Acharé Mot – Kedoshim אַחֲרֵי מוֹת – קְדֹשִׁים — “After the death – Holy”
Leviticus 16–20 • Amos 9:7–15
Acharé Mot teaches that the sacred requires restraint: the death of Aaron’s sons, struck by a heavenly fire, reminds us of the necessity of limits. Kedoshim shows that holiness is also lived in daily acts — justice, honesty, respect, solidarity. The prophet Amos promises that Israel will be raised up and live again on its land.
Leviticus 16:2
וְאַל־יָבֹא בְכָל־עֵת אֶל־הַקֹּדֶשׁ
“Let him not enter the sanctuary at any time.”
On the shores of the Caspian Sea, in the Russian republic of Dagestan, lies Derbent[1], one of the oldest cities in the Caucasus. Situated at the crossroads of the Silk Roads and long a frontier between great empires, it has seen soldiers, merchants, and travelers pass through. Its Sasanian walls[2] descend from the mountain to the sea. The Juhuros[3] have lived there for more than fifteen centuries, and their language, Juhuri[4], bears the traces of a history shaped by encounters.
Derbent’s Jewish community is known for its artisans — goldsmiths, tanners, merchants — and for its liturgical melodies. At the beginning of the 20th century, it acquired land and built its synagogue, called Kele Numaz (in Juhuri: kele = house, numaz = prayer). In 2010, the building was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt identically. On 23 June 2024, Islamist terrorists[5] set it on fire.
Ruins are not always the end of a story[6], and the Juhuros repeat this proverb[7]: “Where there is sorrow, there is also hope.” A reconstruction project is now under consideration: the closed gate may open again.
[1] From Persian dar band, “the closed gate.”
[2] The Sasanians: the dynasty of the last great pre‑Islamic Persian empire (224–651), known for monumental architecture and fortifications. Derbent’s walls, built in the 6th century and descending from the mountain to the sea, have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003.
[3] The Juhuros (from Middle Persian johūd, “Jew”) are a Jewish community of the eastern Caucasus, living in the mountainous regions of Dagestan and Azerbaijan.
[4] Juhuri (Judeo‑Tat) is a Judeo‑Iranian language combining Hebrew vocabulary with Caucasian influences.
[5] Since the pogrom carried out by Hamas on 7 October 2023, tensions have intensified in the North Caucasus. On 29 October 2023, several hundred pro‑Palestinian rioters stormed Makhachkala airport to attack Israeli passengers arriving on flight WZ 4728; several security officers and one traveler were injured. On 23 June 2024, Islamist terrorist commandos launched coordinated attacks in Derbent and Makhachkala: the Kele Numaz synagogue was destroyed by fire, the synagogue of Makhachkala severely damaged; the Orthodox church of Derbent was hit by gunfire and its priest murdered, while the church in Makhachkala was struck by gunfire and partially set ablaze. The Makhachkala highway police post sustained heavy damage. The official toll reports 17 police officers and 5 civilians killed, along with several wounded.
[6] Amos 9:11: “In that day I will raise up the fallen hut of David; I will repair its breaches, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in days of old.” בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, אָקִים אֶת־סֻכַּת דָּוִיד הַנֹּפֶלֶת; וְגָדַרְתִּי אֶת־פִּרְצֵיהֶן, וַהֲרִסֹתָיו אָקִים, וּבְנִיתִיהָ כִּימֵי עוֹלָם.
[7] Juhuri proverb recorded in Soviet‑era collections (1960s–1980s): Къана гьам, къана умед — Qana gham, qana umed (“Where there is sorrow, there is hope”).