בס”ד

A THOUGHT ABOUT PARSHAT ACHAREI MOT – KEDOSHIM 5786

In the parashah Acharei Mot – Kedoshim, two themes immediately stand out: immoral relationships and idolatry. The Torah devotes significant attention to both, and for good reason: they touch the very core of human nature — not just what a person does, but how they think.

Leviticus 18:3 – Warning Regarding Egypt and Canaan

“As the practices of the land of Egypt, in which you lived, you shall not do; and as the practices of the land of Canaan, to which I bring you, you shall not do; and in their statutes you shall not walk.”

Egypt represents the past — a culture that influenced Israel. Canaan represents the future — a culture that awaits them. Both are morally dangerous.

Egypt and the Normalization of Immorality

Egypt was not only known for idolatry but especially for sexual corruption. Rashi on Leviticus 18:3 explains that Egypt and Canaan were notorious for arayot (forbidden sexual relationships).

Why is immorality so dangerous? Rashi (Megillah 31a) says:

“Immorality is a prevalent transgression, for a person’s soul gravitates toward it and his evil inclination overpowers him.”

Immorality often comes disguised: logical, human, understandable. Think of statements we often hear today:

It sounds almost rational. That is exactly Egypt’s power: it normalizes what is forbidden, making a person believe it is “acceptable.”

Universal Realities and the Noahide Prohibitions

This human tendency to rationalize immorality contrasts sharply with the universal moral structure G-d established. Genesis 2:24 lays the foundation:

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

From this verse, the Sages (Sanhedrin 58a; Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 9:5) derive five prohibited relationships for Noahides:

  1. A relationship with one’s father’s wife
  2. A relationship with one’s mother
  3. Adultery with a married woman
  4. Male homosexual relations
  5. Bestiality

The sixth prohibition — a relationship with a sister or maternal half-sister — is derived from Abraham’s statement in Genesis 20:12, where he clarifies that a Noahide is forbidden from having relations with a sister from the same mother.

These prohibitions are universal, predating Sinai, and rooted in creation itself. For Noahides today, this means that fundamental moral boundaries are not cultural or temporary but universal and immutable.

Canaan: The Irrationality of Idolatry

Canaan was known for idolatry. Altars and idols were everywhere. While most people today no longer worship wooden or stone idols, Leviticus 18:21 explicitly warns against practices such as Molech worship (a ritual in which children were passed over a fire as part of pagan rites).

Idolatry is essentially taking the correct belief that G-d is the ultimate source and controller of everything, and redirecting that attribution toward something else—such as money, power, ideology, or the ego. Whereas immorality often sounds logical, idolatry is fundamentally irrational. Yet people follow it, sometimes subtly, sometimes compulsively.

Netivot Shalom (p. 224, Gems from Nesivos Shalom, Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg) explains:

“My ordinances you shall keep and My statutes you shall observe.”

The Torah instructs: do not walk in their systems, reasoning, or norms. Follow G-d’s laws.

Abraham and the Logic of One G-d

Abraham concluded through rational observation that there can only be one Creator (Bereishit Rabbah 39:1; Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim 1:50). His example shows that pure logic and morality can coexist, unlike Egypt and Canaan, where desires or irrational systems were the measure.

Conclusion

Acharei Mot – Kedoshim confronts us with two fundamental challenges still relevant today:

  1. Immorality — tempting, logically justifiable, yet prohibited.
  2. Idolatry — irrational, sometimes subtle, yet pervasive in priorities and desires.

The Torah provides a clear remedy: live according to G-d’s ordinances (mishpatim) and statutes (chukim). Not society’s norms, not personal desires, but the structure the Creator established.

When we do this, we discover — like Abraham through rational thought — that there is only one G-d and that universal moral boundaries are undeniable.

Egypt and Canaan are not just geographic locations. They are mental and moral states. By adhering to G-d’s laws and the logic of creation, we can live a life based on truth, not convenience or desire.

By Angelique Sijbolts
With thanks to Rabbi Tani Burton for the feedback

Sources

  1. Leviticus / Wajikra 18:3, 18:4 – Warning against the practices of Egypt and Canaan.
  2. Genesis / Bereishit 2:24 – Universal basis for prohibited relationships.
  3. Rashi on Leviticus 18:3 & Megillah 31a – Explanation of immorality and human inclination toward rationalizing sin.
  4. Sanhedrin 58a – Derivation of Noahide prohibited relationships from Genesis 2:24.
  5. Genesis 20:12 – Abraham on sister/half-sister, relevant to Noahide prohibitions.
  6. Rambam, Hilchot Melachim 9:5 & Laws of Forbidden Sexual Relations 14:10 – Codification of Noahide prohibitions.
  7. Rambam, Moreh Nevuchim 1:50 – Abraham and the logic of the One Creator.
  8. Bereishit Rabbah 39:1 – Midrash on Abraham deriving monotheism through observation.
  9. Netivot Shalom, Gems from Nesivos Shalom, p. 224 (Rabbi S. Binyomin Ginsberg) – Explanation of mishpatim and chukim in relation to Egypt and Canaan.
  10. The Divine Code, Rabbi Moshe Weiner, p. 392 – Commentary on universal Noahide laws and prohibited relationships.


© Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.

Our blogs may contain text/quotes/references/links that include copyright material of Mechon-Mamre.org, Aish.com, Sefaria.org, Chabad.org, and/or AskNoah.org, which we use in accordance with their policies.