“Holy” is one of those
words. Although it is the most common translation for the word kadosh, it is a word that has the flavor
of a different belief system – like the words heaven, hell, bible, and angel.
Holy as a word has an implication of something wonderous, something untouchable,
something inaccessible. While some things kadosh are meant to be
definitively separate (such as the kadosh hakadoshim – the holy of
holies), this week’s parsha, kadoshim, makes it clear that being holy is
meant to be something that the Children of Israel should strive for, and,
therefore, it must be something that is attainable to achieve.
“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your God” (19:1-2). It is so simple, that it is profound. It is so clear, that it leaves you wanting to delve in further. And yet, as straight forward as this language seems to be, it leaves a question: is God commanding us in a way to act, or is the Torah stating a fact that the Children of Israel became holy because of the very fact that they accepted Hashem as their God? Or perhaps it is a combination of both – because Bnei Yisrael is holy, they must act holy.
Being holy sounds like a lofty, spiritual journey, but the verses of Kedoshim are actually a series of definitive, specific mitzvot. Of all the verses in Chapter 19, here is the first few mitzvot listed after the directive to be holy: “Every man, your father and mother shall you revere, and my sabbaths shall you observe – I am Hashem, your God. Do not turn to idols, and molton gods you shall not make for yourselves – I am Hashem, your God” (3-4). Although it is not perfect reverse symmetry, it is interesting how, immediately after introducing the injunction to be holy, the mitzvot listed are basically the first five of the Ten commandments (although swearing falsely isn’t mentioned until 19:11). Perhaps it’s like a signpost to guide Bnei Yisrael – the mitzvot listed in Kadoshim are specific but the foundation of everything are the aseret hadibrot.
Rabbi Chaim MiVolozhin (from Parparos Latorah, cited in Torah Treasures*) has a fascinating commentary regarding the opening verses of the parsha. He notes how each of the first verses ends with “I am Hashem your God,” and explains: “There is a good reason for this, for three verses reflect three distinctly different categories among the Jewish people.” He then goes on to explain that verse 2 (“You shall be holy, for holy am I) addresses “the pious and God-fearing people who meticulously observe all mitzvot, whether big or small.” It is an assurance that they should continue living righteous lives and will “merit the nearness of Hashem.” Verse 3, says Rabbi Chaim MiVolozhin, is “directed at the average Jew who properly observes the major mitzvot, such as honoring one’s father and mother and observing the Shabbos…As a reward for fulfilling the prominent mitzvot you will be enveloped by the Divine Presence.” The verse that reinforces the prohibition against false gods and molton images is directed at Jews “whose attachment to Judaism is very tenuous, calling out to them…Although you abandoned the path of the Torah and the mitzvos don’t sever the thin thread that still binds you to your people. Don’t renounce the faith of your fathers. Thereby, you too will remain an inseparable unit of the nation of God.”
Rabbi Chaim’s words are very comforting to me, to be honest. When I think of my own obligation to fulfill the commandment to “be holy,” I am vastly overwhelmed. I look around and I see women and men in my community who are filled with a level of Emunah that I can only yearn for and whose dedication to living a life wholly dedicated to Torah leaves me both in awe and, a bit, in fear. But I am who I am, and this commentary gives me room to accept myself and have room to look forward.
In a way, it all comes back to the question of whether “You shall be holy” is a command or a promise, but perhaps it is a combination of both. The opening verses of Parshat Kedoshim remind me that my job is to work hard on tapping into the innate holiness I have just from being part of the nation who declared Hashem our God and to take that holy energy and grow in my emulation of Hashem.
*Furer, Dov. Torah Treasures: Selected Thoughts and Insights from the Classic Commentaries of the Parsha of the Week. C.I.S. International, 1993.
“Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying: Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem, your God” (19:1-2). It is so simple, that it is profound. It is so clear, that it leaves you wanting to delve in further. And yet, as straight forward as this language seems to be, it leaves a question: is God commanding us in a way to act, or is the Torah stating a fact that the Children of Israel became holy because of the very fact that they accepted Hashem as their God? Or perhaps it is a combination of both – because Bnei Yisrael is holy, they must act holy.
Being holy sounds like a lofty, spiritual journey, but the verses of Kedoshim are actually a series of definitive, specific mitzvot. Of all the verses in Chapter 19, here is the first few mitzvot listed after the directive to be holy: “Every man, your father and mother shall you revere, and my sabbaths shall you observe – I am Hashem, your God. Do not turn to idols, and molton gods you shall not make for yourselves – I am Hashem, your God” (3-4). Although it is not perfect reverse symmetry, it is interesting how, immediately after introducing the injunction to be holy, the mitzvot listed are basically the first five of the Ten commandments (although swearing falsely isn’t mentioned until 19:11). Perhaps it’s like a signpost to guide Bnei Yisrael – the mitzvot listed in Kadoshim are specific but the foundation of everything are the aseret hadibrot.
Rabbi Chaim MiVolozhin (from Parparos Latorah, cited in Torah Treasures*) has a fascinating commentary regarding the opening verses of the parsha. He notes how each of the first verses ends with “I am Hashem your God,” and explains: “There is a good reason for this, for three verses reflect three distinctly different categories among the Jewish people.” He then goes on to explain that verse 2 (“You shall be holy, for holy am I) addresses “the pious and God-fearing people who meticulously observe all mitzvot, whether big or small.” It is an assurance that they should continue living righteous lives and will “merit the nearness of Hashem.” Verse 3, says Rabbi Chaim MiVolozhin, is “directed at the average Jew who properly observes the major mitzvot, such as honoring one’s father and mother and observing the Shabbos…As a reward for fulfilling the prominent mitzvot you will be enveloped by the Divine Presence.” The verse that reinforces the prohibition against false gods and molton images is directed at Jews “whose attachment to Judaism is very tenuous, calling out to them…Although you abandoned the path of the Torah and the mitzvos don’t sever the thin thread that still binds you to your people. Don’t renounce the faith of your fathers. Thereby, you too will remain an inseparable unit of the nation of God.”
Rabbi Chaim’s words are very comforting to me, to be honest. When I think of my own obligation to fulfill the commandment to “be holy,” I am vastly overwhelmed. I look around and I see women and men in my community who are filled with a level of Emunah that I can only yearn for and whose dedication to living a life wholly dedicated to Torah leaves me both in awe and, a bit, in fear. But I am who I am, and this commentary gives me room to accept myself and have room to look forward.
In a way, it all comes back to the question of whether “You shall be holy” is a command or a promise, but perhaps it is a combination of both. The opening verses of Parshat Kedoshim remind me that my job is to work hard on tapping into the innate holiness I have just from being part of the nation who declared Hashem our God and to take that holy energy and grow in my emulation of Hashem.
*Furer, Dov. Torah Treasures: Selected Thoughts and Insights from the Classic Commentaries of the Parsha of the Week. C.I.S. International, 1993.
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