Friday, May 2, 2008

"Kedoshim Tihyu"- What does it mean to be kadosh?

In Parshat Kedoshim, we are commanded to be kadosh, holy. But what does "kadosh" really mean? What exactly are we being commanded to do?

Rashi says that "kedoshim tih'yu" means to be separated from sin; he specificaly says the sin of "arayot." Ramban writes that this commandment is a general statement going back on the previous parshah which specified different things that are forbidden to us; arayot, lashon harah... When the Torah tells us to be kadosh, it means prishut even from that which is allowed. Technically, one can be a "naval b'reshut haTorah." As long as one drinks kosher wine and eats kosher meat, he can drink all the alchohol he wants and be a glutton. By being kadosh in this way, by limiting yourself from even that which is permitted, you then better cling to Hashem and be closer to Him. Sforno explains that we need to be careful from overindulging in all these worldly things in order to attempt to be more like Hashem. We are, after all, created B'Tzelem Elokim.

Rav Shimon Shkop writes in the hakdama to his sefer, Shaarei Yosher, a different meaning of kedushah and what it means to be "kadosh" as commanded in Parshat Kedoshim. Hashem created us b'tzelem Elokim, with the same structure as His, kivyachol. Hashem also created everything in order to do good for it. It is His will that we follow in that path to be good to others. Hashem puts life into us so that we can make ourselves kadosh by using all our physical and spiritual strength to do good for the many people that there are; according to our own ability. This is the idea of "Kedoshim tih'yu", writes Rav Shkop. This mitzvah inludes within it the very root of our purpose. All our actions and work should holy, in that they are for the good of entire group of Bnei Yisrael. When a person really strives to do this, to have all his actions intended towards to the good of the larger froup of Bnei Yisrael, then even those things which he does for himslef, to keep his body healthy is part of this mitzvah, becasue through this he can continue to do more good for others. But when a person takes in worldy pleasures excessively, that is against the spirit of kedushah because he is acting only for his own good and not for the good of others: and there is no purpose for that. Just like Hashem created everything, and every moment he uphold the world all He does is kodesh in that they are for the good of all creation, so too everything we do should be holy and intended towards the good of other people, not just ourselves. After all, the mesdrash says that you might have thought you could reach the highest level of kedushah like Hashem, kivyachol, were it not for the 2nd part of the pasuk- "ki Kadosh Ani Hashem." Whatever kedushah is, it must be something which pertains to both Hashem and us. Prishut has no relevance to Hashem, so how could I have thought that one can reach the level of Hashem in that way? Rather it is in the sense of sleflessness and doing good for others that we emulate Hashem.

(see Shaarei Yosher for more details)

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