What Does It Mean to Be Holy?

(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.

(2)

The meaning is as follows: the Torah has warned us against immorality and forbidden foods, but it permits sexual relations between man and wife, and the eating of certain kinds of meat and wine. Since this is so, a person should think that it is permitted to be passionately addicted to intercourse with his wife, or many wives, and be 'among those who guzzle wine or glut themselves on meat' (Proverbs 23:20) and speak freely of all profanities, since this is not explicitly forbidden. The result is that he will become a scoundrel within the permissible realm of Torah [naval bi-reshut ha-Torah]. Therefore, after listing the specific conduct that is forbidden, the Torah continues with a general command that we practise moderation even in matters which are permitted...

This is a general feature of Jewish law: detailed examples followed by a general command. Thus in the case of ethics the Torah explicitly forbids certain kinds of conduct, such as theft, robbery, and overcharging in business. But it also contains general rules such as, 'You shall do that which is right and good' (Deut. 6: 18) - which include and going 'beyond the strict requirements of the law' and a willingness, for the sake of equity, to forego the full extent of one's legal rights.

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(3) ...One should be separate from sexual transgressions and all other transgressions, for any place that one find a fence or mention of sexual transgressions, one also finds a mention of the word "kadosh" or holiness. This is the language of Rashi. But in Sefer Vayikra, there is only a phrase of "You should be separate". And they learned there (Chapter 12:3), That the people should be holy because Hashem is holy and the people should be separate as Hashem is separate. According to my opinion, the separation is not from sins of sexual transgression, like the rabbi (Rashi) says. Rather, the separation should occur in any place that we are separate. The issue comes when the Torah warns of sexual transgressions and forbidden foods, the Torah also allows sexual relations between husband and wife and allows eating of meats and wines. Therefore, a desirous person will take advantage and have multiple wives or will be a savage when it comes to drinking wine and eating meat. He will do as he pleases because there is no prohibition in the Torah. However, he will be a scoundrel in the permissions of the Torah. Therefore, the torah comes to mention specifically after the prohibitions, the general rule or law that we should be separate from the permissible areas of the Torah.

And you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am יי (Lev. 19:18).

Rabbi Akiva teaches: this is the fundamental principle of Torah.

Ben Azzai teaches: this is the book of the generations of Adam, (Gen. 5:1) this principle is more fundamental.

[Hillel teaches:] "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary. Now go and study."

(1) Ben Azzai teaches: “These are the generations of Adam" is the foundational principle in the Torah.

(2) Rabbi Akiva said: This is the foundational principle of the Torah: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

(3) Thus, one should not say, “Since I have been humiliated, I will humiliate my neighbor as well; since I have been cursed, I will curse my fellow as well.”

(4) Rabbi Tanchumah said, if you act thus, realize who it is that you are willing to have humiliated - "the one who was made in the likeness of God."

(11) Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: One who profanes the Kodeshim [sacred material], and desecrates the holidays, and whitens [embarrasses] the face of another in public, and nullifies the covenant of Abraham our father (peace be upon him), and reveals meanings in the Torah that run contrary to the law, even though he has Torah knowledge and good deeds, he has no share in the world to come.