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This week we read two Torah portions; Acha’rai Mot and Kedoshim.
Both of them deal with very positive topics. Acha’ri Mot is about forgiveness in the Temple service on Yom Kippur and Kedoshim explains how to be holy by doing G-d’s commandments.
But at first glance this is not so clear. Why are these two topics; forgiveness and holiness necessary?
Why doesn’t G-d just make us permanently pure and holy? And conversely, if G-d would not have given the Torah there would be no rules, sins or un-holiness. Then we could do what we want and just be ourselves!
Not only that but the Torah causes hatred. The Talmud tells us that when G-d gave the Torah on ‘Sinai’, hatred (Sina) descended to the Jews (Shabbat 89a).

To understand this… here is a story.

It takes place around fifty years ago. Names were omitted for obvious reasons but it deals with the manager-principal of a Chabad School in an Israeli city.
In Israel there are three school systems, secular-‘public’, religious, and a large network of Chabad schools in co-ordination with the Israeli government that teach Jewish, Torah classes in the beginning of the day and secular subjects; math, history, science etc in the afternoon.
Needless to say, there are certain government rules that must be abided by in these schools and one of them is the three-month summer break during which children are ‘free’ from learning.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, the leader of the Chabad Chassidim, was never in favor of such long breaks and one year he wrote a letter to one of the school principles (the hero of our story) that he should cut the summer break short and resume the learning three weeks early.
The principle immediately set into action. He phoned the secretaries and teachers who were on vacation and asked if they would be willing to begin work early, with pay of course, and get busy contacting all the pupils and parents to inform them of the change.
He was sure that only a small percentage of his staff would actually change their vacation plans and even a smaller percentage of the pupils. But to his surprise, when they heard that it was a request from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, almost everyone; secretaries, teachers, pupils and even the cooks and maintenance people, returned to work.
But then there came an unexpected problem. It’s not clear how the Ministry of Education found out about it, but as soon as they did, they reacted.
One the first morning of resumed classes the principal heard a loud angry knock on his door and opened it to see an enraged official with a look of disbelief on his face. He entered the room and demanded an explanation.
“What is the meaning of this!!” He held himself back from screaming. “Who gave you permission to begin classes?! To stop the vacation!!!? These children need their vacation!!! And so do the teachers!!! And so do YOU!!! If you don’t suspend learning immediately you will be suspended permanently!!! You will get a permanent vacation!! Do you understand!!!?? Stop the classes … send the children home immediately or we will CLOSE THIS SCHOOL!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND??!!!”
“Yes, I understand” replied the principle. “But we aren’t stopping.”
“What?!!” Yelled the official as his face reddened in anger, “Remember that this school is funded by the Israeli Government… if you refuse to follow the orders of the Ministry of Education, we will CUT OFF that funding and CLOSE YOUR SCHOOL DOWN!!!”
The principle calmly replied. “Listen, you don’t have to yell and threaten. I am grateful for your funding but this school is run by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. I only listen to him. He is the manager, not you or your government and there is no use in your ultimatums. if the Rebbe says to start early, we will start early and the government can do as it sees fit.”
The official looked blankly at the principle as though at a madman, then took two steps back, took a few deep breaths, pointed his finger and yelled, “YOU’LL SEE WHO’S BOSS HERE! YOU WILL REGRET THIS!!!”
Saying this he turned on his heels, and left the room in a fury, slamming the door behind him.
The secretaries and everyone else that heard the ruckus had been gathered in the hall around the door entered the room to comfort him and ask what he was going to do, maybe they should just go home and start at the ordinary time in a few weeks.
“This school is run by the Rebbe and no one else” he calmly assured them, “and money? Well, the same G-d who wants these children to be educated is the same G-d who will provide the money. I’m not worried. Let’s just get back to our jobs and forget this ever happened.”
And he was right.
The next day all the children returned. The classrooms were full and the halls were alive and happy. One week went by, then another. But just as the three extra weeks were almost over, several huge tractors rolled up to the school followed by a truck carrying a massive steam shovel accompanied by several carloads of workers.
It looked like this was the end! They were going to actually level the school!
The workers got out, began measuring and surveying and the tractors, with awesome roars began to dig and level the ground around one side of the building while the steam shovel began digging a huge hole and depositing the dirt nearby.
The principal went outside, approached the foreman and asked what exactly they were doing. The foreman opened a large page of blueprints, spread it on the hood of the car before him and pointed out what they were doing. “We’re building an addition. Here, see? It will be two stories and about twenty more classrooms.”
To the total amazement of the principle, he realized that they were actually making the additions that he had been requesting for the last nine years with no success; and had been totally ignored.
Briefly a horrible thought crossed his mind; perhaps they were building because they intended to fire him and install a new principle in a new school!
But he decided that, in any case, it was best to just be quiet and see what happened.
And, in fact, nothing happened! In less than a month the new addition was done, he began using the rooms and not another word was said.
But our principal was not satisfied. He couldn’t contain his curiosity. He wanted to know what really happened; why did the ‘curse’ become a blessing?
So, he asked friends to try to get to the bottom of it and discover what had transpired. Perhaps the angry official had a change of heart, or perhaps he was fired, or replaced.
So they searched and inquired but after several weeks of intensive and secretive asking and investigating there was no answer. For some totally unknown reason the angry official’s request was forgotten and instead the government unexplainably decided to honor the principal’s nine-year-old requests.
Two true miracles!

This answers our questions about forgiveness and holiness.

G-d not only created the world but He created it and is creating it constantly anew with a purpose; that man should perfect it.
As the Torah tells us that G-d put Adam in the world, “To improve it and protect it” (Gen. 2:15): namely, to make ‘nature’ into ‘above’ nature; to reveal the Creator in every detail of creation.
But in order to do this we must first see our purpose in the world and arouse our soul energy to activate it; to actually change the world around us.
And that requires Forgiveness and holiness.
Forgiveness is moving from and correcting the past while holiness is moving toward and creating a new blessed future.
This can only be done when we are under pressure.
As the Midrash explains that Jews are likened to olives; they only produce their best ‘oil’ when pressed.
Just as the principal in our story; first the Rebbe showed him purpose; that children must learn Torah. Then he was able to defy opposition (the govt. official). And finally miracles and blessings happened.
So too with us. When we are aware of our task; to bring ‘Geula’ to the world then we can awaken the essence of our soul; the powers of defiance and courage  ….  and then miracles occur.
And this is why G-d gave the Torah and with it good and bad, right and wrong, holy and unholy. Also in the Torah is the power to reveal our true selves and improve the world even when the entire world opposes us.
This is the point of our two Torah portions: Achari Mot-Kdoshim. Achari Mot means After ‘death’(obsticals) and Kdoshim means Holiness. Namely that Holiness can only be achieved by having a clear goal and transforming all obstacles in order to achieve it.
And our goal is to bring Moshiach. Moshiach will be a leader who will inspire all mankind to reveal their true natures and transform the world according the goals of the Torah just as the Rebbe is doing to Judaism today.
But this all depends on us. Just like the school principal in our story, we must learn what the Lubavitcher Rebbe wants and awaken our innermost powers to make it come true.
And, as the Rebbe said repeatedly; this should happen at any moment. We are standing on the merits of thousands of years of Jewish service, hopes, prayers and suffering. It all depends on us!
One more good deed, word or even thought, can bring …….

Moshiach NOW!

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton
Yeshiva Ohr Tmimim
Kfar Chabad, Israel

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