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The Parshiot of Achrei Mot and Kedoshim are appropriately read at the end of this two week period which was packed with intense emotion and inspiration.  First, we observed Yom HaShoah where we memorialize and honor those Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. Then we had Yom HaZikaron which is dedicated to mourning and memorializing the soldiers who have given their lives for the sake of our people, following which we celebrated the triumph of attaining our home land on Yom Ha'Atzmaut.

Before examining how Achrei Mot and Kedoshim are related to this period, we must first analyze the connection between these two parshiyot.  In Parshat Achrei Mot, Hashem warns the Jewish people against following the depraved and immoral ways of the nations of the world, and directs us to adhere to the ways of the His Torah. This discussion takes place immediately after the death of the sons of Aharon, as is mentioned in the first verse of the parsha.  The next section, Parshat Kedoshim opens with the famous directive to infuse our lives with kedusha, holiness, and subsequently delineates various commandments which are associated with attaining holiness.  It seems that the death of Aharon's sons was an incentive for the Torah to teach us about holiness and its implications.  Although Nadav and Avihu had sinned, they were known as righteous and holy individuals. The Medrash Tanchuma asserts this point definitively and claims that their deaths served as atonement for the masses.  Rav Kook comments that we can only be recipients of this atonement if we internalize and grow from the lessons imparted to us by these individuals and their deaths. 

This concept is what connects Achrei Mot / Kedoshim to these meaningful days of remembrance and celebration.  In order to honor the memory of the righteous Jews that were killed and sacrificed themselves, we must learn from them, their ideals and uncompromising devotion. We must be inspired by those who held on to their faith and Jewish pride throughout the atrocities of the Holocaust and be awed by the heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of a Jewish future in the Jewish homeland. These outstanding individuals have taught us about Kedusha, for they have looked beyond their own personal comfort and desires and devoted their lives to a loftier, greater purpose.  It is their death - Achrei Mot, that obligates us to reflect and recognize the importance of achieving holiness - Kedoshim.  We can only be atoned for our sins and merit the ultimate redemption if we truly pay tribute to their souls by living for what they died for.