“You shall be holy for I, G-d, am Holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
There is a fascinating Midrash on this verse in which G-d says, “Yachol kamoni – Do you think you can be like Me?! Talmud Lomar – so we are taught in the verse, “ki Kadosh Ani – for I am Holy” (to a level of exaltedness that you can’t reach.)”
The Rizhiner Rebbe, however, has an amazing spin on this Midrash. He says: Don’t read the words ‘yachol Kamoni’ as a rhetorical question. Rather, see them as a positive statement where HaShem is telling us: “Yes! You can be like Me! You can achieve exalted levels of holiness.”
How can one achieve this? “Talmud lomar” – train yourself to constantly say, “ki kadosh ani, I am holy! I am a reflection of the image of G-d with which I was created. Therefore, I can attain great levels of holiness.”
“You shall be holy people... a man shall fear his mother and father, and guard My Sabbaths, I am the L-rd your G-d.”
From a parsha with the lofty name, “Kedoshim – Holy Ones,” we would expect a list of demands that would cause the most ascetic of souls the sublime pain of denying his flesh some exquisite desire. We would expect to hear about illicit relationships that must be avoided, but we don’t. In fact, those relationships, read each year on Yom Kippur, were already mentioned in the previous parsha, Parshas Achrei Mos. In this parsha, we are enjoined to be holy, but the directions include much tamer topics.
Let’s begin: “You shall be holy – so listen to your parents.” Huh? “Oh yes, and keep Shabbos carefully.” Shabbos? That’s great, but it’s not the stuff of which holy hermits are made. “Do this because I am G-d.” I know you’re G-d, so why not give me the tough commandments, like fasting and wearing burlap, or putting rocks in my shoes?
“Don’t turn to empty gods and idols; I am Hashem, your G-d.” OK, I’m not worshiping idols but when do we get to the holy part? “When you sacrifice an animal, plan to do it properly, willingly, and try to give Me nachas.” What about the intricate special ceremonies we should do? Come on G-d, make it hard so we know we’re becoming holy!
It seems that no matter what we do, this parsha about becoming Kedoshim, holy people, is counterintuitive. Instead of giving us challenges, the Torah sounds like a farmer’s almanac giving us crop advice!
Perhaps that’s exactly the point. Being holy isn’t about suffering, and it’s not about divesting ourselves of all earthly pleasures. On the contrary, Judaism says we should enjoy the world that Hashem created, and we should elevate the physical when we do. Rather, being holy is about controlling ourselves, even when it involves going against our intuition.
We are commanded to listen to our parents. They have a tradition of serving Hashem and how to learn the Torah. Though we may think we know better, that we’re smarter, that we’ve got it figured out, Hashem says, “Listen to your folks. They know better.”
We think the way to serve G-d is through extending ourselves beyond our comfort level. Hashem says, “Just keep Shabbos, eat, sleep, study, sit back, enjoy, and make the statement that you’re not the real mover and shaker behind the world, I am.” That will make us holy because it takes self-control to be able to negate our egos and relinquish control.
“Don’t serve other gods, and serve Me with joy,” because that’s what will work best for us. Not jumping through hoops, not practicing convoluted, painful rituals, just building a strong, warm relationship with our Creator, our Father, and the only One in the universe dedicated completely to us and our benefit. It goes on, saying that we should include the poor in our successes, forgive others their flaws, and be honest in our business dealings. This is how to be holy.
And yes, the advice sounds like a farmer’s almanac because it is simple, sound advice from someone who knows how the world works: Hashem, Who created it and devised its operating systems. Just as water makes plants grow, keeping the Torah is what makes us grow.
