Yom Kippur Torah Reading

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Yom Kippur Torah Reading


September 13, 2010
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By Talia Davis



This week, the week of Yom Kippur, we are again breaking with tradition. There isn’t an assigned portion (in the cycle) this week, but rather specific Yom Kippur Torah readings. On Yom Kippur we read Vayikrah (Leviticus) 16:1-34 and 18:1-30. Chapter 16 is read in the morning section of the service and chapter 18 is read in the afternoon.



Additionally, there are special Haftorah portions for Yom Kippur morning and afternoon. These are assigned portions from the rest of our Tanach (Bible beyond just the Torah, including the Niveim-Prophets and Kituvim-writings) that align with the messages of the Torah portion or holiday. In this case, we read Isaiah 57:14 - 58:14 on Yom Kippur morning and the book of Jonah along with Micah 7:18-20. I know this seems like a lot of information but we will break it down here for you and there is a great music video about Jonah from our friends at G-dcast.com at the end!





Vayikrah (Leviticus) 16 and 18 are segments of the Achrei Mot parsha that we read in April. Here’s a refresher. This parsha picks up after two of Aaron’s sons die because they drink too much and bring a sacrifice to G-d’s Tabernacle. At this point, G-d sends us (through Moses) a manual on how to behave to prevent this from happening again. There are three sections of this manual -- meat (how to eat when and where), sex (who and when), then atonement for the "oops" moments that are inevitable. See, G-d knows us and doesn't expect us never to make a mistake. What we read on Yom Kippur deals mainly with the rituals of Yom Kippur (which seems like a good idea to read) as well as the sexual practices. We leave out the food section and the talk about the blood.



G-d gives Moses some instructions for Aaron after Aaron’s sons died. He was not to enter the Kodesh HaKodashim (the Holy of Holies) because G-d, G-dself, was appearing there. Aaron had to bathe (a mikvah) then dress very specifically according to G-d’s instructions, then bring several sacrifices. He had to bring a bull as a sin offering, two rams as a burnt offering, and two male goats as sin offering. These offerings are called Korbanot. The parsha goes into painstaking detail about what Aaron was to do at this time. Then Aaron was to put his hands over a goat and confess all of Israel’s sins, then send the goat off into an unknown, inaccessible area. The last part of this section tells us that on the tenth day of the seventh month, all Jews were to observe a Yom Kippur. This is a day like Shabbat where we don’t work but also we atone for our missteps.



On Yom Kippur afternoon, we read the 18th chapter of Vayikrah. This is the section that deals with sex. This is a biggie with some clear and obvious prohibitions, like you can't sleep with a sibling, but this is also part of the parsha that is oft quoted in relation to homosexual relationships. Here is my drash. First, the language is clearly referring to men. You can't make the inference that it also applies to women or lesbians in the same fashion. So the language is very important in all of the Torah, and that doesn't change here. The text says you shouldn't sleep with a man as with a woman. Nowhere else does it say you don't do this like you do that. So why here? My theory is that it is reminding us that we can't just throw things around without thought. You can't thoughtlessly do this. It is easy for a man to sleep with a woman but it becomes harder for a man to sleep with a man. Harder in many senses. This is not a simple decision. We have to put thought behind our actions. Don't just take the easy way; be mindful. I don't read this as a condemnation of homosexuality.

Both of these chapters are about discipline and order, however the Hebrew text, as always when it comes to Hebrew, is open to interpretation. In many of these prohibitions we see G-d reminding us that we are not like our neighbors; we are the chosen people, we are the tested people (the Hebrew word for chosen is bahar but becherah means tested; same shoresh or root), and we cannot go through our lives mindlessly. This wasn't just a reaction to the death of Aaron's sons but a gift of pro-action for our future.




The Haftorah for the morning is a section in Isaiah that discusses teshuvah (lit. “to return”) and fasting. Isaiah talks about a practice of fasting for show or not completely fasting. In that vein, Isaiah teaches us how to fast properly. Essentially, he tells us to let go of all of our material concerns and show kindness to those around us. If then you call and cry out to G-d, then will G-d say, “Here I am.”



For the afternoon we read the whole book of Jonah. Perhaps you are familiar with it? G-d asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people that they were being so nasty that G-d was going to destroy them. Jonah wasn’t so thrilled with the idea so he ran away on a boat. But can you truly run away from G-d or your problems? Not really. There was a crazy storm and when Jonah admitted to being the probable cause for the crazy weather, he offered to take a long walk off a short plank and they tossed him overboard.



After landing in the water, full of melancholy, he was swallowed whole by a very big fish. Good thing it was a big fish because he spent some time in there feeling pretty sorry for himself. After a while, Jonah realized the power of G-d and that G-d was probably right and so Jonah asked G-d if he could be forgiven and return to G-d’s good graces. The fish promptly tossed his cookies (or should we say, tossed his Jonah), and Jonah headed to do the job he was charged with.



When he arrived in Nineveh, he told them that they had forty days until G-d was going to destroy them and “boy was this G-d character not kidding, remind me to tell you about the time I was swallowed by a fish!” The people of Nineveh decided that this crazy, fish-smelling fellow might be on to something and they decided it was better to fast, repent, and change their ways. Since they did what G-d (through Jonah) asked, G-d decided that this place and people would be spared. And, Jonah was pissed. WHAT?! I spent time in a fish’s tummy for this!? And Jonah stormed off.



He went to the outskirts of the city and sat pouting, and during his pout he watched a worm destroy a tree that was providing him with shade. G-d said to Jonah, look dude, you took pity on this tree that you didn’t even plant or water or shine sunlight on it to make it grow. But I can’t take pity on the city of Nineveh or the more than 120,000 people who live there?! G-d created everything; if G-d chooses to spare us, who are we to criticize?



We conclude that haftorah with a section from Micah that talks about G-d’s love and kindness toward the people G-d has created . . . how forgiving G-d can be even with our missteps. "G-d does not maintain G-d’s anger forever, for G-d is a lover of kindness. G-d will have mercy on us, G-d will grasp our iniquities and cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." Just like we went to the water to toss our own sins into the depths of the sea, so will G-d and they will be no longer accessible to us. Total and complete forgiveness.



Gamar Chatima Tova -- may you be inscribed in the book of life for a good life. I hope your fast is an easy one. Happy 5771!



Note: Some congregations have the minhag (tradition) of changing these readings. In general, a Reform machzor (holiday prayer book) has a reading from Devarim (Deuteronomy) 29:9-14 and 30:11-20 for Yom Kippur. Also, some Conservative congregations read Vayikrah 19 instead of 18 in the afternoon. Bonus -- most shuls have a machzor that has the Torah portion printed in it with an English translation so you can read along with the rabbi.