Why We Read The Haftorah of Achrei Mos and not Kedoshim

Ohr.edu Rabbi Yehuda Spitz
This Shabbos, something atypical will occur during davening. When it comes time for the haftarah, chances are that the actual reading will not be the previously scheduled haftarah listed in your Chumash, that of Kedoshim, but rather the haftarah listed for the previous parshah, Acharei Mos. In fact, as the reading commenced in the shul where I was davening last year, so did a concurrent dispute with the gabbai, with mispalleleim arguing that the Ba’al Koreh was reading the wrong haftarah! But, to properly understand why the ‘wrong haftarah’ was, it turns out, quite properly read, some background is needed.

Haftarah History
According to the Abudraham and Tosafos Yom Tov, the haftaros were established when the wicked
Antiochus (infamous from the times of Chanukah) outlawed public reading of the Torah. The Chachamim of the time therefore established the custom of reading a topic from the Nevi’im similar to what was supposed to be read from the Torah.[2] Even after the decree was nullified, and prior to the Gemara’s printing, this became minhag Yisrael.

Most haftaros share some similarity with at least one concept presented in the Torah reading. The Gemara Megillah (29b - 31a) discusses the proper haftarah readings for the various holidays throughout the year, which are rather related to the holiday and generally trump a weekly haftarah.

An interesting halacha that concerns us is which haftarah is read when there is a double parshah, like this year. Although the Abudraham cites two disparate minhagim with no actual ruling - one to read the first parshah’s haftarah and ‘the Rambam’s minhag’ to read the second - nevertheless most other Rishonim, including the Sefer Haminhagim, Mordechai, Ramban, Haghos Maimoniyos, Shibolei Haleket, and Tur, rule to read the second parshah’s haftarah. This is also codified as the proper ruling by both the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 284: 7) and Rema (Orach Chaim 428: 8), and, as far as this author knows, this was accepted by all of Klal Yisrael. The main reason to do so is to enable reading a haftarah similar to what was just concluded in the Torah leining, which translates to the second parshah just finished and not the first parshah. So we see that, generally speaking, the haftarah of the second parshah is read, as that is the Torah reading that we just concluded.

Acharei Exclusion
Yet, when it comes to the parshiyos of Acharei Mos and Kedoshim, it seems that it is not so simple. Although the Shulchan Aruch does not mention any difference between these and other double parshiyos, the Rema, citing the Sefer Haminhagim and the Mordechai, writes that the haftarah of the first parshah, Acharei Mos, is the proper one to read.

The reason for the uncharacteristic change is that the haftarah of Parshas Kedoshim, ‘Hasishpot’, from sefer Yechezkel, includes what is known as ‘To’avas Yerushalayim’, referring to a revealing prophecy of the woeful spiritual state and the terrible events that will befall the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael for not following the word of G-d. The Gemara in Megillah (25b) relates a story of Rabbi Eliezer and one who read such a haftarah, who was subsequently found to have his own family’s indiscretions exposed. Ultimately though, the Gemara concludes that that haftarah can indeed be read, and even translated.

Despite that, all the same, it seems that, whenever possible, we should try to avoid having to read this condemning passage as the haftarah. Additionally, the content of Acharei Mos’s haftarah, ‘Halo K’Bnei Kushiyim’ (from Amos in Trei Asar Ch. 9) has similar content to Parshas Kedoshim as well. Therefore, the Rema rules that when the Torah reading is the double parshiyos of Acharei Mos and Kedoshim, and as opposed to every other double parshah, the haftarah of Acharei Mos is read instead of Kedoshim’s.

Although the Levush vehemently argued against such a switch, and posited that it is a printing mistake in the earlier authorities to suggest such a switch, nevertheless, the Rema’s rule is followed by virtually all later poskim and Ashkenazic Kehillos.

However, it must be noted that this switch was not accepted by Sefardic authorities and when Acharei Mos and Kedoshim are combined, they do indeed read Kedoshim’s haftarah, ‘Hasishpot’.

Hazardous Haftarah?
That may be fine for most years when it is a double Parsha. But, this year (5776 / 2016), Acharei Mos and Kedoshim are read separately. Ergo, the real question becomes how far do Ashkenazim go to avoid saying Kedoshim’s haftarah when Acharei Mos and Kedoshim are not combined?

This is where it gets interesting. The Gemara (Megillah 31a) states that whenever Rosh Chodesh falls out on Shabbos, a special haftarah is read: ‘Hashamayim Kisi’, as it mentions both the inyanim of Shabbos and Rosh Chodesh. If Rosh Chodesh falls out on Sunday, then on the preceding Shabbos, the haftarah of ‘Machar Chodesh’ is read, as it mentions the following day being Rosh Chodesh.

Rav Akiva Eiger mentions that when Parshas Acharei Mos falls out on Erev Rosh Chodesh and its haftarah gets pushed off for ‘Machar Chodesh’, then the proper haftarah for Parshas Kedoshim the next week is… Acharei Mos’s haftarah, and not Kedoshim’s! Rav Eiger’s reasoning is that since we find precedent by a double parshah that we actively try not to read Kedoshim’s haftarah due to its explicit content, the same should apply for any other time Acharei Mos’s haftarah was not read; that it should trump and therefore replace (and displace) Kedoshim’s haftarah! Indeed, and although not the common custom, there is even an old Yerushalmi minhag not to ever read the haftarah of Kedoshim; and even when the Parshiyos are separate, Acharei Mos’s haftarah is read two weeks in a row.

‘Halo’ the Hallowed Haftarah of Kedoshim
Although not universally accepted, Rav Akiva Eiger’s rule is cited as the halacha by the Mishnah Berurah, and the proper Ashkenazic minhag by the Kaf Hachaim. The Chazon Ish, as well as Rav Moshe Feinstein, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky,[ all rule this way as well. That is why in 5774 / 2014, when Acharei Mos was Shabbos Hagadol and its usual haftarah was not read, but rather replaced by the special haftarah for Shabbos Hagadol, many shuls read Acharei Mos’s haftarah on Parshas Kedoshim, instead of Kedoshim’s usual one.

In fact, that is how both Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin’s authoritative Ezras Torah Luach, as well as Rav Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky’s essential Luach Eretz Yisrael rule as the proper minhag. This explains why in many shuls around the world in 5774/ 2014, Kedoshim’s haftarah was not found following Parshas Kedoshim, but rather preceding it. This held true last year (5775 / 2015) with the doubled parshiyos. And this year, in Chutz La’aretz, with Parshas Acharei Mos’s haftarah being ‘Machar Chodesh’, according to the vast majority of Ashkenazic authorities, Parshas Kedoshim’s haftarah is… Acharei Mos’s: ‘Halo K’Bnei Kushiyim’. Of course, the Sefardic minhag is still to read to ‘Hasishpot’.

To sum up, the next time you are trying to figure out what happened to the missing haftarah of Kedoshim, be aware - you may have to turn back to Acharei!

The author wishes to thank R’ Shloime Lerner for raising awareness of this unique issue, and for providing several invaluable Mareh Mekomos. Thanks are also due to R’ Chezky Adler for serving as the impetus for this author’s interest and research in this topic.