Parashat Kedoshim - Sixth Aliyah

In this aliyah we encounter a difficult, sharp, and precise list of severe transgressions concerning the holiness of the family, the marital bond, the honor of parents, and basic moral definitions that constitute the foundations of the existence of the people of Israel as a holy people. The Torah does not soften its language: each such transgression is not only a moral sin, but an injury to holiness, to purity, and to the essence of the entire people.

The List of Prohibitions

At the outset, the Torah opens with the command: “Ushmartem et chukotai va’asitem otam” (You shall keep My statutes, and do them, verse 8). And immediately after, a list of severe prohibitions: cursing parents, adultery, forbidden relations, lying with a male, severe immorality, and even acts that blur the boundary between human and animal. All are described as deeds to be condemned and rooted out from the people, so that the Land does not “vomit” out its inhabitants.

The Land That Vomits Out Its Inhabitants

On the special motif of “the land vomits out its inhabitants”, Rashi (Leviticus 18:28) writes one of the most powerful expressions in biblical commentary:

“A parable of a prince who was fed something disgusting, which does not stay in his stomach but he vomits it out, so the Land of Israel does not sustain those who transgress.”

This is a phenomenon unique to the Land of Israel: a holy land, which has a high moral standard. It is not like all other lands.

The Personal Message

The Torah does not speak only of matters between a person and God, but creates a high moral and social threshold. It demands of us not only to keep a law, but to build a society in which the family is honored, in which the body is sanctified, and intimate relationships are an expression of commitment and holiness. The entire society is shaped through the inner purity of the individual.