Kedoshim - Our Holy Land
Our special bond with God demands that we live with heightened awareness and sensitivity.
We are approaching Yom Hazikaron, and this year, we all feel somewhat confused about transitioning from this deeply somber day of remembrance to the festive celebrations of Yom Ha’atzmaut. Israel’s 76 years of accomplishments are miraculous, but instead of feeling celebratory, we are besieged by fears for our very survival. Parshat Kedoshim can help us with this dilemma by focusing on what makes Israel unique.
Israel is called "אַדְמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ," the Holy Land, a phrase coined by the Prophet Zechariah.
נָחַל יְהוָה אֶת־יְהוּדָה חֶלְקוֹ עַל אַדְמַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלִָם
GOD will claim Judah as a special portion of the Holy Land and He will choose Jerusalem once again. [Zecharia, 2:16]
What exactly is meant by the designation as the “Holy Land”?
An explanation comes from the name of our parsha, "Kedoshim," derived from the commandment of "קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ," that we should “be holy.”
דַּבֵּר אֶל־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, your God יהוה, am holy.
Many associate the concept of holiness with vague notions of spirituality, which can seem somewhat trite. Surely this concept has a more profound meaning.
To define a word in the Torah, the first commentator we usually consult is Rashi. Rashi translates "kedoshim" as "perushim," meaning distinct or separate. He explains that to be holy, we should separate ourselves from transgression.
הֱווּ פְרוּשִׁים מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת וּמִן הָעֲבֵרָה
This means, keeping aloof from the forbidden sexual relations just mentioned and from sinful thoughts.
To some, this explanation might suggest a form of asceticism. However, as the Ramchal teaches in Mesilat Yesharim (along with other sources,) asceticism is not a practice the Torah generally condones.
The Ramban explains that "kedoshim tehiyu" commands us not to become a "naval birshut HaTorah."
ולהיות בסובאי יין בזוללי בשר למו וידבר כרצונו בכל הנבלות שלא הוזכר איסור זה בתורה והנה יהיה נבל ברשות התורה
…if so, a man of desire could consider this to be a permission to be … among winebibbers, among gluttonous eaters of flesh, and speak freely all profanities, since this prohibition has not been [expressly] mentioned in the Torah, and thus he will become a miscreant within the permissible realm of the Torah [Ramban, Leviticus 19:2:2]
In other words, holiness demands that you pay attention not only to the technical laws of the Torah but to the spirit of the law as well. This interpretation of the Ramban, like Rashi, is somewhat vague and requires clarification.
It seems strange that the concept of kedusha which encompasses the entire Torah, is hard to define. Could it be that the varied list of commandments in this week’s parsha can provide us with a hint?
Our parsha consists of an array of mandates that are acts of kedusha. For example: respect your parents, keep Shabbat, give charity, don't steal, don't bear false witness, don't use God’s name in vain, don't curse a deaf person, don't place a stumbling block before a blind person, don't take revenge, don't mix different species in breeding or clothing, don't consult soothsayers, and be honest in business. And this is only a partial list of the mitzvot listed under the banner of "kedoshim tehiyu." How does this seemingly diverse list help us understand holiness?
We find a theme in Parshat Kedoshim, where along with each of the mandates, God repeatedly declares "Ani Hashem," "I am Hashem.” This declaration is made no less than twenty times, more than in any other parsha in the Torah. Moreover, initially, this declaration is accompanied by the verse
קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
You shall be holy, for I, your God, am holy.
The key to understanding this initial verse can be found in the Midrash, which teaches that our relationship with God is akin to a marriage, which the Torah calls "Kiddushin," sharing the same root word as "Kedoshim," holiness. The Midrash connects the idea of marriage and holiness with an analogy: a king who tells his newly crowned queen that she must now act with more dignity and grace than previously because, now that she is married to the king, she has automatically become the queen. Similarly, God tells the Jewish people they are "married" to Him. Since God is holy, "kedoshim tehiyu," we, the Jewish people, as God's consort, must also be “holy,” meaning that we must act with dignity and grace, befitting a queen.
Therefore, when commanding us to be holy, God repeatedly declares "Ani Hashem," referring to the God to whom we are "married” which is why we must act differently. By fulfilling the commandments in our parsha, we act properly, with kedusha/holiness, fitting for the people who are married to the King.
From the midrash we can understand that kedusha encompasses so much more than merely being spiritual or a good person. Kedusha requires us to be constantly aware of our special relationship with God and to live life with heightened awareness and sensitivity because of that relationship.
This is the deeper, shared meaning behind the seemingly vague explanations of both Rashi and Ramban. Rashi is telling us that we must be separate, which means to view ourselves as distinct based on our special relationship with God. Ramban elaborates that to be holy, one must go beyond the letter of the law because adhering strictly to the mitzvot without additional spiritual effort is contrary to the higher standard expected of God's beloved nation.
This fundamental connection to God, the essence of kedusha, is expressed through "admat hakodesh," the Holy Land, that God promised to Abraham and the Jewish people. We must always remember that, because of that promise, the land of Israel is every Jewish person’s legacy from birth.
So, whether we are religious or secular, whether we reside in Israel or outside of it, "Kedoshim tehiyu" asks us to care deeply about Israel, to be aware of the profound, continuously developing relationship between God and the Jewish people which is channeled through the land of Israel, and become inspired to lead a life of holiness.
Shabbat Shalom.
Eliezer Hirsch