On Yom Kippur morning the Torah reading is taken from the beginning of Parshas Achrei Mos which outlines the avodah of the day. At minchah on Yom Kippur we return to Parshas Achrei Mos but this time focusing on the section that deals with the forbidden relationships. These two themes seem to be at opposite ends of the religious spectrum. Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar and the only time when the Kohen Gadol was permitted to venture into the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum of the Beis Hamikdash. While the list of forbidden relationships speaks about the most vulgar and offensive acts of incest and depravity. If we were just dealing with the juxtaposition of these two subjects in the same parsha the connection between them might have been dismissed as a mere curiosity, but the fact that they are both featured and reunited in Yom Kippur service compels us to examine the matter more closely.
The decision to raise the issue of forbidden relationships towards the climax of the day Yom Kippur is independently troubling. Rashi and Tosfos (Megillah 31a) explain that the purpose of reading this section is in order to dissuade those individuals who might still be tempted to sin in this sensitive area. However, for those who are invested in the experience of Yom Kippur and have embarked upon the path to real improvement, even mentioning the possibility of these severe transgressions seems like a distraction and disruption. Just as we are hitting our spiritual stride on the verge of the concluding crescendo of neilah, why would we remind ourselves of our inherent human frailties and base animalistic desires when nothing could be further from our mind at that moment of extreme holiness? Even articulating and contemplating sins that are completely off our mental radar seems to be gratuitous and indeed counterproductive to the process of teshuvah.
This problem is compounded in consideration of the statement of the Gemara (Yoma 20a) that the yetzer hara has no influence on the day of Yom Kippur. The numerical value of the word "hasatan" - "The Evil Inclination" is 364, because the yetzer hara is active for only 364 days out of the year, excluding the day of Yom Kippur when the yetzer hara is dormant. If so, at minchah on Yom Kippur, while we are still immersed and protected by the sanctity of the day, why do we need to be concerned about the potential for sin?
Perhaps the answer can be gleaned from the strange manner in which the avodah of Yom Kippur is presented. Typically, when detailing the sequence of korbanos to be brought on a particular festival the Torah first indicates the date of the holiday and then proceeds to the details of the required procedure. With regards to Yom Kippur itself, the pasuk states in Parshas Emor (Vayikra 23:27) "But on the tenth of the seventh month, it is a day of atonement, it shall be a holy occasion for you; you shall afflict yourselves, and you shall offer up a fire offering to Hashem." (See also Bamidbar 29:7 - 8 for a similar formulation). However, at the outset of Parshas Achrei Mos, the Torah veers from this familiar template. First the avodah of the day is laid out at length and only then, almost tangentially, the Torah stipulates that this unique opportunity exists only "achas beshanah" - "once a year", on the tenth day of the seventh month. Furthermore, the Torah initially singles out and addresses specifically Ahron Hakohen, and only later adds that these same instructions apply to all later generations of kohanim as well.
Based upon these anomalies the Vilna Gaon (cited by the Chochmas Adam, Shaar Hasimcha) postulates that while in subsequent generations the avodah of Yom Yippur was limited to "achas beshanah" - "once a year", Ahron Hakohen himself was permitted to use this procedure to enter the Holy of Holies any day of the year, (see Vayikra Rabba 21:7). Therefore, initially, when addressing Ahron Hakohen, the Torah fails to include the specific date of Yom Kippur, since he was granted the license to use this system whenever he would like. Only towards the end of the discussion, when speaking to later generations of kohanim, does the Torah spell out the restricted timeframe of one day a year.
For this reason, the Torah actually introduces this subject twice. First the pasuk states, "Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe" - "And Hashem spoke to Moshe" (Vayikra 16:1), and then in the very next pasuk the Torah says again, "Vayomer Hashem el Moshe" - "And Hashem said to Moshe" (Vayikra 16:2). Why does the Torah provide two preambles to the same topic? Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Ta'ama De'kra) explains that the Torah is in fact recording two sperate but concurrent conversations regarding the avodah of Yom Kippur. The word "vayomer", which is generally used to introduce an interim measure, belongs to the part of the conversation that was limited to Ahron Hakohen. He alone was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies any day of the year, provided that it was in the context of the avodah of Yom Kippur. The word "vayedaber", which signals a Mitzvah that is eternal (see Gemara Makkos 11a), was directed towards the avodah of Yom Kippur as it was practiced by all later generations of kohanim, which was limited to one day out of the year.
