Shnayim Yomi - Acharei Mot - Kedoshim - Shlishi -#3 - R Reuvein Brand - Rising to a Life of Holiness

Welcome to Shlishi for Acharei Mos Kedoshim here for Shnayim Mikra Ve'Echad Targum. So, in this aliyah we conclude with a section on Shchutei Chutz of not slaughtering animals outside the Beis Hamikdash and then we move on to talk about illicit relationships, forbidden encounters, sexual encounters between people according to our tradition, which gives us what we call Chayei Kedusha, life of sanctity, allowing us to bring Hakadosh Baruch Hu into most intimate parts of our lives and not to engage in incest or other forms of immorality. It's introduced with the phrase "K'ma'aseh Eretz Mitzrayim", the ways of the Egyptians, "U'k'ma'aseh Eretz Kena'an", and the ways of the Canaanites, the Torah tells us we shouldn't behave like that. They were totally "Shutei Zima" the Gemara says, they were totally promiscuous in all of their relationships and Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants us to be rooted in holiness, in maintaining our our inner relationships. And what's interesting is that we read this parsha of specific relationships that are prohibited, we call the Parshas Arayos. We read it on the afternoon of Yom Kippurim, which is very odd. You would think of all the things to read in Yom Kippur, it's the parsha of Acharei Mos about the Arayos. So, Rav Yisrael Dovid Grossman, the great the disco rabbi, he quotes from the Orach Chaim Hakadosh, who says something amazing. The Orach Chaim Hakadosh says that in the way of the world, the natural the the proclivities of human being, the way we are drawn, the instincts, the Yetzer Hara, which is healthy and helpful within us, is drawing us to create bonds and relationships without any boundaries, which is why by the way, the Torah refers to certain inappropriate relationships as "Chesed" because we're just drawn to being close to those people. And yet, Hakadosh Baruch Hu expects more of us. And how is that? Because "Ani Hashem Elokeichem". It's "Dafka" because we as Klal Yisrael are endowed with a special Kedusha, with a special connection to our Neshama, which allows us to transcend which would ordinarily be something perhaps that's impossible. And today in our day and age, this is even more challenging and more understandable and more important than ever with the proliferation of pornography and all kinds of challenging things that exist especially for men, especially for adolescents to realize that to be drawn after that, that's a that's normal, it's understandable, but expects more of us and he endows us with a life of with to enable us to avoid that, to work beyond that and to transcend that into living a life of inner meaning and inner peace.