Shalom.
This week we are reading the Torah portion of Kedoshim, beginning with verse 1 of chapter
19 in the book of Vayikra, Leviticus.
Parashat Kedoshim opens with the command, “And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying, speak
to the entire congregation of the Children of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be
holy, for I Hashem your G-d am holy’.”
This portion is so important, and its message so impertative, that it was given over to
the entire nation, men women and children, in assembly.
Since the portion begins with this exhortation, it would follow that the key to understanding
this command – the command to be holy – is what comes next…that the definition of holiness
must be outlined in this parasha.
It would follow that the holiness required of all of Israel is comprised of, exemplified
by, and manifest in, all the mitzvoth included here.
So a proper study of parashat Kedoshim should afford us our best understanding of the nature
of holiness.
The adjective ‘holiness’ is defined as ‘dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious
purpose; sacred’..
But the verse states ‘you shall be holy, for I Hashem your G-d am holy.’
So, the Torah is commanding Israel to be holy as Hashem is holy.
In this regard the Torah’s definition of kadosh, holy, really conveys the idea of being
set apart.
Of being totally separate.
G-d is totally unique and incomparable to anything else.
So simply put, to be holy like Him means to be separate.
So does that mean we would have to separate from the world?
Is that what it means to be separate?
How could we be holy but be a part of this world?
People tend to think of f holiness as being quite a lofty level, worthy to strive but
unattainable to most.
To be holy like G-d…it would seem that could apply only to very few and select individuals
who live a life apart, who are separate from the crowd.
That’s some people’s idea of holiness…but the verse emphasizes that this is one of the
few portions of Torah which was given over to all of Israel – man woman and child – in
assembly; a call to the entire nation with no exceptions.
‘Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel and tell them, you shall
be holy, for I Hashem your G-d am holy.’
This is the deepest idea in the world so open up your heart in the deepest way: Torah is
telling us that the goal – to be holy – is required of each person and therefore…within
reach to achieve.
Parashat Kedoshim is full of commandments – 51 in all.
Some fall into the category known as ‘Bein Adam l’makom’ – between man and G-d.
These include prohibitions against idolatry, a false oath, and forbidden mixtures; the
commandment of Shabbat, reverence for the Temple and rules pertaining to the sacred
offerings; agricultural laws applicable in the Land of Israel; laws against following
the ways of the nations, such as molech, sorcery and magical practices, tattoos and more.
Definetely aspects of living a holy lifestyle.
So..is that what it means to be holy?
To fulfil G-d’s will in ways that only He appreciates?
I mean keeping commandments that G-d gives us, that set us apart, that’s very…holy,
right?
Pious?
But our question remains, this call to holiness, this responsibility with which Israel is charged…what
is holiness?
How is it manifest?
‘You shall be holy, for I Hashem your G-d am holy.’
The other type of mitzvoth, Divine commandments, are those in the category known as ‘bein
adam la’chavero’ – between man and his fellow man.
Keeping these properly is a lot harder, and a much greater challenge, than keeping those
commandments that are between man and G-d.
It’s easy to be pious when it’s just me and G-d, and at the same time, to be exploitive
or manipulative or just plain nasty, to my fellow man.
What was it that Charles M. Schultz’s character Linus said in the comic strip Peanuts?
‘I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.’
Open up your heart in the deepest way.
Hashem loves people.
So to be holy like Him, according to Torah, is measured exclusively by how we treat others.
And honestly, nothing else matters.
We can act really pious and be very scrupulous when it comes to things that have nothing
to do with social interaction…but the only true and accurate measure of a person is how
he or she treats others.
So yes, we examine our parasha to see what holiness is.
This portion of Kedoshim includes prohibitions against stealing, and making a false oath… one
is obligated to pay a worker on time…talebearing and all forms of cheating are forbidden; one
must use honest weights and measures, and engage in honest business practice...one is
obligated to give the other the benefit of the doubt…it’s forbidden to curse someone,
to trip them up in any way; one is obligated to help the other in a time of distress…
To fulfill these commandments…one has to be very much involved in this world.
These mitzvoth can’t be accomplished through prayer or meditation.
They can’t be fulfilled by living separate from this world, by living an ascetic life.
Yet they do require separation from the world, in the sense that this world is overrun by
corruption and selfishness and violence…that’s what we have to be separate from, yet very
much in this world…
The call to holiness of parashat Kedoshim and its array of commandments informs us that
the concept of holiness is expressed by the way a person relates to others, not only the
way he relates to G-d…the way he treats other people, the way he conducts his business
and finances, as well as the way he tills the soil of this earth and relates to its
produce.
The way he acts in and reacts to society… the Torah’s vision of a truly holy individual
is one who appreciates his family unit and keeps it close, who treats others well, who
is just in his ways, … his holiness touches every area of his life.
‘Know Him in all your ways and He will smooth your paths’ (Proverbs 3:6)
The individual whom the Torah considers holy is not the one who remains aloof from society,
meditating in an ivory tower so that he or she will not be bothered or tempted by the
world, nor one who engages in bold acts of piety, but rather, the holy person is the
one who uses Torah as a guide to be the most involved with every aspect of this very human
life, right here in the very midst of this world… and this person operates out of a
desire to reveal the G-dliness in every area of life.
A true servant of Hashem has to be involved with people.
So holiness is not about extreme actions of piety which cause a person to separate from
life but the opposite…the more a person is involved with others and conducts himself
justly, the holier the Torah would consider him.
This is the deepest, and this is also a direct connection to last week’s portion of Acharei
Mot, concerning the untimely death of Aaron’s sons Nadav and Avihu.
Everyone knows that while there are many levels of interpretation, one understanding of their
‘sin’ of the unauthorized offering, the ‘strange fire,’was that they were so inspired
by the presence of the Shechina in the tabernacle on the day of its dedication, they never wanted
to come down from their high…they wanted their elation to last forever, so that they
would always feel that G-d was so close…but He is close, always, and their mistake, according
to this idea, was in thinking that they had to do something extraordinary to maintain
their level of inspiration.
True holiness – concern for others and proper conduct – is so missing from the world today.
We live in a time in which the Divine image in which man was created is trampled upon
daily.
Our portion of Kedoshim, ‘holy,’ indeed teaches us, broadcasts to us a message loud
and clear, the meaning of what it is to be holy: to be a part of this world, but to be
a part of amplifying its beauty – not sinking in its potential for depravity.
Social justice: Not to steal, slander, or lie; not to hate, not to bear a grudge or
take revenge, to pay a worker on time, not to deliberately trip up another person…not
to fool someone with inaccurate weights and measures.
Sexual morality also expressed in our portion.
These thoughts are so apropos during these days of Sefirat HaOmer, the counting of the
Omer, as we focus on our middot, our character traits, and attempt to emulate the Divine
attributes and realign ourselves with our true spiritual essence, addressing those areas
of our lives in which our behavior is lacking.
Among other mitzvoth which focus on relationships and how the other should be treated, our parasha
features the famed dictum, ‘And you shall love your fellow as yourself’ (19:18).
The Talmud relates the story of a heathen who came before the great sage Hillel and
said, ‘make me a convert on the condition that you teach me the entire Torah while standing
on one foot.’
Hillel replied, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor: that is the whole
Torah.
All the rest is commentary; go and learn it.
And years later the revered teacher Rabbi Akiva famously said of this verse, ‘this
is a major principle of the Torah.’
Indeed this major principle is the entire Torah on one foot.
All the rest is commentary… go and learn it.