Day 5: Leviticus 19:15-32 (Study Notes)
Double Parsha: Achrei Mot-Kedoshim
Day 5: Leviticus 19:15-32
(Leviticus 19:15)
Hashem commands that His kedoshim should not render unfair decisions in any matter. Neither the poor nor the rich should be favored in judgments neither should the poor nor the rich be shown deferential treatment.
Showing deferential (or more respect) to the wealthy in judgment is strictly prohibited in Torah—this prohibition is tied with the command not to take bribes in order to favor the wealthy in decisions.
Instead, everyone is to be treated equally and both the poor and the wealthy have the right to be judged fairly.
(Leviticus 19:16)
Furthermore, Hashem commands that His people are not to “profit from the blood of your fellow Jew” BECAUSE Hashem is the LORD.
The prohibition against profiting from the blood of our fellow means that we are not allowed to benefit from the harm of another, especially the harm of a fellow Jew. This prohibition includes the extreme of profiting from illegal activities such as murder for hire, but the prohibition also stands for less extreme cases, such as denying due care just to save money.
Causing unjust harm or extended and prolonged pain for personal benefit or for the benefit of another party such as an employer is also strictly prohibited under this law of Torah. But, even when we Jews suffer such harm at the hands of another, we are prohibited from holding anger or a grudge against those who harm us.
(Leviticus 19:17)
Specifically, we are not allowed to hate our fellow (Jew) in our hearts.
We are allowed to reprove unjust behavior and to call out unjust treatment, but when we do, we must do so in a manner that does not cause us to incite guilt.
In Proverbs, we are told that such rebuke is to be in such a manner that the rebuke references and upholds Torah. Such a rebuke usually calls for some sort of teshuvah on the part of the one who wronged us. Proverbs notes that if the person you are rebuking is wise, then they will be refined. But if he is wicked, your rebuke may cause him rage.
Furthermore beyond rebuking injustice, we are allowed to get angry, but when we do, we must not sin.
Like Hashem, His kedoshim have the ability to experience righteous anger. Righteous anger differs from sinful anger in that righteous anger aims to guide offenders to teshuvah. Righteous anger has its roots in justice and seeks to thwart and correct injustice. Righteous anger is also justified—there is a just reason for the wrath. Like Hashem, the wrath that comes forth from righteous anger always comes as a result of injustice, laws being broken, or unjust and deceptive practices used to oppress the poor, orphaned, needy, or the widow. These groups specifically Hashem takes special care of, even if the rest of society turns their back.
Hashem commands that if His kedoshim experience righteous anger, we can experience it, but we must not sin. Meaning we must not seek revenge, but we can seek justice. We must never seek vengeance, for that belongs to Hashem alone.
(Leviticus 19:18)
This verse formerly commands that we Jews are not to take vengeance. To reiterate, we must never seek revenge, but we can seek justice.
Revenge: according to Merriam-Webster is
“Revenge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/revenge. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Verb: 1: to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating in kind or degree
2: to inflict injury in return for
Noun: 1: a desire for vengeance or retribution
2: an act or instance of retaliating in order to get even.
Justice: according to Merriam-Webster is
1a: the process or result of using laws to fairly judge cases, redress wrongs, and punish crimes
b(1): the principle or ideal of fair treatment or right action
“Justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/justice. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
Furthermore we are not to bear a grudge against a fellow (Jew), or “your country man”.
Bearing a grudge harbors hate without seeking a remedy for the unhealed pain or hurt you are experiencing. Usually, holding grudges ends up hurting yourself more while the person you hold the grudge against has no care in the world. The best remedy is honesty. Talk with the one who caused you harm. Relay the wrongdoings, express how you have been harmed or hurt, and rebuke/call for teshuvah if necessary.
If the person does not apologize nor repent nor work to remedy the harm, again, you can seek justice, but you should not seek revenge.
Further, while it may be hard, we are to release any hate, which we are not to harbor. This negative comment is a blessing in disguise, for by following it we are more likely to be kept away from the sin of seeking revenge. Meaning we are less likely to harm others for harm’s sake.
If we follow Torah, and seek justice instead, then our cries are more likely to be heard from heaven and Hashem will ensure to help in His way and in His time. We should never seek to become like the ones who harm us. Instead we Jews are called to be light in darkness.
