(Devarim Tov – Parashat Re'eh)
You are holy, and your name is holy, and every day the saints will praise you." "What is holy?" asked Roni suddenly, when everyone was silent. The silence continued for many more moments, and then the rabbi pointed to Roni and said, "You!" They all burst out laughing. "Why are you laughing?! I'm very serious. You're holy!' said the rabbi, pointing to David, 'and you're holy too!' "You must have wanted to know what makes you a saint? I'll tell you a story:
A Jew came to Rabbi Zusha who was debating exactly this question. He wanted to be holy, he wanted to understand what he was better than his non-Jewish neighbor. "Tuvia," the Rebbe turned to the Gabbay who was standing outside, "Come in for a moment!" "Tell me, Tuvia: Why do you work?" "What does Rabbi mean, why am I working?! I work for Parnusa, so that I may have money!" "And why does Tuvia need money?" "Rabbi's food! We need to buy food for Tuvia and the children. "But why does Tuvia need food?" The Rebbe continued with his questions. "Oh, really, Rebbe, and don't you know that Tuvia and the children need strength!" "But why do they need power? Tuvia! For what?' "What is it for? They need strength, Rabbi, they need strength for the service of God!' 'Good-bye, Tuvia, and now please invite Alex, the coachman downstairs. Alex arrived at the Rebbe's room, panting, had just returned from the blacksmith, after forging new hooves for the horse. "Yes, Rabbi, what did you want?" 'Why are you working?' "Why why? I work for money!" "And why exactly does Alex need money?" "For a lot of food! Alex needs food!' "And why does Alex need food?" Alex almost exploded, if he hadn't had some respect for Rabbi Zusha, he would have gotten out of there, but he continued this strange dialogue: 'Alex needs food to have strength, Rebbe.' "And why does Alex need strength?" "Enough! Rabbi!" Alex got angry, "Alex needs strength to work. Alex works for money. Alex needs money for food. That's it!" Rabbi Zusha let go of Alex and turned to the Jew standing in front of him, "Do you understand the difference between Tuvia and Alex? They both work. They both eat. They both need strength. The question is what is the goal, what is the purpose. What do we do with what we have, how do we live what we have? This is holiness. And as the Torah says in this parasha (see): "For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and in you the Lord has chosen to be His chosen people of all the nations on earth." Both the non-Jew and the Jew have needs. Both the Gentile and the Jew live life here in the world. They can both enjoy all the wonderful things that the world can give them, but there is an abysmal difference between them. Within the life of the Jew there is something that is not in the life of the non-Jew, in the life of each and every one of you, the Rav said, pointing to everyone, there is the Holy One, blessed be He. Each of you remembers, Or at least want to remember that he has a role here in the world, that he has a purpose. The Torah is a "Torah of life," the Torah of life is one that sanctifies life, it makes that life more holy. And when you live life correctly, you remember the Holy One, blessed be He, and fulfill the commandments of the Torah, you are simply holy. So... '... You are holy, and your name is holy, and holy are you every day.
