Parashat Kedoshim - First Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
“Kedoshim tihyu ki kadosh Ani Adonai eloheikhem” (You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy, verse 2).
There is no opening more powerful and incisive than this. Daber el kol adat bnei Yisra’el (Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel), man and woman, elder and child, all are required to hear and internalize the highest ideal: to be holy.
But what is “holiness”? It is not absolute withdrawal from the world, but on the contrary, to live within the world within the boundaries that Hashem has set for us. Eat, do business, marry, but in holiness. With boundaries. With morality. With sensitivity.
Here begins a sequence of mitzvot, almost all between a person and his fellow, that compose “holiness”: honoring parents and keeping Shabbat, the prohibition of turning to idols, the prohibition of theft, false oaths, oppression, robbery, delay in paying wages, cursing the deaf, and placing a stumbling block before the blind.
There are verses here that appear simple, but behind them lies infinite depth.
“Lo tignovu velo tekhachashu velo teshakru ish ba’amito” (You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie one to another, verse 11). Not only physical theft, but also denial and lying between a person and his fellow.
“Velifnei iver lo titen mikhshol” (And before the blind you shall not place a stumbling block, verse 14). Not only an actually blind person, but also one who does not understand: do not lead him astray with bad advice.
”Holiness” According to Ramban
Ramban (Leviticus 19:2) offers a powerful interpretation of the command “kedoshim tihyu”. The Torah has already detailed certain prohibitions, so why is another general commandment needed?
Ramban explains: because even in areas that the Torah has permitted, a person can be “naval birshut haTorah” (degraded within the permission of the Torah). Eating too much, speaking without limit, living in indulgence. The command “kedoshim tihyu” says: “shenihyeh perushim min hamutarot” (that we be separated from the permitted things).
This is the secret: holiness is not to withdraw from the world, but to add restraint, awareness, and intention even within the ordinary and permitted things.
A Message for Our Generation
Our world is full of challenges, lies, falsifications, and materialism. But Parashat Kedoshim whispers to us: you can be holy within life itself, even, and precisely, there.
Holiness is faithfulness to truth, to morality, and to the humanity within every person. It is built from the small steps: a theft not committed, a wage paid on time, a word not spoken carelessly. These are the steps that build a holy person.
More Questions on the Parsha
Why does the Torah prohibit kilayim (mixed kinds)?
Behind this prohibition lies an entire world of symbolism, separation, boundaries, and holiness. Why does the Torah forbid mixing species in animals, seeds, and garments? Five deep explanations.
What is the meaning of the prohibition "Do not curse the deaf"?
A short verse, but with immense power. Here is the verse in full: "You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God, I am Hashem" (Lev...
Why does the Torah command "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor"?
The verse "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor, I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:16) sounds like a simple command. But behind these few words lies a world of morality, halacha, responsibility, and kindness.
Why do the mitzvot of honoring parents and keeping Shabbat appear together?
Ish imo ve'aviv tira'u ve'et shabtotai tishmoru, ani Hashem Elokeichem (Leviticus 19:3). And what makes it especially interesting: this is not the first time the Torah links honoring parents with Shabbat...