(Leviticus 19:19)
After giving out Laws, Hashem gives a law to keep His laws.
This command has the implication that instead of the laws and ways of men, we are to follow the laws and ways of Hashem alone. Again, we are to be separate and distinguished from the world around us, from the ways and practices of the pagan nations in which we live.
This call for separation is clearly implied by the laws that come next. The following laws again prohibit the ways and practices of pagan, idolatrous nations, peoples, and tongues.
(Leviticus 19:20)
Do not let your cattle mate with a different kind.
Do not see your field with two kinds of seed.
Do not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of cloth or material.
These commands are teaching us about the importance of separation in Judaism, specifically the separation between sacred and secular. Connected with the command in v. 19:19, to keep Hashem’s laws, we can understand that the instruction here has a deeper meaning.
Cattle: reference to Jacob when he separated the flocks and herds of Israel from Laban’s after Laban unlawfully doubled his time of labor and deceived him by first giving Jacob the wrong daughter as his wife. The separation of Jacob’s cattle from that of Laban’s was the first step in Jacob’s journey to becoming Israel.
Cattle: also harkens the golden calf and the command to separate ourselves from idol worship.
Seed in the field: Jews are the firstfruit of Hashem’s harvest. Just as He does not see His field with Jews and gentiles, so Jews are not to intermarry. Instead Of sewing with “mixed seed”, Hashem grants the goyim who wish to join His flock full entrance. Whether man approves or not, Hashem declares that He sees the ger tzedek as a native-born Israeli. In His eyes, a convert is the same as the native born seed—one seed, one people, serving the One True God. This is why we are to treat the ger as one of our own.
Cloth Mixture: Jews are to put on the garments of righteousness that we earn by keeping Torah ourselves (Isaiah 61:10). These robes of victory are not earned for us. They are like the sacred priestly garments given by Hashem when we chose to adorn the yoke of heaven, the crown of Torah, and live a life that embodies holy wisdom—never perfect, but always growing into the soul Hashem created us to become. These royal robes of righteousness should not be a mixture of the laws of Hashem with the laws of men. Rather true righteousness comes only by keeping Torah.
Cloth mixture: later Hashem give the prohibition against mixing linen with wool. If you recall from last week’s parsha, both linen and wool are capable of being affected with various types of “leprosy” or plagues. Thus the prohibition not to mix such fabrics perhaps lessens the chances for plagues.
Overall these commandments for separation/against intermixing can also carry over into the religious sector. Throughout this double Parsha, we have repeatedly learned one command after another not to mix Judaism with the practices of pagans. Indeed, many of our negative commandments arose because they were commonly practiced amongst pagans. Indeed order to distinguish the kedoshim from the pagans, Hashem put prohibitions of their practices into our codified Jewish law.
We see such prohibitions continue in the following verses:
(Leviticus 19:20-21)
We read that if a man has sexual relations with his female slave who he has not yet taken as his wife but who is either designated or betrothed for another man, or who has not yet been redeemed nor given her freedom, THEN there will be an indemnity put in place for the woman, but the man will not be put to death because the woman is not yet free.
This means that while a woman is still a slave to the man, he will provide her with financial restitution, but he will not be put to death for his sin of adultery because technically, as an unfree slave, the woman is his property. Along with the financial restitution, the man must bring a guilt offering of a ram.
Recalling our previous studies of Leviticus chapter 5, a ram is offered as a guilt offering in one of two ways:
(Leviticus 5:14-16) as a trespass offering when a person transgresses against the LORD’s sacred things. This type of ram offering is converted to payment in silver that the offender will use to make restitution.
(Leviticus 5:17-19) as a trespass offering when a person fails to keep a commandment of Hashem. This guilt offering is slaughtered, the blood placed on the horns of the altar, and the fat is turned to smoke, which offers expiation for the transgressions.
Either one of these offerings could be made in the situation discussed in this portion. Though the slave is not a typical “sacred object”, if she is a Jew who had to sell herself into slavery, then as a poor person, Hashem promises to take special care of her. The indemnity could be set up from the sale of such a ram. But, more likely, the second type of guilt offering is performed with the required ram.
(Leviticus 19:23-25)
Without hesitation, Hashem provides further instructions and laws. The following set are specific to when Jews enter and settle the land of Israel.
