The seven Aliyahs of Acharei Mot
These next two parshas have some of the most important moral offerings of Torah – love your neighbor as yourself and love the stranger. They also have some of the more troubling attitudes toward sexuality.
top right – Once a year on Yom Kippur the High Priest enters the holy of holies with incense that fills the space as he in pure white linen asks forgiveness for the community.
top left – The High Priest takes one of the two goats to the desert to be the scapegoat for our failings.
top center – The remains of the sacrifices are burned outside of the camp and the person who does this then purifies himself and clothes in water.
bottom right – Sacrifices are to be made only at the temple. Maybe to bring us together sharing offerings.
bottom left – We are told not to eat the blood of animal as the soul is in it. We are also told not to follow the ways and gods of the Cannanites who have children walk through fire and have homosexual and heterosexual prostitutes in their places of worship.
bottom center – So here is a listing of people you are not to have be naked before you and have sexual relations. They include 15 female relatives and 2 males as well as prohibitions for sex before false gods.
center center – This one has more restrictions on sexual encounters with animals and with similar genders which is something from another time and like some of the surface commandments in Torah are just not relevant or appropriate for our times. Then the warning was an eruption of the land for such behaviors.