The Parsha this Shabbos is Parashas Acharei Mot . Seeing as the following day is Rosh Chodesh Iyar , we read the Haftorah for the day before Rosh Chodesh which is in 1 Samuel 20 : 18 - 42 , which starts off with the words , Jonathan said to him ( to David ) , " Tommorow is the New Moon , " just as the day after this Shabbos is the New Moon . It was after the passing of Aharon's two sons Nadav and Avihu That HaShem Told Moshe to tell Aharon not to come at all times into the Sanctuary , in the Inner Part , Where HaShem's Shechinah Rests . It is here that we learn that Aharon's two sons tried to approach HaShem here , thus not displaying the correct respect and humility . HaShem Is Beyond Holy . Holiness too as is everything else , Is A Creation Of HaShem . HaShem Is Above Creation . We are to always give HaShem the utmost respect , even when we address Him or refer to Him . So many in this World bring HaShem's Name down to a colloquialism , for every day talk and even going so far as to speak with ugly swearing using His Name , Chas Ve Shalom . This is a sin beyond sin . HaShem And His Name Is Beyond Sacred and must be treated as such . Even in Holy Speech we are to be careful not to over - use HaShem's Name , but to treat His Name with the utmost respect and Kavod Honour . Even when saying a Brocha , we are cautioned in Halacha not to say a Blessing in vain and our Rabbonim teach us what to do and say , Chas Ve Shalom , if we do . How much more so must the Holy of Holies in the Mishkan be respected , which Aharon's two sons did not do , by giving It the Respect It Deserved . So HaShem Here Cautions that not at all times must Aharon go into this Holy Area . A time when it was permitted by the Kohein Gadol , was on Yom Kippur , the Day of Atonement and even so , the High Priest had to go into this Most Holy Area with pure white garments and as to perform the Ketores action , only after practicing before-hand . This Parsha teaches the Yom Kippur Service , with all that needed to be done on It . Yom Kippur , is the Day of Atonement on the 10th of Tishrei , the day when Moshe finally achieved Atonement for us for the Chait Ha Eigel ( golden calf ) and thus set as the Day Of HaShem's Mercy . It is also linked with the death of Aharon's two sons , as our Chazal teaches that the death of the Righteous can work toward an Atonement for that generation . All that the Torah mentions for Yom Kippur , was to be strictly done as Commanded . The idea of one Korban being set as a sin offering and the other sent to ' Azazel ' ( Az meaning strong and el meaning mighty ) and the idea of ' Azazel , ' is one of the Chukim of the Torah . It is interesting to note that the names of the two fallen angels in Noach's time that were linked with the Nephillim ( the Fallen Ones ) , that so lowered the spiritual level of the Earth at that time , were Shem-chazai ( Azai ) and Azael , and these two names fit into the word ' Azazel ' Midrash Bereishis ) . The one he - goat sent to ' Azazel , ' was taken to a tall cliff , high peak in the Wilderness . The Day of Atonement is the very day That HaShem Set For our Atonement , for it was after the Sin of the golden calf , the Chait Ha ' Eigel , that Moshe went up to HaShem ( going up all together , in total , for a period of three different occasions , for a period of 40 days each time ) , and it was on his last time up there , when Moshe left to go up on the 29th of Av , that after 40 days , on the 10th of Tishrei , the Day of Yom Kippur , that Moshe finally attained for us Atonement and so as I mentioned , this day is set for Atonement . Preparations for The Yom Kippur Service began 7 days before , for the Kohein Gadol , who would purify himself before , for the 7 days and on two of the days in between , would be sprinkled with the ashes of the Parah Aduma - The Red Heifer . Delegates would be sent to help him prepare , and instruct him in all that would be necessary . On the Night of Yom Kippur , the Kohein Gadol would not sleep , but he would stay up and study and even had an attendant who would ensure that he stayed awake . During the Service throughout the day of Yom Kippur , the Kohein Gadol would immerse himself in the spring water five times and change his garments . When going into the Kodesh , he would remove his four garments of Gold ( as gold was used in the Chait Ha ' Eigel ) and wear only his other Garments of pure white , like the Malachim - Angels . Offerings were also done on This Holy Day , and This Day , as The Parsha mentions , is known for the lots placed on two goats , one for HaShem and the other " Azazel . " The goat for Azazel , as I mentioned , would be taken and sent with a designated person , that was to pass on within that year of doing this and this goat was to be sent off a precipice . Only then , would the Kohein Gadol continue with the Service . The Law of the he-goat to Azazel is a Chok , a Law For Which HaShem Has Given no explanation . Our Rabbonim of Blessed Memory do teach us what