Dear Friends,
“You shall be holy, for I the Lord am Holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
So commences the Holiness Code in our Torah portion this week, which addresses the behaviors which one follows on a path of holiness. All the remaining verses of this Code, save the initial verse, describe particular acts: leaving the corners of one’s field for the hungry, using honest weights and measures, revering one’s parents, not stealing, not injuring the vulnerable, and loving one’s neighbor.
Our opening verse, however, does not delineate any particular action or behavior of the holy person. Rather, it offers the objective of the holy person.
Thus, we ask – what is our goal in life?
Is it to accumulate a lot of stuff, or to live a life of meaningfulness and holiness?
Is it to gain fame and influence, or is it to be holy like God?
Is it to accrue power to wield as one wishes, or is it to make the world holy?
Torah urges that we recognize the sacred intent imbedded in the gift of life which God has given us, and to strive accordingly – following the dictates of the remaining verses of the Holiness Code.
Rarely are we guided in life by an objective. It is more common to be given specific directives. The baseball coach tells the fielder to move farther back. The objective is so that the player may better field a ball, but the instruction is to move back. The dentist instructs the patient to floss one’s teeth more diligently. The objective is to maintain oral hygiene, but the instruction is to floss.
Torah begins with he objective, however, and then offers instructions. It requires the individual to partner in a sacred calling of living with holiness, and once that is ascertained, then the details may follow. If one fails to accept the goal, then the details are moot.
Hence, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord am Holy.” All the rest, though beautiful, is but commentary.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
“You shall be holy, for I the Lord am Holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
So commences the Holiness Code in our Torah portion this week, which addresses the behaviors which one follows on a path of holiness. All the remaining verses of this Code, save the initial verse, describe particular acts: leaving the corners of one’s field for the hungry, using honest weights and measures, revering one’s parents, not stealing, not injuring the vulnerable, and loving one’s neighbor.
Our opening verse, however, does not delineate any particular action or behavior of the holy person. Rather, it offers the objective of the holy person.
Thus, we ask – what is our goal in life?
Is it to accumulate a lot of stuff, or to live a life of meaningfulness and holiness?
Is it to gain fame and influence, or is it to be holy like God?
Is it to accrue power to wield as one wishes, or is it to make the world holy?
Torah urges that we recognize the sacred intent imbedded in the gift of life which God has given us, and to strive accordingly – following the dictates of the remaining verses of the Holiness Code.
Rarely are we guided in life by an objective. It is more common to be given specific directives. The baseball coach tells the fielder to move farther back. The objective is so that the player may better field a ball, but the instruction is to move back. The dentist instructs the patient to floss one’s teeth more diligently. The objective is to maintain oral hygiene, but the instruction is to floss.
Torah begins with he objective, however, and then offers instructions. It requires the individual to partner in a sacred calling of living with holiness, and once that is ascertained, then the details may follow. If one fails to accept the goal, then the details are moot.
Hence, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord am Holy.” All the rest, though beautiful, is but commentary.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Douglas Kohn
