diff --git a/whisper/__init__.py b/whisper/__init__.py
index f284ec0..e2b5fa1 100644
--- a/whisper/__init__.py
+++ b/whisper/__init__.py
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ def _download(url: str, root: str, in_memory: bool) -> Union[bytes, str]:
                 output.write(buffer)
                 loop.update(len(buffer))
 
-    model_bytes = open(download_target, "rb").read()
+    with open(download_target, "rb") as f:
+        model_bytes = f.read()
     if hashlib.sha256(model_bytes).hexdigest() != expected_sha256:
         raise RuntimeError(
             "Model has been downloaded but the SHA256 checksum does not not match. Please retry loading the model."