Par sh at K edosh im

Ho li nes s
Ra bbi Ari Kahn

And G-d spoke to Moshe saying; Speak to the entire Community of Israel,
and say to them 'You shall be Holy for I the Lord your G-d am Holy (19:1,2)

For many people this serves as the introduction to the most important teachings
in the Torah, and by extension, of Judaism. The central laws governing man's
relationships with his fellow man are enumerated in the verses which follow: Do
not put a stumbling block in front of the blind, do not to curse (even) the deaf, do
not stand idly on the "blood" of your brother," and arguably the most famous
verse of all, "Love your neighbor as your self". All these injunctions follow, one
after the other in rapid fire.

Despite the decidedly "ethical" emphasis of many of the commandments, the

chapter does deal with "ritual" concerns as well. What is perhaps most striking
about this section, and indeed is a trait of the entire Torah, is the intertwining of
laws which are man-oriented with commandments which are G-d- oriented. Other
ancient systems dealt with either ritual considerations or social considerations;
the uniqueness of the Torah is the understanding that the ethical and the
ritualistic are two parts of one organic whole. The "Code of Hammurabi", for
example, is a series of torts which Rousseau would have labeled a "social
contract", but it's social concerns are not a function of a relationship with a deity.
On the other hand, our Parsha teaches:

You shall fear your mother and father and guard my Sabbaths, I am the Lord
your G-d (19:3)

This one verse concerns itself both with an individual's relationship with his
parents, and with the Sabbath. The verse is "signed" "I am G-d", as if to say "I am
G-d who commanded you to observe both, the ethical and the ritual". The
conclusion which we draw is that the individual who falls short in his
responsibilities to his fellow man is, at the same time, transgressing against G-d
as well. Even the verse "Love your neighbor as yourself" concludes with "I am G-
d".

There is another, more subtle lesson to be learned from this textual juxtaposition:
G-d is concerned, perhaps equally, with both the ethical and the ritual. Therefore,
those who turn to the ethical teachings, as expressed by a few of the verses in
this section, as their exclusive definition of Judaism, are misreading the intended
message by ignoring the context, and indeed the very words of the Torah.

The opening verses of the Parsha are critical for an understanding of the Torah's
message:
 And G-d spoke to Moshe saying; Speak to the entire Community of Israel,
and say to them 'You shall be Holy for I the Lord your G-d am Holy’ (19:1,2)

Why was it necessary to gather the entire community to teach this message? The
Midrash answers:

Why was this section taught in a gathering? Why does it not state "Speak to
the children of Israel" as it does in the other sections of the Torah? Because
all the (ten) commandments are included in it. (Tanchuma Kedoshim section
3)

The Midrash sees Parshat Kedoshim as a restatement of the Ten Commandments.

Because of its importance it is appropriate that it be taught in front of the entire
community. We should note that the Ten Commandments also combines the ritual
with the ethical. The Talmud stresses this point in the following passage:

"When the Holy One Blessed be He said "I am..." ," You shall have no
other..." the nations of the world said "He is preaching for His own
aggrandizement" but when He said "Honor your father and mother they
(the nations of the world) praised the first commandments as well... by the
end of the Commandments they came to appreciate the truth in the first
ones". (Kiddushin 31a)

According to this passage, the first commandments did not make a positive
impression upon the nations of the world, perhaps because they were reminiscent
of their own deities. But when G-d began to require man to behave ethically in
interpersonal relationships as well, the nations understood that they must
reevaluate the first commandments as well.

The command to be Holy seems difficult to fulfill. How can finite, limited man be
"holy"? Moreover, what is holiness? The commentaries teach that holiness
translates as "separateness". Rashi, citing the Midrash, teaches that we must
separate ourselves, specifically from elicit sexual relationships. With this reading,
Rashi creates a logical flow of ideas from the previous Parsha, Acharei Mot, which
ended with a list of forbidden relations. The Ramban, on the other hand, sees this
verse as a more general teaching to avoid excess. Ramban understands that we
are to separate ourselves from things that are not explicitly forbidden, things that
go against the spirit of Jewish law although they are within the letter of law. The
Ramban describes someone whom he calls a "menuval bi'rshut haTorah" - a slob
or lecher within the purview, or with the permission of the Torah. In either case,
according to both Rashi and Ramban, we are called on to be holy - to be separate.
The Torah gives a reason; 'You shall be Holy for I the Lord your G-d am Holy"
(19:1,2).

