Parshat Kedoshim-2024
Rabbi David Laor
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Shabat Shalom,
This Shabbat’s portion of the Tora is called “KEDOSHIM-Saints”. After the book of Leviticus makes a detailed analysis of the purity and impurity issues of the material world, it is time to deal with spiritual issues of holiness. Recent Torah readings, mainly focused on what goes in and out of the body: the permitted and prohibited foods, the laws of kashrut, and impure secretions from the body, such as leprosy, skin lesions, excretions, and a woman's pregnancy. All of a sudden, in this week's, Parashat Kedoshim, the text moves from negative prohibition to positive and constructive commandments - from concern for the physical body to a clear desire for moral human behavior. The Torah portion begins with the verses: "And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, 2 “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: ‘Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” A question arises here, from this clear commandment, what do we have to do, to be holy? It is a subject that we discussed a few weeks ago, and the concept of holiness is not entirely clear. This commandment is, basically, an extension of the priests' sacred role towards the entire nation. After indicating the laws of sacrifice making, which are executed by the priests, and the law of leprosy, which entails a diagnostic role upon the priests, God now reaches to each one of us, and offers us direct access to approach the divine! Still, we do not have a clear answer, on how to reach that level of holiness. After all, it is not a genetic virtue given to us by birth, like it is for the Cohen, priests, whose priesthood condition passes from one generation to another. But instead, it is an attitude, a behavior, something that can be temporary, and that depends entirely on us.
The answer is found right in the following verses, enlisting a variety of human behaviors of high moral value. Those are commandments between humans, between man and his neighbor. Some are well-known, others are less familiar, and perhaps, it is important to make them known again. Here are some examples, taken from the same - chapter nineteen: “3 You shall each revere your mother and your father, and keep My sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 9 “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard. Thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God. 11 “‘Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by My name falsely; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. 13 “‘Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him. The wages of him that is hired shall not remain with thee all night until the morning. 14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord. 15 “‘You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly. 16 “‘Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the Lord. 17 “‘Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart. Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not let sin come upon him. 18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord“.
Isn't it fabulous? All these commandments have something in common, beyond the correct social life and the expected laws of public order. There is something deeper to this list. It is about the sanctity of moderation, even if it is not understood explicitly from the text. We can understand the concept of holiness if we understand the opposing aspect of it, negative impulses, such as xenophobia, selfishness, and being insensitive to the anguish of others. To fight it, it is necessary to exhibit moderation, acceptance, and self-control. "Ye shall be holy" also tells us: "Ye shall be moderate", "Ye shall be modest", "Ye shall be sensitive", and "Ye shall be human". To be more human, it is necessary to conduct our lives with moral behaviors towards everything around us. Not only the Eternal, blessed be he, bestows holiness! We too, in our actions, can imitate the holiness of the creator of the Universe. It is a bilateral relationship between God and humanity. For this reason, he says - "You shall be holy because I am Holy."
"Kedoshim Tihiyu – Ye shall be holy" – reminds us, to be aware of the life around us, to see it from another perspective. During the daily blessings that we recite in the morning service, the text leads us to be aware of many details: “Baruch Ata Adonai Elohenu Melech Haolam…” - we sing and then we enumerate a long list of characteristics that only a few, pay attention to: "that you give us the understanding to discern between night and day", we have been given the ability to grasp the reality of the outside world, "that you open our eyes", so we have been given the gift of sight, "that you keep us upright" that we have control over our muscles, "that you dress the naked", that we have clothing, "that you give strength to the tired" that we are not sick, "that you gave us freedom" that we are not totally secluded as 133 people are still in Gaza with Hamas…
The list continues giving thanks for being part of Israel and for protecting our people. Thus, we begin the day, being instructed to be fully aware of the abundant blessings we enjoy in our lives. Then, during the day, raise your eyes to heaven! Did you know that what you see is UNIQUE and is never repeated? The way the clouds are arranged, the hue of the blue in the sky is UNIQUE, it will never be seen in the same way again, never ever... Observe the night! with its stars in the sky, which invite us to see them and marvel at the immensity of the universe. Can you imagine the reaction of a person who could travel in a time machine, from the year 1700? Imagine this person’s reaction, when he/she realizes that by moving a switch, we can have light in the house! Or if we move a handle, clean water runs! Even more, imagine his/her reaction discovering that we can see each other right now, in the distance, through a small screen in our cellphones. Keep in mind, that even today, millions of people do not have electricity or drinking water, which is not only scarce in their poor villages, but it is very likely, that they will never have it at all. So, aren’t we tremendously lucky?
In gematria, the Hebrew word TEVA, which means nature, and the word ELOHIM, which means God, have the same value of 86. To be close to God is to be close to nature, which He has created for us to enjoy. When you see a rainbow, when it rains, when you see a blue sky, with mountains of an intense green color, when you feel the need to say- “Ma ravu maaseja Adonai, kulam bechochma asita! - How great are your works Adonai, you have done them wisely!” - you will feel that holiness. When we join the beginning and the end of these verses together: "You shall be holy because I am Holy,", and - "Thou shall love your neighbor as thyself", we understand holiness from the perspective of life itself. Be holy, enjoy life, and be moral beings with everything that surrounds us, because that is one of the greatest values in Judaism.
Shabat Shalom!
