אחרי מות

After the death of Aaron’s two sons, who had come too close to God’s presence, God spoke to Moses with careful instructions. Moses told Aaron he must not enter the Shrine behind the curtain whenever he wished, because God appears in a cloud over the cover of the ark.

Only on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, could the high priest go in this way, to make kapparah for the people. Aaron had to bathe in water and put on special linen clothing: a tunic, breeches, a sash, and a turban. He brought a bull as a purgation offering for himself and his household, and a ram for a burnt offering.

From the community he took two male goats. Lots were placed on them, one for God and one for Azazel. Aaron offered the goat chosen for God, and brought incense and glowing coals behind the curtain so a cloud of incense would cover the holy place. He sprinkled blood with his finger to purge the Shrine, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar. Then he laid both hands on the live goat, confessed the people’s wrongs over it, and had it led into the wilderness to carry them away.

God then gave Moses more commands for Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites. If anyone slaughtered an ox, sheep, or goat, inside the camp or outside it, and did not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting as an offering, that person was guilty of shedding blood and would be cut off from the people. The sacrifices were to be brought to the priest, who would dash the blood against the altar and turn the fat into smoke as a pleasing odor to God. This helped keep the people from straying after goat-demons.

God also commanded that no one, Israelite or stranger living among them, may eat blood. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and God assigned it for making expiation on the altar. When someone hunted an animal or bird that could be eaten, they had to pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

If anyone ate an animal that had died on its own or had been torn by beasts, they had to wash their clothes, bathe, and remain impure until evening; if they did not wash, they would bear guilt.

God told Moses to speak to the people: they were not to copy the practices of Egypt, where they had lived, or Canaan, where they were going. They were to follow God’s rules and laws.

Then came strict boundaries for family life. The Israelites were warned not to treat close relatives in forbidden ways, such as a parent, stepparent, sibling, grandchild, aunt, uncle’s wife, daughter-in-law, or a brother’s wife. They were also told not to take a woman and her daughter, or her granddaughter, and not to take a wife as a rival to her sister during the sister’s lifetime. They were warned not to approach a woman during her menstrual period, and not to have relations with a neighbor’s wife.

God also forbade offering children to Molech and commanded the people not to profane God’s name. Other forbidden acts were named as well. God said the land had been defiled by such practices before, and warned Israel not to do the same, whether citizen or stranger, so the land would not “spew out” its inhabitants.