If holiness is a trait of G-d, our question returns: How can man achieve "Holiness"?
The Kotzker Rebbi said,
 "How can man be holy? Only because "I the Lord your G-d am Holy" (Shem
Mishmuel Vayikra page 277)

The Shem Mishmuel, a grandson of the Kotzker Rebbi, explained his grandfather's
teaching as follows: Every Jew has within him a part of G-d's holiness, which
enables him to achieve holiness. Man can become holy because man was created
in the image of G-d. But every person possesses a different soul, therefore each
person has a different holiness within him. A wonderful dichotomy emerges: This
section was taught publicly in order to teach man how to become holy, and within
the method of this teaching lies the essential message: Holiness is something that
belongs to the collective Jewish community. If "holy" means separate, a person
might be led to believe that in order to become holy he must recoil, and remove
himself from the community. Therefore this section was taught publicly - to teach
us that the Holiness which we seek is found in the community.

New light is thus shed on the celebrated Talmudic passage in which Hillel is asked
by a potential convert to teach him the entire Torah while he stands on one foot.
Hillel responds:

"What is despised by you do not do to your friend. This is the entire Torah,
the rest is commentary; go learn!" (Shabbat 31a)

Hillel's Aramaic paraphrase of the verse "Love your neighbor as your self" is found
in the Targum Yerushalmi, as the explanation of the verse. Rashi’s comments on
this Tamudic passage are somewhat cryptic:

‘What is hateful to you, do not to your neighbor: Thine own friend, and thy
father's friend forsake not’ (Mishlei 27) ‘Friend’: this is the Holy One,
blessed be He. Do not ignore His words for it is detestable when your friend
ignores your words. (Rashi Shabbat 31a)

Rashi’s explanation is based on the Midrash, and is echoed in the Zohar:

It is written, ‘Thine own friend, and thy father's friend forsake not; neither
go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity’; … ‘ Thine own friend’
is the Holy One, blessed be He, for it says, ‘For my brethren and friends’
sakes’ (Ps. CXXII, 8). (Midrash Rabbah - Exodus XXVII:1)

R. Hezekiah interpreted the verse: “A friend loveth at all times, and a

brother is born for adversity” (Prov. XVII, 17), as follows. ‘ “A friend” is the
Holy One, of whom it is written, “Thine own friend and thy father's friend,
forsake not” (Ibid. XXVII, 10)… Indeed, “thou must not forsake thy Friend”,
thou must worship Him, cleave to Him, keep His commandments, but
“withdraw thy foot from thy evil impulse that he should not become thy
master, withdraw it from thy house, namely from the holy soul which thy
Friend has put into thee”. The true worship of the Holy One, blessed be He,
consists in loving Him above all and in all, as it is written: “Thou shalt love
the Lord thy G-d (Deut. VI, 5). (Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2,Page 55b)
Rashi’s “cryptic” comment now becomes clear: Hillel’s assertion that this one
solitary verse encapsulates the entire Torah becomes understandable only when
we translate “friend” as “G-d”: According to Rashi, the friend which you should not
mistreat is none other than G-d Himself! If that is the case, Hillel’s choice of this
verse is straightforward, as it truly encompasses all aspects of the Torah, both the
ethical and ritual, interpersonal relationships as well as the human relationship
with G-d. We now see that the line drawn between the two types of laws is not as
broad as we might have thought: Loving my neighbor includes loving G-d; loving
G-d includes loving my neighbor. I must be holy because G-d is holy. To be holy
means to be separate; the way I will become holy is by loving my neighbor. By
loving my neighbor I display my love of G-d.

We now understand why Jewish law legislates that before one may approach G-d
in prayer, one must first accept the commandment of "Loving my neighbor as my
self". (Magen Avraham 46:1 in the name of the Ariza”l)

Let us return to the text of the Torah. After the teaching of loving ones neighbor,
what comes next? What can come next? How can any commandment "top" this
beautiful teaching?

"Guard my statutes, do not combine species of animals, in your fields do

not combine the species, and clothing of shatnez shall not come upon you"
(19:19)

This verse seems anticlimactic. The shift is sudden and brutal: From loving ones
neighbor, the height of ethical discipline, we find ourselves thrust into the most
arcane ritual-the prohibition against mixing wool and linen in our clothing being a
commandment without apparent rhyme or reason.

