This week, we read two Parshiot; Acharei Mot and Kedoshim.

Following the deaths of Nadav and Avihu, Hashem instructs the Jewish people that no one is to enter the Holy of Holies other than the Kohen Gadol on Yom Kippur at specific times.

Another feature of the Yom Kippur service is the casting of lots over two goats, to determine which should be offered to G‑d and which should be dispatched to carry off the sins of Israel to the wilderness. The Parshah of Acharei also warns against bringing korbanot anywhere but in the Beit Hamikdash.

The Parshah of Kedoshim lists dozens of mitzvot through which the Jew sanctifies him- or herself and relates to the holiness of G‑d. These include: the prohibition against idolatry, the mitzvah of charity, the principle of equality before the law, Shabbat, honesty in business and honor and awe of one’s parents.

Also, in Kedoshim is the dictum which the great sage Rabbi Akiva called a cardinal principle of Torah, and of which Hillel said, “This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary”—“Love your fellow as yourself.”

Friday is the special day of “Pesach Sheini” or “Second Pesach.”

During the first Pesach celebration upon leaving Egypt, a few Jews were impure and therefore unable to offer the Pesach sacrifice. They approached Moshe, unnerved. They wanted to be a part of his special Mitzvah.

Moshe spoke to Hashem and asked for advice on how to deal with this manner.

Hashem responded surprisingly, by saying that He would give all those a second chance to bring the Offering a month later, on 15 Iyar.

This teaches us a tremendous lesson on second chances. We may mess up and make mistakes, but Hashem always gives us another try.

For us to be kedoshim (“holy”), the title of this week’s parsha, we must be “whole.” We must be congruent. We must be holy both inside and out. In governing all of the myriad aspects of our lives, G‑d is teaching us that Judaism is not compartmentalized but is a seamless integrated holistic way of being.

Therefore, we can’t say “This is for G‑d, but that is not.” We can’t say, “Before, I was on G‑d’s time, but now I am on my time.” We can’t say, “What I do or say over here matters, but over there it does not.” And we certainly can’t say, “Well, this is just business ... ”

And so, whether it’s governing what we eat, how we speak, how we conduct business, how we treat others, how we conduct our intimate relationships, etc. ... all of it matters. In an integrated seamless holistic life, everything must matter. And therefore, we can look at each law that G‑d gives us as another nuance and refinement, another pathway and connection, to help us close the gap between the external being and the internal selves that represent our true G‑dly essence.

When we were delivered from Egypt, we were given the gift of freedom. To stay free, however, is another story. Staying free means embracing freedom as a responsibility to be earned, integrated and owned; in other words, being congruent. When we can do that, no one and nothing can ever enslave us again. And that is what freedom—true freedom—really looks like.

The prophet Yeshayahu tells us that in the time of the Geulah, “ The world will be filled with the knowledge of HaShem as the waters cover up the ocean bed.”

Why does Yeshayahu speak about the ocean?

Around us, we can see people, cars, buildings, trees, and many other things. That’s what our world is made up of. When we look at the ocean, it’s different. There’s a whole underwater world there too, with many fish and plants. But when we look at the ocean, we don’t see any of it; its hidden underneath.

That’s what the Geulah is going to be like. Everything that exists now will be there, but wherever we go, whatever we look at, we will see Hashem’s holiness.

The great Talmudic sage Hillel was born in Babylonia in the first century BCE. As a young man he came to the Holy Land to study Torah at the feet of the sages of Jerusalem. He was initially a very poor, but brilliant student, and became a famous Torah scholar and eventually the Nasi (president) of the Sanhedrin. He is often mentioned together with his colleague, Shammai, with whom he often disagreed on the interpretations of Torah law: Shammai often follows the stricter interpretation, whereas Hillel tended toward a more lenient understanding of the law. In the great majority of cases, his opinion prevailed. Hillel encouraged his disciples to follow the example of Aaron the High Priest to "love peace and pursue peace, love all G‑d's creations and bring them close to the Torah." Hillel was a very humble and patient man, and there are many stories that illustrate this.

One famous account in the Talmud tells about a gentile who wanted to convert to Judaism. This happened not infrequently, and this individual stated that he would accept Judaism only if a rabbi would teach him the entire Torah while he, the prospective convert, stood on one foot. First, he went to Shammai, who, insulted by this ridiculous request, threw him out of the house. The man did not give up and went to Hillel. This gentle sage accepted the challenge, and said:

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation of this—go and study it!"