The first of this week’s two Torah portions is called Acharei Mot, or “after the death,” based on the opening verse, “And G-d spoke to Moshe after the death of Aaron's two sons, when they drew near before the Lord, and they died.”
Why do we name a Torah portion in such a fashion? What message is there in this name that the Torah wishes to convey?
Much ink has been spilled on the meaning of death, the effects of tragedy and the Jewish approach to mourning. Certainly there are lessons to be learned from the death of Aaron’s two sons. But the Torah’s emphasis on after death, versus death itself must mean more.
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This past Sunday was the funeral of my paternal grandmother. She was an only child, but built a dynasty.
As I tried to comfort my father on his loos and digest the loss myself, I realized how fortunate I was to know her for more than half of her life. She was a short, yet towering woman. A woman of conviction, clarity, and resolve.
What she left behind is a great legacy of hundreds of descendants following in her footsteps. As it is written in Ecclesiastes, “And the living shall take to heart.”
Our parsha is teaching that there is another dimension besides the after-life. The after-life is the eternal journey of the soul in ‘heaven.’ But what influence does the soul have here on earth?
That’s the after-death. Aaron’s two sons taught a great lesson to mankind through their passing.
My grandmother left a legacy that continues here on earth beyond her bodily years.