Deeper analysis reveals the connection: As we noted above, to be holy means to

be separate. Keeping the species separate is a lesson in holiness. The topic has
not shifted as drastically as we imagined. The Vilna Gaon explains the origin of the
prohibition of shatnez from a mystical perspective:

This is the mystical secret of Shatnez, wool and linen. For the offering of
Cain was linen, and [the offering] of Hevel was wool (Vilna Gaon in his
commentary to "Sifra Detzne’uta" chapter 4 page 51b)

Hevel was a shepherd, while Cain worked the land. The first person to be guilty of
not loving his neighbor as himself was Cain. His sin had far-reaching
repercussions, resulting in a need for more holiness in the world, more
separateness, more appreciation of the existence of different realms--animal and
plant, Cain and Hevel. Had Cain realized that a unique aspect of G-d existed in
Hevel, he never would have killed him. He must have thought that Hevel was
expendable. He failed to understand that the image of G-d within every person is
unique, and that for mankind to achieve holiness all of these different parts of G-d
need to be united. Consequently, a new type of separateness needed to be
introduced to the world, in order to remind us of the terrible crime of Cain. Thus,
the fratricide of Cain resulted in the prohibition against shatnez! The laws of
separate species follow, naturally, logically, immediately after the commandment
"Love your neighbor as your self."

Loving our neighbor brings G-dliness into the world, as illustrated by the following
"Midrash" (Note: This Midrash is relatively long, and it exists in two sources, with
slight variations. Otzar Midrashim page 319, and Yalkut Me'am Loez, Vayikra page
210. Following is a paraphrase):

"There were once two friends whose friendship was profound. Because of
wars and various intrigues the friends were separated for many years.
Finally one heard where his friend was, so he traveled to visit him.
Unfortunately the countries where the two lived were at war with one
another. Rumors began to spread regarding the mission of the stranger who
had come to visit. Soon he was arrested and charged with espionage. He
was found guilty and sentenced to death by the king himself. The man
pleaded with the king to grant him one last the wish. The king asked, "What
is your wish?" the man answered that he was a prominent businessman in
his home country, and being well known he often did business on credit, by
a handshake. The plain truth was that though he accumulated a small
fortune, most of his money was lent out to people without contracts. He
asked the king to allow him one last trip home to put his affairs in order,
and say good bye to his family. If not, the king was not merely sentencing
him to death but also his children to a life of poverty. The king was
incredulous, "How am I to believe you that you will return, what can you
possibly give me as a collateral"? The man responded that he had a good
friend that lived in the city, and that he was sure that the man would be
willing to take his place on death row until he returned. The friend was
brought in. "Would you take your friend's place", he was asked. "You
understand that if he does not return it is your head that will roll". The man
agreed. "After all,' he said, "what are friends for"? The king was intrigued to
see if the man would truly return, so he allowed him to leave, knowing that
the execution would take place in 30 days.
The appointed time came, but the man had not returned, so the king
instructed his guards to take out the friend and decapitate him. They
brought the man out, put his head on the block, and as the knife was about
to come down, a loud murmur could be heard from the city. The executioner
was told to wait; lo and behold, the man had returned. He walked bravely
up to the executioner and grabbed the sword, and said "I am here and
prepared to meet my fate". The friend stood up and grabbed the sword as
well and said, "You are late, the deal was for you to be back by this
morning. Since you did not arrive, I am the one to be killed." The friend
responded, "But it is I whom they accuse of treachery, it is I who was
sentenced to die". The king observed the argument and summoned both
men. "Neither of you will be killed, on one condition." They both looked at
the king and asked, "What is the condition?" The king answered, "That I can
become your third friend."
The Yalkut Me'am Loez uses this story to teach the meaning of the verse "Love your

neighbor as yourself, I am G-d". The profound message of the story is that if man

would truly and wholeheartedly love his neighbor, G-d promises to love both men

and be our constant partner, our third friend. The commandments which are

between man and his fellow man include G-d as well. We now understand why

"groundless hatred" caused the destruction of the Temple. When we act with love

for our fellow man, we bring the Shechina down into the world; hatred between

men expels the Shechina from the world. The holiness of G-d is reflected by the

holiness of man; the uniqueness of G-d is manifested in the collective uniqueness of

all men. The bonding of two people causes more divinity to be revealed in this

world. To be holy means to be separate: Each person must find the unique divinity

within themselves and within their fellow man. This necessitates our

"separateness", and our unity. The result is Holiness.