Rabbi David Laor
May 10th, 2024
Tue, October 8 2024
6 Tishrei 5785
Rabbi's Sermons
Bereshit - Genesis
- Parshat Bereshit: Oct. 26, 2019, October 1, 2021, October 2, 2021
- Parshat Noah: Nov. 2, 2019, October 8, 2021, Oct. 29, 2022
- Parshat Lekh-L'kha: Nov. 9, 2019, Oct. 31, 2020, Oct. 31, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 15, 2021
- Parshat Vayeira: Nov. 16, 2019, Nov. 7, 2020, Nov. 7, 2020 - Part 2, Oct. 22, 2021, Oct. 23, 2021
- Parshat Hayei Sara: Nov. 14, 2020, Oct. 30, 2021
- Parshat Toldot: Nov. 30, 2019, Nov. 21, 2020, Nov. 6, 2021
- Parshat Vayeitzei: Nov. 28, 2020, Nov. 13, 2021
- Parshat Vayishlah: Dec. 14, 2019 , Dec. 5, 2020, November 20, 2021
- Parshat Vayeisheiv: Dec. 12, 2020, Nov. 27, 2021
- Parshat Miketz: Dec. 4, 2021
- Parshat Vayigash: Jan. 4, 2020, Dec. 26, 2020, Dec. 11, 2021
- Parshat Vay'hi: Jan. 11, 2020, Jan. 2, 2021
Shemot-Exodus
- Parshat Sh'mot: Jan. 18, 2020, Jan. 18, 2020 - Part 2, Jan. 9, 2021
- Parshat Va'eira: Jan. 25, 2021
- Parshat Bo: Feb. 1, 2020, Jan. 23, 2021
- Parshat B'shalah: Jan. 30, 2021, Jan. 15, 2022, Feb. 3, 2023, Feb.4, 2023
- Parshat Yitro: Feb. 15, 2020, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 6, 2021, Feb. 21, 2022, Feb. 22, 2022
- Parshat Mishpatim: Feb. 22, 2020, Feb. 18, 2023
- Parshat T'rumah: Feb. 29, 2020, Feb. 29, 2020 - Part 2, Feb. 20, 2021, Feb. 4, 2022, Feb. 5, 2022, Feb. 25, 2023
- Parshat T'tzaveh: March 7, 2020, Feb. 27, 2021, Feb. 12, 2022, Feb. 11, 2022
- Parshat Ki Tisa: March 14, 2020, March 6, 2021, February 19, 2022
- Parshot Vayak'heil-P'kudei: March 21, 2020, March 13, 2021, February 26, 2022, March 18, 2023
Vayikra-Leviticus
- Parshat Vayikra: March 20, 2021, March 11, 2022, March 24, 2023, March 25, 2023
- Parshat Tzav: April 4, 2020, March 27, 2021, March 19, 2022
- Parshat Sh'mini: April 18, 2020
- Parshot Tazria-Metzora: April 25, 2020, April 17, 2021, April 2, 2022, April 20, 2024
- Parshot Achrei Mot-Kedoshim: May 2, 2020, April 24, 2021, May 7, 2022, May 3, 2024, May 10, 2024
- Emor: May 9, 2020, May 1, 2021, May 13, 2022, May 14, 2022, May 6, 2023
- Parshot B'har-B'hukotai: May 8, 2019, May 16, 2020, May 7, 2021, May 21, 2022, May 28, 2022, May 24, 2024, May 31, 2024
Bamidbar-Numbers
- Parshat Bamidbar: May 15, 2021, May 20, 2023, June 7, 2024
- Parshat Nasso: June 6, 2020, June 6, 2020 - Part 2, May 22, 2021, June 10, 2022, June 2, 2023, June 14, 2024
- Parshat B'ha'alotcha: June 13, 2020, June 13, 2020 - Part 2, June 9, 2023, June 10, 2023, June 21, 2024
- Parshat Sh'lach: June 20, 2020, June 20, 2020 - Part 2, June 5, 2021, June 28, 2024
- Parshat Korah: June 27, 2020, July 18, 2020, July 24, 2023, July 5, 2024
- Parshot Chukat-Balak: June 26, 2021, July 12, 2024, July 19, 2024
- Parshat Pinchas: July 11, 2020, July 11, 2020 - Part 2, July 2, 2021, July 3, 2021, July 22, 2022, July 23, 2022, July 26, 2024
- Parshot Matot-Masei: July 18, 2020, July 18, 2020 - Part 2, July 10, 2021, July 30, 2022, August 2, 2024
D'varim-Deuteronomy
- Parshat D'varim: July 25, 2020, July 25, 2020 - Part 2, July 17, 2021, August 6, 2022, August 9, 2024
- Parshat Va'et'hanan: Aug. 1, 2020, July 24, 2021, August 12, 2022, August 13, 2022, Aug. 16, 2024
- Parshat Eikev: Aug. 8, 2020, July 31, 2021, August 19, 2022, August 20, 2022
- Parshat Re'eh: August 7, 2021, August 30, 2024
- Parshat Shoftim: September 7, 2019, Aug. 22, 2020, August 14, 2021, August 14, 2021 - Part 2, September 3, 2022, September 6, 2024
- Parshat Ki Teitzei: Aug. 29, 2020, August 20, 2021, September 13, 2024
- Parshat Ki Tavo: Sept. 5, 2020, Sept. 5, 2020 - Part 2, August 28, 2021, Sept. 17, 2022, Sept. 20, 2024
- Parshot Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Sept. 11, 2021, September 24, 2022, Sept. 27,2024
- Parshat Ha'Azinu: Sept. 26, 2020, October 4, 2024
- Parshat Haberakhah
Rosh HaShanah: Sept. 19, 2020, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 2, Sept. 19, 2020 - Part 3, Sept. 20, 2020, Sept. 7, 2021, Sept. 8, 2021, Sept. 9, 2021, Sept. 26, 2022
Yom Kippur: Sept. 28, 2020, Sept. 16, 2021, October 5, 2022
Sukkot: Oct. 3, 2020 , Sept. 20, 2021
Passover: April 3, 2021, April 23, 2022, April 7, 2023, April 12, 2023 April 27, 2024
Rosh Hodesh: April 22, 2023
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