Acharei Mot

Carry out my laws and safeguard my decrees to follow them. I am the Lord your God. You shall observe my decrees and My laws, which a person shall carry out and by which if a person does, he shall live in them.

18:4 - 5

Know that a man’s reward in life for the observance of the commandments is in accordance with his preparation for them. For he who fulfills the commandments not for their own sake, but in order to receive a reward, will be rewarded on account of them in this world with longevity, riches, possessions, and honor…Similarly, those who engage in the observance of the commandments so as to merit by them reward in the World to Come…will be found worthy on account of their intention to be saved from the judgments that will come upon the wicked…But those who engage in the observance of the commandments out of love, as it right and proper…they will merit good life in this world according to the usual nature of things, and in life eternal…

Ramban

This chapter is introduced by a warning not to follow the lifestyle of the Egyptians, nor to adopt the lifestyle of the Canaanites. The former were more sophisticated, known for their intellect. Their physical corruption was rooted in a corrupt philosophy. The Canaanites, however were renowned for their physical prowess; their philosophy was only an outgrowth of their physical perversions. To counteract the former, the Torah says “observe My social laws, My philosophy and keep My statutes.” (in that order) Concerning the latter, the Torah says “Keep My statutes and observe My social laws.” (in that order) The purpose of the legislation is contained in the latter half of verse five, “that a person shall perform them and live by them,” meaning that we shall remain “human” only by observing Torah laws.

Akedat Yitzchak.

The gain to be derived from observing these laws is nothing more and nothing less that a life elevated to the highest potency.

Samson Raphael Hirsch

The parsha includes the warning, or if you will, the promise: “you shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, which if a person does, he shall live in them.” This phrase has become a cornerstone in the development of the halakhic principle that the laws of the Torah are to be life giving and are abrogated when they result in the opposite or are endangering life.

Pinchas Peli

Religion permits us to live more fully by asking us to live beyond impulse, not abdicate the human capacity to judge, evaluate and postpone gratifications, to focus not only on the physical drives of our bodies but also the insights of our minds and compassion of our hearts. Self-indulgence is capitulation…only through interaction with others is selfhood achieved.

Morris Adler

Thus, there is a meaningful progression of ideas in the three chapters of Acharei Mot. The portion opens with death and goes on to address life. What brought about the death of Aaron’s sons is never made clear, but how to prolong life is….the reward for performing these rituals and observing these restraints is life…

Judith Hauptman

There is another aspect of this verse…if you do God’s commandments you’ll live by them. If you are truly religious you should feel more alive and happy. Take this as a sign, then: if you see that you are not enlivened by your religiousity, you’ve gone astray, you’ve somehow misunderstood what God wanted.

Yehuda Buxbaum