining us, and bringing us to this day.