In this week’s Parsha there is a Possuk that states: דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַּת בְּנֵּי יִשְּרָּאֵּל ... קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי ... “Speak to the entire congregation ... You shall be holy, for I am holy”.
Question: In which way is the fact that HaShem is holy a reason for the congregation of Yisroel to be holy? Considering that לֹא נַּעֲרוֹך אֵּלָּיו קְּדוּשָּ תוֹ “We cannot compare to Him (HaShem) in His holiness” and as we say: “Who can be likened to You (HaShem)? Who is equal to You (HaShem)?”
The Tzemach Tzedek brings down in his Maamor on this Possuk (as was found in the ‘Bichalech’ which had recently been released from captivity) that which the Medrash Rabbah says on the Possuk וְּאַּתָּה מָּרוֹם ‘And You are exalted’: “You run your worlds with exaltedness; You gave holiness to Yisroel forever as the Possuk states: קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ - You shall be holy”.
And the Tzemach Tzedek explains there in the Maamor that this [קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ - You shall be holy] is both an instruction as well as an assurance that eventually you will be holy. (Further, he brings an example to illustrate this from the explanation of the words of the Possuk וְּאָּהַּבְּתָּ אֵּת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ that means both “And you shall love HaShem, your G-d” and also “And you will love HaShem, your G-d”; both an instruction and an assurance.)
The Tzemach Tzedek continues to explain that the words of the Possuk: וְּאַּתָּה מָּרוֹם לְּעֹלָּם “And You are exalted forever” alludes to eternality in a similar manner to that which the Medrash states: “Whenever the Torah uses the word לִי it [remains as a permanence forever and thus] does not move.” This is because this eternality comes from the state of G-dliness of אֲנִי ה׳ לֹא שָּנִיתִי “For I, HaShem, have not changed” and this is the deeper understanding of the words וְּאַּתָּה מָּרוֹם לְּעֹלָּם “from Your exaltedness is the concept of eternality drawn” allowing a possibility of ‘without interruption’.
In other words, even the holiness of Yisroel is eternal without change (as the Medrash states “You gave ‘holiness’ to the B’nei Yisroel forever”) and as is also self-understood from the remainder of the above mentioned Possuk אֲנִי ה׳ לֹא שָּנִיתִי which finishes off with the words וְּאַּתֶם בְּנֵּי יַּעֲקֹב לֹא כְּלִיתֶם “And you, the sons of Yaakov, have not reached the end.”
Three Levels of Holiness
In our Possuk three levels of holiness are enumerated; the first level is when HaShem tells Moshe to go and speak to the whole congregation of B’nei Yisroel; This is due to the fact that they are the B’nei Yisroel and [this] identifies a level of holiness (even before they are [now] instructed קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ – “You shall be holy”) As the Possuk states: גוֹי קָּדוֹש – “a holy nation”.
The second level is the instruction in the Possuk to become holy - קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ – “You shall be holy” this is a level up from the B’nei Yisroel’s status quo as a holy nation.
The third level is within the words of the Possuk כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי - “For I am holy”, which is an even higher [level] than the previous level of קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ – “You shall be holy”.
In other words, even though the words כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי - “For I am holy” constitute a reason for קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ – “You shall be holy”, nevertheless the holiness of אֲנִי קָּדוֹש - “I am holy” is even greater.
The Relationship Between Divine and Human Holiness
This is consistent with the words of the Medrash that states that where the Possuk instructs us to “be holy” (separated and above the world) we might have thought that we need to be as holy as HaShem Himself, therefore the Possuk says straight away כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי “For I (HaShem) am holy” thus notifying us that HaShem’s holiness is far greater than our holiness.
Nevertheless, even the holiness of כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי (Where HaShem says) “My holiness is greater than your holiness” this also extends to the B’nei Yisroel as is understood from the Possuk that says כִי קָּדוֹש אֲנִי, and is thus a reason for קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ.
The Parable of the Three Crowns
This is also consistent with that which the Medrash writes: There is a parable where the citizens made three crowns for their King. What did the King do? He put one crown on his own head, and the other two crowns he placed on the heads of his two sons. And so too with the three Kedushos with which [the Malochim] are sanctifying HaKodosh Boruch Hu with the words קָּדוֹש קָּדוֹש קָּדוֹש “Holy, holy, holy...” that HaShem places one on His own head and the other two He places on the heads of His sons [the B’nei Yisroel].
This [parable applied] entails that the two levels of עֲדַּת בְּנֵּי יִשְּרָּאֵּל and קְּדֹשִים תִהְּיוּ refer to the two crowns which [HaKodosh Boruch Hu] places on the heads of His sons, and the level of קָּדוֹש אֲנִי is the crown which [HaKodosh Boruch Hu] places on His own head.
However, even the crown of קָּדוֹש אֲנִי which [HaKodosh Boruch Hu] places on His own head is [ultimately] also extended to the B’nei Yisroel as mentioned earlier. From this it can also be understood from the fact that [in the parable] all three crowns (even the crown which the King places on His own head) came from the citizens and since [in the analogue] this [third crown] which HaShem places on His own head is something which is achieved as a result of the Avodah of the B’nei Yisroel, that [as a consequence] therefore, [eventually] this [third crown] is also extended to the B’nei Yisroel.
However, this will only happen in the future with the coming of Moshiach as our Sages of blessed memory say in the Talmud: “In the future, the righteous will have Kodosh –“Holy”, recited before them, as it is recited before HaKodosh Boruch Hu.” However, before HaKodosh Boruch Hu, Kodosh is said three times this is parallel to three crowns. [And even though in the text כְּדֶרֶךְ which implies that it is only similar and not exactly like, nevertheless it is like the holiness of HaKodosh Hu] but this revelation will only become apparent in the future, whereas now only the first two lower states of holiness are revealed [within the B’nei Yisroel].