The Vilna Gaon's proposal is brilliant and compelling, but begs the question, "mai de'hava hava" - "what was, was" (Gemara Yoma 5b). In what way is the provisional authority that was granted to Ahron Hakohen, to enter the Holy of Holies all year long, instructive and relevant to everyone else? I believe that this unique privilege, while limited in scope and temporary in nature, underscores the universal aspiration of Yom Kippur. Formally Yom Kippur might be only once a year, however, the goal is to draw from that seminal experience all year long.
Yom Kippur is described as "achas beshanah" - "once a year." On the one hand this frames Yom Kippur as a sui generis day that is distinct from the rest of the calendar. In fact, the tractate that deals with the laws of Yom Kippur is simply called "Yoma" - "The Day." The Bnei Yissaschar (Tishrei, Maamar 8) suggests that the masechta is not named after the holiday that it represents, in a similar fashion to Masechta Pesachim, Masechta Rosh Hashanah, and Masechta Sukkah, because the day of Yom Kippur is above time and space. It is "The Day" which is different from all others. On the other hand, "achas beshanah" also implies that Yom Kippur is related to the rest of the year, because it also stands out as The Model Day that is meant to define and uplift the entire year.[1]
In order for Yom Kippur to function in this manner, it is critical that we actively strategize and plot a course for permanent and sustained change. Therefore, at minchah on Yom Kippur we deliberately read about the forbidden relationships, despite its uncomfortable and distasteful subject matter, in order to remind ourselves of the trials and temptations that lie ahead, and the need for a spiritual gameplan. For this reason, the avodah of Yom Kippur and the topic of the forbidden relationships are juxtaposed in the same parsha, and united again on the day of Yom Kippur itself, because if Yom Kippur remains one holy but isolated day that is quickly forgotten when we reenter the world of the yetzer hara, then it is lacking and incomplete. That is why the parsha that encompasses these two themes is called "Acharei Mos" - "After the Death", because part of the avodah of Yom Kippur is to think about the day "after" it is all over as well.
A similar dynamic exists during sefiras ha'omer too. After the night of the seder, on the second day of Pesach, we begin to count sefiras ha'omer. The Ramban (Parshas Emor) writes that the period of sefiras hamoer is a kind of chol hamoed between Pesach and Shavuos, connecting the two holidays, because the ultimate purpose of yetzias Mitzrayim was in order to receive the Torah on Har Sinai. If so, why don't we start counting already on the first day of Pesach? The Arizal (Shaar Hakavanos, Inyan Sefiras Ha'omer, Drush 8) explains that the purpose of sefiras ha'omer is to actualize and internalize the extraordinary experience of the seder. On the night of the seder, we were artificially elevated to great spiritual heights that we did not deserve or earn. On eagle's wings we were carried from the forty-ninth rung of impurity to the peak of spiritual knowledge where everyone confidently pointed and proclaimed "this is my God" (Shemos 15:2). The work of sefiras ha'omer, beginning the day after the seder, is to implement and integrate that experience so that we can become worthy of receiving the Torah on Shavuos.
All too often we crave and pursue religious experiences that provide us with jolts of inspiration, where we feel "high on the borei olam", without much consideration for how those experiences are translated and applied in our daily lives. The keriyas ha'Torah of Yom Kippur and the period of sefiras hamoer remind us that while these kinds of events and experiences are crucial, to be truly meaningful and impactful, they must be carried over to the ensuing days after as well. We conclude Yom Kippur and the night of the seder with the tefillah "leshanah habaah be'Yerushalayim" - "next year in Jerusalem", because these might be singular days, but they should not be solitary experiences, rather they are intended to shape our character and inform our year and future.
[1] See also "The Yom Kippur Experience and its Aftermath: The Elevation of Human Spirituality (Achat Ba-Shanah) by Rabbi Michael Rosensweig.