Introduction
Commenting on the verse, “You shall be holy unto Me, for I, G-d, am holy,” the Midrash states, “You shall be holy.” Can you be like Me [G-d]? The verse goes on, “Since I, G-d, your L-rd, am holy,” [meaning,] My holiness surpasses your holiness.
Chassidic thought reinterprets the rhetorical question, “Can you be like Me?” as a positive assertion, “You can be like Me.” How is this possible? Because “I, G-d, your L-rd, am holy.” What a challenging teaching! We – human beings living in a material world – are asked to be holy, to live a spiritually-conscious existence even as we involve ourselves in our day-to-day realities. Moreover, it instructs us that our holiness can parallel that of G-d Himself.
But it also tells us how this is possible. Because “I, G-d, your L-rd, am holy.” Within each one of us is an actual spark of G-d and that gives us the potential to live a life of holiness.
In the sichah that follows, the Rebbe elaborates on this theme, explaining how holiness should permeate the way we eat, drink, do business, and carry out other activities in the worldly sphere. Moreover, he explains the importance of communicating such a lifestyle to our children. So that this message does not remain merely theoretical, he gives us a practical example of how it is applied in an ongoing manner – Shabbos. Shabbos provides us an example of how we can transform our physical activities into means of spiritual expression, bridges of connection to G-d.
A Triad of Holiness
1. Parshas Kedoshim begins with three commandments: a) “You shall be holy,” b) “Each person should fear his mother and father,” and c) “You shall observe My Shabbosos.”
Everything in the Torah is precise. Thus, we must say that the fact that these three commands are stated together is also precise, indicating that they share a connection with each other.
To Be Holy Like G-d
2. In the present context, holiness means “separation,” as the end of this Torah portion states, “You shall be holy to Me... and I have separated you from the peoples.” This verse emphasizes that Jews must be distinguished from the nations of the world, as reflected by Moshe’s request, “I and Your people will be distinguished from every people on the face of the earth.”
When must it be emphasized that separation is necessary? Only when matters appear the same externally. Similarly, the command, “You shall be holy” does not refer to the observance of the Torah and its mitzvos. That is obvious since, from the outset, the nations of the world have no inherent connection to these practices, as it is written, “He tells His words to Yaakov... He has not done so for any nation.” Instead, the command refers only to permitted matters: eating, drinking, doing business, and the like, in other words, activities in which Jews outwardly appear similar to other peoples. Concerning these, the Torah commands, “You shall be holy.” Even regarding such matters, the Jews’ conduct should stand out as different.
The command reflects a Torah ideal. But is it practical? How can a person be expected to conduct himself in a holy manner when he is involved in matters of this world? The question is especially pertinent during the era of exile – a doubled and redoubled darkness when G-dliness is not evident. To this, the Torah answers, “For I, G-d your L-rd am holy.” Wherever the Jews find themselves, they are connected with G-d, the One of whom it is said, “You are holy.” This makes them also a holy nation, one whose holiness can resemble the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He.
The degree of influence that G-d’s holiness has on the Jewish people is illuminated by the chassidic interpretation of the Midrash’s commentary on the verse, “You shall be holy to Me, for I, G-d, am holy.” The Midrash explains: “You shall be holy.” Can you be like Me [G-d]? The verse goes on, “Since I... am holy,” [meaning,] My holiness surpasses your holiness. Chassidic thought reinterprets the rhetorical question, “Can you be like Me?” as a positive assertion, “You can be like Me.” How is this possible? Because “I, G-d, your L-rd, am holy.”
Transmitting Holiness
3. The purpose of a Jew is not merely to be holy himself, but to establish a legacy of holiness, as stated regarding the first Jew, Avraham our Patriarch, “For he will command his children and his household after him so that they keep the way of G-d.” To emphasize the importance of transmitting one’s values, the Torah includes the second command, “Each person shall revere his mother and his father,” which alludes to the obligation of education. A child’s first and primary educators are his mother and father. They must instill in their children the feeling that they are different from the entire world, that they are members of a holy nation.
The verse lists the two parents in this order – “mother and father” – with the mother mentioned first. She is given primacy since she is the mainstay of the home and, in practice, the main responsibility for educating the children lies in her hands.
Teaching Transcendence to Ourselves and Our Children
4. On a practical level, how can parents educate their children, and also themselves, so that “I and Your people shall be distinguished”? This question is answered by the third command: “You shall observe My Shabbosos.”
Shabbos is a sign between G-d and the Jewish people. It highlights faith in G-d’s creation of the world and strengthens the certainty that G-d is the Creator of the world and continuously directs it.
This realization distinguishes the Jews from other peoples. The nations of the world claim, “G-d has abandoned the earth,” leaving the world to the control of stars and constellations, i.e., the intermediaries that G-d established within the natural order. By contrast, through their faith, the Jews are connected with G-d who is above nature. As such, they need not be concerned with natural forces, as it is written, “Do not be fearful at the signs of heaven as the nations are fearful of them.”
The potential for the Jewish people to rise above nature comes as a result of the effect of Shabbos over the six days of the week. In the account of creation, G-d’s name Elokim (א-להים) – which numerically equals “nature” (הטבע) – appears 32 times. By contrast, Shabbos is described as “a Shabbos to Havayah,” He who “was, is, and will be simultaneously” – to highlight that Shabbos is a day when we can appreciate G-d as He transcends nature.
Shabbos was given specifically to the Jewish people, and not to the nations of the world. Indeed, “a non-Jew who observes Shabbos is liable for death.” The reason is that the non-Jews relate only to G-dliness as it is manifest in the natural forces that control existence – to Elokim, which numerically equals “nature” – and not to G-d as He is transcendent, as manifest on “Shabbos to Havayah.”
This is also the second allusion conveyed by Shabbos – the Exodus from Egypt, which reflects the transcendence of all the constraints and limitations of nature.
Making the World a Sanctuary
5. The observance of Shabbos inculcates an atmosphere of holiness within a home. By fulfilling the commandment, “You shall observe My Shabbasos,” we maintain the sign and connection between Jews and G-d who is above nature. Similarly, this goal is achieved by strengthening our faith that Jews are not subject to natural forces but are protected solely through G-d’s individual Divine Providence.
These two influences enable both ourselves and our children to fulfill the charge, “You shall be holy” – to bring holiness even into physical matters. This is possible because we possess firm faith that even the physical existence of Jews is connected with G-d who says, “I am holy.”
Later in this Torah reading, it is written, “You shall observe My Shabbasos and revere My Sanctuary,” connecting Shabbos to the Sanctuary. By fulfilling the commandment, “You shall observe My Shabbasos,” a Jew can transform every element of existence into a Sanctuary, a dwelling for G-d.