may be a few reasons for this . None of them are a show to bribe a negative force , on our behalf for that Day . The word " Azazel " has a few derivations . I mentioned one already and another of them being , that the word " Azazel " can be broken up into the words ' Az ' which means ' goat ' and ' Azel , ' which means ' going , ' which is exactly what this procedure was , a goat that must go into the Wilderness . Also , the word " Azazel , " can also be broken up into the words ' Aziz ' - ' Strong ' and ' el ' - ' Mighty , ' for it was to a strong and mighty cliff and rock from which the goat had to be sent off from . Some of our Rabbis also assume that it referred to a specific cliff with this name . As I mentioned but to go into a little more detail , there is a deeper meaning within this word " Azazel . " This goes back to the time of Noach as I mentioned , that it was around that time that two Malachim Angels approached HaShem and questioned the morality of human beings . They asked HaShem why He Created humans , if these humans perform such acts of Immorality and Perversion . HaShem Told these two Angels , that it certainly is not easy to be a human being , with the pull of the Yetzer Horah and with the desires , human beings physically feel . These two Angels asked HaShem To Send them down so they could prove that they could do better . HaShem Warned them that it is hard to be human and that they cannot understand the pull of physicality that a human has . They insisted And HaShem Sent them down . Their names were Azael and Shemchazai ( shortened to Aza ) and when we put these two names together , one gets ' Azazel . ' These two Angels , when they did come down , realized how wrong they had been , for they were unable to contain or control themselves , with this experience of being in human bodies with human desires and appetites and so , ended up doing worse than the humans did , in sexual immorality and other sins . How interesting That HaShem Put the laws of Forbidden Relationships , in this very Parsha . These two Fallen Angels could not contain themselves with human women and brought forth a whole race of Nephillim , The Fallen Ones . It was then , That HaShem Sent the Mabul , the Flood , for the depth to which man stooped , left no place for betterment . People at that time , took more than one wife , one for having children and others for their own personal pleasure . People exchanged wives and at that time , people also indulged in the horrific act of bestiality and other forbidden relationships , that HaShem , In this very Torah Portion , Warns us against . People also at that time , arranged marriage contracts between people and animals and also allowed different species to come together , something That HaShem Strictly Forbade . No wonder this particular event , would bring on a need for such an act of atoning for the World within the connection of these two Angelic beings that both make up the name Azazel , for the sin of sexual immorality is , according to Halacha , one of the three most serious sins , the other two being Idol Worship and Murder , the three sins that a Jew is to give up his or her life for , rather than commit them . There may also be a connection with this name Azazel , to Samael , the Angel of Eisav , the Angel who tempted Chava in Gan Eiden . This Angel Samael , insisted to HaShem , that it wants to Judge the Jewish people , as all other nations get judged . HaShem , Needing to be fair , Gave Samael the permission to Judge us only on Yom Kippur , for HaShem Knew this would be a day that all Jews , even those who do not correctly Keep all The Laws HaShem Tells us to keep , that this would be a Day , that all Jews would Remember Yom Kippur and try their best and Atone . So HaShem Knew that even on this day , Samael's negative intention would hold no power over HaShem's Beloved people . Samael wanted some form of recompense and so , a he - goat is sent for this purpose as an offering to HaShem , that Samael can think is to do with him . As I said , Samael is the Angel of our greatest enemy Eisav Amalek and Eisav was to have the place mountain called Se'ir . This name has a deep reason , for the word ' Se'ir ' means ' hair ' for Eisav was born very hairy and so this place was an indication of his hairy hard nature , which looks to gratifying his own physical appetites and his need for hunting and eating meat , one of them being the he-goat , where a ' Se'ir , ' also means ' he-goat . ' Let us remember the goat that Eisav was to bring to his Father , the goat that Yaakov brought to his Father and the goat that was dipped in blood by Yosef's brothers , that they brought to their Father Yaakov - How Deeply Beautiful And Special Is The Holy Torah . Thus the he-goat is also sent off to Atone against the affects that those around us Jews attempt , to turn us away from Holy Judaism . The goat has sadly been a representative symbol for Satanistic beliefs for a long time and so , this characteristic , comes from Eisav and his ilk around us , that have performed the most despicable atrocities throughout history , especially to us Jews through time . The Torah Portion portion teaches that the Yom Kippur Service is to be an Eternal Decree for us Jews . The Torah Portion then continues with the prohibition not to eat blood , for in all parts of the beheimah , it is their blood that is for atonement . That does not mean that blood is the only way to atone , as some of the heretical thinkers try to claim , for the verse directly says that in all parts of the animal , the part of blood is the part for atonement , ( never to be eaten ) , in connection with offerings and that there are other ways to atone , like at a time , when we do not have a Temple , HaShem , Many Times Teaches us that our lips substitute for bulls and rams . Thus Blood is not to be eaten , as some nations did in those days . Torah then Teaches us of the Forbidden Relationships , that we as His People and thus to be a Holy People , are not to engage in , as the Egyptians and Canaanites indulged in . We are cautioned as a people to not behave as the Canaanites did or others , but to remain pure and holy and modest in such matters and thus to be a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation , As HaShem Requests of us . We are not to behave as the Canaanites did in the Holy Land for it is such a Holy Land close to HaShem , that it will disgorge any such impure immoral people . Israel is not to be a place like new york or paris or any of the other main city in the World . Israel is to be a total place of holiness . Immoral sexual acts cannot abide in this Holy Land . It is to be a Land where purity of marriage and union be kept . HaShem Lists the Forbidden Relationships , forbidding incest , bestiality and homosexual unions . We , as Jews are to be a holy people unto HaShem , and not bring these leud sexual practices to the Holy Land , which the nations before there , were thrown out for doing . An example of this were the four cities of Sodom , Amorah ( Gemorrah ) Admah and Tzeboyim . These cities were destroyed , being within the Holy Land ( The fifth city that was set for destruction Tzoar , was saved on account of Lot and his daughters having to run there ) . Israel is not to be like other lands , and will not tolerate any impurity within its borders and any lack of following Torah there . It must be a land where Torah is kept and not become , Chas Ve Shalom , like other cities around the World that are secular and far away from HaShem's Commandments . Israel is very close to HaShem And HaShem's ' Eyes ' Are Always On this Land Closely and so , It is to be kept pure and Holy and Torah Following . HaShem Gives us Laws , not just for the sake of it , but so that we can emulate Him . These forbidden relationships , are there to aid us in emulating HaShem . How is this so ? The true union between a Husband and Wife , is something that cannot be gotten with other forbidden relationships . It is at such a time , when the couple are truly one , As HaShem Commanded in the Beginning that a man shall leave his Father and his Mother and cling to his wife and they shall become one flesh , Bereishis 2:24 . It is at such a time , that they become one . HaShem Is One and so , as they become one , not just physically , but spiritually too , they thus emulate the Oneness of HaShem . It is a closeness to HaShem that is gotten in a beautiful way , unlike any other . So to turn away from this and seek forbidden relationships , is to turn away from that Holy Oneness and thus is a rebellion against HaShem Himself Chas Ve Shalom . HaShem Calls upon us to do a Kiddush HaShem and give up our lives , as I mentioned , on three occasions , one is when forced to worship Avodah Zorah Idolatry , another is when asked to commit Murder and thirdly , Sexual Immorality . All these three , lead away from HaShem and it is very important not to transgress these sins . Among these , is mentioned the Law not to pass our children through to molech , which was a ritual where a child was passed between two flames in front of the assyrian idol that had a calf's face with outstretched hands and 7 compartments in its heated stomach , where the child was put into the 7th compartment . It is interesting to note that the this idol called molech , was like an egyptian form of baal , from where the term ' baal-zebub ' came from , and that in islam , they have an angel called ' maalik ' which is their angel of hellfire and that their angel called malakbel , from the ancient canaanite religion , was at the time , the idol messenger of baal , the idol . No wonder they used fire on children at the time , if the belief was of hellfire . May the whole World stop all forms of idol worship Avodah Zorah and follow HaShem Only Who Is One - Devarim Deuteronomy 6 : 4 . HaShem Then Cautions us not to follow , in any way shape or form , the abominations of the nations , who did all these depravities , and so did