Sexual Immorality

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1. Chapter 12: Conclusion: The Moral War

   Rabbi Michael Hattin

   This lesson concludes the discussion of the Torah’s attitude toward the Canaanite nations by examining more closely God's grave gift of the land of Canaan, as well as considering a very important disagreement among the commentaries concerning the Canaanites. Those that perfunctorily read the first half of Sefer Yehoshua in isolation, as a bloodthirsty account of wanton Israelite conduct, do a disservice to the text and to the ancient traditions behind it. Of course, no one can deny the tragedy of war or its cruelty but that must not blind us to the awful truth that some wars are nevertheless justified and even obligatory.

2. Ahav: An Introduction

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Following his father's legacy of alliance with Phoenicia, Ahav marries Izevel and together they transform the worship of Ba'al and Ashera into the national religion. The Canaanit culture and religion are attractive for many reasons. The rebuilding of Jericho signifies the spiritual low the nation has reached. But if Ahav is the most serious sinner thus far amongst the Israelite kings, why is his kingdom flourishing?

3. "Shall He Return to her Again?" - A Collection of Prophecies of Repentance

   Rabbi David Sabato

   In chapter 3, Yirmiyahu presents a prophecy that portrays the difficulty inherent in the repentance of the Jewish People through a parable. Israel is compared to a woman who has left her husband – God - for other men - idols. Such a woman is halakhically forbidden to return to her first husband and that sin pollutes and defiles the Land of Israel. Can Israel possibly return to God?

4. Shabbat in the Book of Yirmiyahu

   Rabbi David Sabato

   In this unique prophecy, Yirmiyahu discusses the breach of the covenant of Shabbat. While the Torah and other prophecies connect immorality with the destruction of Jerusalem, Yirmiyahu stresses the importance of the observation of Shabbat as a condition for the people's continued existence in their country due to its nature as a national covenant with a most public nature. This prophecy is compared the prophecy in chapter 7, as well as to the prophecies of the other prophets regarding Shabbat. 

5. The Soul that Sins – It Shall Die

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The people of Yehezkel’s generation claimed that since the destruction was inevitable, their individual actions no longer had any importance and it made no difference whether they remained loyal to God’s commandments or not. Others believed that “The way of the Lord is unfair”.  Therefore Yehezkel repeats and emphasizes the responsibility of every individual for his actions and the life-and-death consequences that follow. Yehezkel concludes by stating that the people’s claim – that the son dies because of the sins of the father – is simply incorrect.

   The prophet also declares that the gates of repentance remain open to the individual. These verses are quite unusual given that nowhere in the book is there any call for the people to mend their ways so that God will not destroy His Temple. Although the prophet here calls upon the people to repent, he offers no promise that this will prevent the destruction; he only speaks of deliverance from the death for the sinners when the destruction comes.

   The sins brought about the imminent destruction of the city according to Yehezkel are idolatry, sexual immorality and bloodshed. Yehezkel does not seem to attribute the destruction of the First Temple to the social transgressions of the nation as a whole – in neither the prophecies before nor after the Destruction.

    

   In Chapter 22 as the Destruction of Jerusalem draws nearer the prophet appears to place more of an emphasis on the personal responsibility that the leaders of the people bear for their actions, along with the dire consequences of their corrupt leadership for the nation as a whole. This chapter attributes sins both social and religious in nature to the office-bearers in leadership positions. Thus, the fate of the city is sealed because of idolatry, sexual immorality, bloodshed, and – finally – the deeds of the leadership.

6. The Destruction of the City

   Dr. Tova Ganzel

   The prophecy concerning the imminent fate of the city resembles the destruction that Yehezkel had prophesied in the past, but he no longer reacts with cries of surprise or distress, as he had earlier; now he is apathetic. From now on, his pre-destruction prophetic mission is limited to describing the situation in the city.

   The description begins presenting a city that is full of bloodshed. Yehezkel’s accusation is against all of Jerusalem’s inhabitants – all classes and positions. Throughout the book Yehezkel avoids using the name Jerusalem altogether. Perhaps this is that the actions of the nation have not only led to the defiling of the name, but have also caused a rupture in God’s attitude towards the eternity of the city.

   Chapter 24 contains two accounts of loss: the loss of Yehezkel’s wife, and the loss of the Temple. The connection between Yehezkel’s private loss and the nation’s loss of the Temple indicates that the profaning of the Temple is irreversible: in other words, the Temples that will be built after the destruction of the First Temple represent a new creation, not a recreation of the Temple that existed.

   Yehezkel is commanded not to mourn for his wife as a sign to the people. Why, then, is Am Yisrael commanded not to mourn over the Temple?

   The withholding of mourning may represent a sort of Divine punishment – or, alternatively, an act of acceptance of God’s will. Perhaps mourning is only significant for the comfort that others give to the mourner and the commandment not to mourn signifies that there are none to comfort.

   This prophecy concludes Yehezkel’s prophecies of rebuke uttered before the destruction and ends his term of silence.

7. A Repentance Conundrum

   HaTanakh.com Staff

8. Shekhem and Dina: Canaanite Conduct

   Rabbi David Silverberg

9. Morality in Sexual Relations and the Land, Impurity and Sanctity

   Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

   The prohibited sexual relations listed in Parshat Achrei-Mot are extremely grave offenses. By closely examining the text, we can understand that they lead to both the defilement of man and the defilement of the land, therefore the Torah emphasizes the severity of the sins several times throughout the parsha. 

10. The Holy Constitution

    Rabbi Ezra Bick

    Through a close examination of the text of Parshiot Achrei-Mot and Kedoshim, we can notice that the structure of the social constitution outlined in the parshiot is twofold, divided between the two parshiot.  Acharei Mot contains the negative prohibitions of arayot (sexual transgressions), and Kedoshim contains the positive social practices which are meant to characterize Jewish society.