Shnayim Yomi - Acharei Mot-Kedoshim - Shlishi - #3- Rabbi Reuvein Brand

[Music] Welcome to Schlishi for here forum. So in this aliyah we conclude with a section on of not slaughtering animals outside the mikdash 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 kadusha life of sanctity allowing us to bring into most intimate parts of our lives and not to engage in incest or other forms of immorality. It's introduced with the phrase, the ways of the Egyptians and the ways of the Canaanites. The Torah tells us we shouldn't behave like that. They were totally uh the gar says they were totally um promiscuous in all of their relationships. And wants us to be rooted in holiness in maintaining our our inner relationships. And what's interesting is that we read this para of specific relationships that are prohibited. We call the paras we read it on the afternoon of yakipurim which is very odd you would think of all the things to read in yum kiper it's the para of about the arayas so raiet grossman the great the disco rabbi he quotes from the or who says something amazing or says that in the way of the world the natural the the proclivities of human being the way we are drawn the instincts the heart which is healthy and helpful within us is drawing us to to create bonds and relationships without any boundaries. Which is why, by the way, the Torah refers to certain inappropriate relationships as because we're just drawn to being close to those people. And yet expects more of us. And how is that? Because it's dava because we asel are endowed with a special kaduca with a special connection to our nishama 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 adolescence to realize that to be drawn after that. That's normal. It's understandable. But expects more of us. And he endows us with a life of kaduca with yakipur and with kesh kadashim to enable us to avoid that to work beyond that and to transcend that into living a life of inner meaning and kaduca. [Music]