Israel , the Land , The Place of HaShem's Special Closeness , did disgorge them from the Holy Land , a Land that will never tolerate any form of depravity , secularism or immorality or idol worship of any nation . It must be a Land of Milk And Honey , Of Torah and Sweet Holiness , For HaShem . In The Sefer Midrash Vayikra of Rabbi Weissman , he goes into details of how today this molech type of worship is still a problem , not that this cult is worshiped today , but that our Jewish children are not to be given over to secular education without Torah Values , for their upbringing as Jews can be lost to the new ways of secular society today . It is easy in this modern World for a young person's mind to be turned away from traditional values and sadly then , a Jew is lost Chas Ve Shalom . So easy is the pull of negative ways and the Yetzer Horah to be taken by these negative ways . Our people must get a proper Torah education and proper Jewish values and grow up in an atmosphere of holiness , with no pull of secular foreign and pagan ways . Not doing so , could lose Jewish people to the pull of false religions and idol worship , Chas Ve Shalom . Such is today's warning with molech . The Parsha ends with HaShem Telling us to Safegurd His Charge thus keeping it Holy , not to do any of the abominable things that nations did before us , nor contaminate ourselves with them , with the Parsha ending with HaShem Telling us " I Am HaShem your G-D . " Thus , we are to put into place Laws that will keep us far away from transgressing the Torah Law , as Rabbi Akiva taught , to ' Put a Fence Around the Torah , ' to ensure that we don't even get close to breaking the Torah Law . In the case of Forbidden Relationships , our Rabbis instituted Yichud , to make sure , knowing that we each have a Yetzer Horah , that we are not alone with a person of the opposite gender where transgression , in the hands of the Yetzer Horah can be an easy target . The Laws of Yichud are far and wide , and though some might think they are outdated , our Rabbis teach us that the Yetzer Horah that is strongest in this area of forbidden relationships , keeps the pull toward this kind of transgression , the same as it was in Adam's time . HaShem In His Wisdom of Creation , Knows the human psyche and power of this area and Thus Wants us to be very careful in this subject . Safeguards are there for our protection and as Yosef showed us , keeping away from immorality , brings us closer to the Shechinah of HaShem . HaShem Wants To Shower us with His Goodness And Blessings . HaShem Wants us close to Him . HaShem Wants the same relationship with us that we would have had , had we stayed in Gan Eiden , where Adam Ve Chava walked with HaShem in the Garden . Sadly , we are not on a level right now to do this and the only way to get on that level is through HaShem's Torah . We need to work at it every day . The path back to Gan Eiden is only through HaShem's Laws And Tests . We are not ready to stand before HaShem's Shechinah yet , even if some of us think we are . Nadav and Avihu also thought they were ready to stand before HaShem's Shechinah . They too were not yet ready . Only When HaShem Decides , will we be ready . In the mean time , we have to prove ourselves every day and make ourselves ready every day , growing higher in Holiness every day , With HaShem's Laws . There is no other way to HaShem But By HaShem's Way . Every day we need to atone for the previous day and work at ourselves . The time will come , but it isn't right now . But it could be in the next minute . It all depends on us . It always has depended on us and our humility and obedience to HaShem . HaShem Is Waiting And Is Always Ready To Receive us . It is for us to make ourselves ready for HaShem . HaShem Awaits us . Gan Eiden awaits us . Shamaim awaits us . May we all get to the point where we ourselves think of nothing else , but that the real holy versions of us all , await us and that once and for all , nothing else but HaShem , Is our destination . HaShem's Gift of Torah Is our Pathway And HaShem's Eternal Love For us Is our Life . So guard This Gift of life That HaShem Gives us , with honor and live in the Arms of HaShem forever . As this Parsha ends with the words , " You shall be Holy for Me , for I HaShem Am Holy , " it is within these words wherein is the secret of life eternal and our garments to wear in this World , as we travel the path to ultimate holiness in following HaShem's Laws in love and make our every destination , the Loving Holy Arms In Closeness , Of HaShem Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu , HaShem The Holy One Blessed Be He . With Forever And Eternal Sweetest Love To HaShem , I wish Forever Most Beloved HaShem With Eternal And Forever Beautiful And Sweetest Love , a Very Sweet and Beautiful Shabbos Kodesh And Chodesh Tov With Forever Sweetest Love and to all my fellow Jews and to all of Creation , a very sweet and beautiful Shabbos Kodesh and Chodesh Tov with love .