Torah Tidbit

Parshahs  Acharei (after) and Kedoshim (holy-plural form)  Leviticus 16:1 – 20:27
This week’s double parashah is jam-packed with relevant (for us – all mankind) commandments and insights.  We’ll focus on the preface to the sexual purity laws:
Hashem spoke to Moses, saying:  Speak to the Children of Israel and say to them:  I am Hashem, your God.  Do not perform the practice of the land of Egypt in which you dwelled; and do not perform the practice of the land of Canaan to which I bring you, and do not follow their traditions.  Carry out My laws and safeguard My decrees to follow them; I am Hashem, your God.  You shall observe (guard) My decrees and My laws, which man shall carry out and by which he shall live – I am Hashem.  – Leviticus 18:1-5

Walking the Walk

Laws (mishpatim) are commandments that apply to public society and can typically be judged in a court of law.  Decrees (chokim) are commandments that apply to more personal behavior such as eating, earning money and one of the strongest – sexual conduct.  Typically the laws stated in Torah make logical sense to us, but often the decrees don’t make sense and seem unnecessarily restrictive.  God is well aware of that fact and so, prior to stating restrictive decrees on possibly the strongest impulse – sexual desire – He emphasizes that both are equally important and if we really want to be alive we’d better first get our personal lives in order.
As for the nation of Israel, He is also emphasizing that personal behavior does affect public societal behavior.  In this case, the controlling and containing of sexual activities within the boundaries of marriage makes for pure, solid families and solid families are the foundation of a solid society.  And when pure families falter, so does the society.