Parshas Acharei Mos begins with a lengthy description of the of the special Yom Kippur service in the Temple and the requirement that Yom Kippur be observed eternally by the Jewish people as a day of atonement. The Torah then stresses that the Exodus should mean not only that the Jews had physically left Egypt, but that they had also forsaken the immoral culture prevalent there at the time; they are also warned not to be influenced by those in Canaan whose cultures mirrored the decadence in Egypt. The Jews were to lead morally pure lives.
Parshas Kedoshim delineates a multitude of mitzvos through which we can achieve sanctity, covering a wide variety of subjects, both positive commandments and negative injunctions. We are commanded to:

• Honor and respect our parents
• Guard the Shabbat from desecration
• Refrain from the worship of idols
• Love our friends as we love ourselves.

G-d instructs us to set aside various gifts from our harvest for the poor and downtrodden. We must maintain justice, have honest dealings with our neighbors, refrain from tale-bearing, and generally care as much for others as we do for ourselves. Parshas Kedoshim concludes with the mandate, once again, that we maintain a holiness and distinction from the other nations of the world, befitting our status as G-d’s Chosen Nation.