The first law pertains to when a Jew plants a tree in Eretz Yisrael. When the tree is planted for the purpose of producing food, any fruit that grows on it is forbidden to be eaten during the first 3 years of its growth. In the 4th year, the fruit is to be set aside as firstftuit offerings. And in the 5th year, the fruits can be used and eaten without limitations—save the commanded tithes and offerings provided for the priests—the specifics of which are given elsewhere in Torah.
If you have ever attempted to grow a fruit tree, you will know that in the first several years, the tree is tender. It requires much attention and care to ensure it is not destroyed by wild animals. The roots must be secured in order for the tree to grow robustly. The fruit is also often bitter due to its small size and immature growth. As the tree grows, the fruit becomes sweeter, richer, and a pleasure to eat.
This picture of the tree figures a Jewish Torah scholar and Jews when they first enter/ed Israel. Prior, all of the laws were abstract as we wandered the wilderness. As we grow in our faith and our study matures, the fruits of our wisdom become richer, sweeter—we can truly let others taste and see that Hashem (and His wisdom) is/are good.
(Leviticus 19:26)
After the command about the trees, we receive yet another command not to eat anything with its blood. This time, however, the prohibition is connected with additional prohibitions:
Do not practice divination.
“the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means.” (https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/)
Supernatural: “Supernatural refers to forces, beings, or events that exist beyond the visible, observable universe and cannot be explained by natural laws or science. It involves phenomena attributed to invisible agents such as ghosts, spirits, gods, or magic and miracles that often depart from the normal, everyday world.” (“Supernatural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/supernatural. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.)
Do not practice soothsaying.
Soothsaying is the practice of foretelling future events or uncovering hidden knowledge, often through supernatural means, divination, or fortune-telling. Originating as a term in the 15th century from "sooth" (truth) and "saying," it is synonymous with prophecy, though historically distinguished from divine revelation as a secular or occult art (Merriam-Webster, dictionary.com, vocabulary.com)
Soothsaying differs from prophecy found in Tanakh in that soothsayers are more like fortune-tellers. They often use deception or generalizations in order to make vague and ambiguous predictions about future events. These events are often with regards to a single person or situation. Hashem later gives us methods to discern whether a prophet is a true prophet sent by Hashem or a false-prophet (ie more akin to a soothsayer).
Do not round the sides of your beard—Jewish men are to let their beards grow naturally. They should not be concerned with the “clean-cut look” as Is common in current culture. In Proverbs, grey hair is a sign of wisdom; Sampson’s long hair was his strength—so, strength and wisdom likely undergird this command.
Do not destroy the side-growth of your beard—in many Jewish sects you will still see the men donning the long payes (or peyes), the long side curls. In Talmud, Keddushin 35b, this command no to cut the side-growth is for both men and women. If we think of the side-growths like tzitzits, we can understand the long side-growths as a reminder of the commandments whenever we or a fellow Jew sees the payes.
Do not make gashes in your flesh for the dead.
In 1 Kings 18, we have an example of the prophets of Baal gashing themselves in order to try and move their false god to bring fire down from heaven. False pagan religions tended to inflict self-harm and glorify death, while Jews tear our clothing, not our skin—we honor the dead, but we do not glorify death. Instead we glorify life.
Do not incise any marks on yourself.
This can include tattoos, branding, making intentional scars (as tribal marks, which was and is common in some religions and cultures).
Hashem gives the reason for the above-stated prohibitions: BECAUSE, “I (Hashem) am LORD”.
All of the above practices are or were performed by cults and false religions. These practices can lead to spiritual death of a Jew if practice leads to straying away from Hashem into a false religion.
Connecting with the prohibition against eating anything with it’s blood, we can understand that Hashem sees the Jew as full of life. When we practice the above rituals and do not obey Hashem’s prohibition, we can kill ourselves slowly—we may be alive, full of blood, but our soul and spirit can be eaten away through practices of pagan rituals. It is a warning and prohibition for being alive but spiritually dead.
We can understand the connection between idolatry and spiritual adultery in the commands that follow.
(Leviticus 19:29)
“Do not degrade your daughter and make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with depravity.”
Zion is often called “daughter Zion”. When the kedoshim of Hashem commit idolatry in the Holy Land, we make the “daughter” to be a harlot. The Holy land can become filled with places of idol worship, false god worship, and the depravity that follows. This is clearly described in Ezekiel 8, 2 Kings 21, 2 Chronicles 33 (as a few examples).
