Acharei Mot

Not to be confused with Achareli.
The Scapegoat (1854 painting by William Holman Hunt)

Acharei Mot (also Aharei Mot, Aharei Moth, or Acharei Mos, Hebrew: אַחֲרֵי מוֹת, lit. 'after (the) death') is the 29th weekly Torah portion in the annual cycle of Torah reading in Judaism. It is the sixth parashah or weekly portion (פָּרָשָׁה) in the Book of Leviticus, containing Leviticus 16:1–18:30. It is named after the fifth and sixth Hebrew words of the parashah, its first distinctive words.

The parashah sets forth the law of the Yom Kippur ritual, centralized offerings, blood, and sexual practices. The parashah is made up of 4294 Hebrew letters, 1170 Hebrew words, 80 verses, and 154 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה‎, Sefer Torah).[1]

Jews generally read it in April or early May. The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying between 50 in common years and 54 or 55 in leap years. In leap years (for example, 2027, 2030, 2033, 2035, and 2038), Parashat Acharei Mot is read separately on the 29th Shabbat after Simchat Torah. In common years (for example, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2029, 2031, 2032, 2034, 2036, 2037, and 2039), Parashat Acharei Mot is combined with the next parashah, Kedoshim, to help achieve the needed number of weekly readings.[2]

Traditional Jews also read parts of the parashah as Torah readings for Yom Kippur. Leviticus 16, which addresses the Yom Kippur ritual, is the traditional Torah reading for the Yom Kippur morning service (Shacharit), and Leviticus 18 is the traditional Torah reading for the Yom Kippur afternoon (Minchah) service. Some Conservative congregations substitute readings from Leviticus 19 for the traditional Leviticus 18 in the Yom Kippur afternoon Minchah service.[3] And in the standard machzor or prayer book for the High Holy Days in Reform Judaism, Deuteronomy 29:9–14 and 30:11–20 are the Torah readings for the morning Yom Kippur service, in place of the traditional Leviticus 16.[4]

  1. ^ Akhlah Inc., Torah Stats for VaYikra
  2. ^ "Parashat Achrei Mot". Hebcal. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  3. ^ See Edward Feld, editor, Mahzor Lev Shalem for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2010), pages 365–66; Jules Harlow, editor, Mahzor for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 1972), pages 628–31.
  4. ^ Chaim Stern, editor, Gates of Repentance: The New Union Prayerbook for the Days of Awe (New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, revised edition 1996), pages 342–45.