All of these examples of spiritual adultery led to the eventual Babylonian and Assyrian exiles of the Jews. With teshuvah, Hashem brought us back into the Holy land, only to allow another exile under Rome.
Like the plagued cloth or the plagued house, diaspora Jews remain cut out of land of Israel (though we are not cut off). In the end, Hashem promises to send a final redeemer (Himself) to those in Jacob who perform Teshuvah. At the time of our accepted repentance, Hashem will gather all of lost and dispersed Jews back to the Holy Land of Israel, where we will never leave again. May it be speedily in our days!
The command against spiritual harlotry is followed by the commands to:
Keep Shabbat and
Venerate Hashem’s sanctuary.
Shabbat was only given by Hashem as a command in the Torah. The Torah was only given to Jews. Thus, the sacred weekly Holy Day of Shabbat is given as a vow only to the Jews as well. By keeping Shabbat, we acknowledge that Hashem alone is G-d and Creator of all of creation in heaven and on earth. In so doing, we claim our rejection of other false gods, and proclaim we serve Hashem alone.
The sanctuary is Hashem’s home. When we venerate the holy home of Hashem, we venerate His dwelling place amongst us Jews. This dwelling place of Hashem stood only when the land was not wrapped in idolatry. Hashem promises He and His Third Temple will return to Zion when all idolatry is removed from His Holy land.
It is hard to imagine just what must occur in order for that to happen, but Hashem declares He will work in such a way that every person on earth will willingly give up their idols and serve Hashem—it will not happen by force, nor against people’s will. It will be an utter shift of Torah acceptance leading to global shalom through the willing choice to keep mitzvahs globally.
Indeed scripture promises the Third Temple will be a place of worship for all nations. We should not understand “all nations” to mean “all religions.” Instead “all nations” means every eye will see and tongue confess that Hashem, the God of the Jews is the One True God. Not all nations will convert to Judaism in a way where they will dwell in the nation/land. Indeed, many will remain outside of the land and come up to Jerusalem only once a year to celebrate Sukkot.
Even if a nation does not convert to Judaism, every nation will live according to one Law: the Torah—how the two can be separated is beyond me. This acceptance of Torah will be beyond the mere Noahide laws that some people follow today. Instead the entire Torah will be accepted and willing kept because of the way in which Hashem’s wisdom will go forth from Jerusalem and the acts of judgment Hashem will perform on behalf of all Jews in the end.
Everyone will understand there is no G-d like Hashem. Like Nebuchadnezzar, foreign kings and peoples will proclaim that the God of the Jews reigns.
(Leviticus 19:31)
After commanding to keep Shabbat and venerate the Sanctuary, Hashem instructs further prohibitions against practices common in idol worship:
Do not turn to ghosts (think of Saul turning to dead Samuel in 1 Samuel 28–which did not bode well for Saul)
Do not seek familiar spirits—unlike other religions, Judaism does not pray to nor seek counsel from dead prophets or disciples. Instead we seek Hashem, the always living G-d, alone. Though He exists only in spirit form, we do not pray to a “Holy Spirit”. Though He promises to pour out ruach—His breath or spirit of life and wisdom—ruach is not a god. It is a manifestation or spark of Hashem that includes His wisdom and understanding thereof. Ruach is what allowed prophets to prophesy, Jews to understand, battles to be won, and all of creation to be formed—without Hashem’s wisdom, there is no life, which is why wisdom was the first thing Hashem created before heaven and earth were conceived.
(Leviticus 19:32)
Connected with worshiping Hashem alone, sanctifying His land and Temple, keeping Shabbat, and all of Torah culminates in the command to rise or stand up (if able) before an aged person to show deference and exalted respect to the elderly. Such respect of the elderly shows great respect of Hashem—again, grey hair is a sign of great wisdom.
Showing respect for the elderly shows that a Jew holds respect for the long life granted by Hashem—commonly believed to be a sign of a life lived well and according to Torah. Thus respect for the elderly also shows respect for Hashem, His wisdom, and His Torah.
Hashem declares we are to show such respect because Hashem is the LORD our God.
Am Yisrael Chai!
Kimberly Davis