Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
The idea of קְדֻשָּׁה (kedushah, holiness) comes up all over the Torah, and we’ve seen it a lot in Sefer Vayikra. What exactly is kedushah? This is a good week to define it, because it’s the concept that introduces our parashah (Vayikra 19:2):
קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יהוה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
You shall be kadosh, for I, God your Lord, am kadosh
To understand kedushah, take a look at these different concepts that contain this שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh, root). You can see that they are all connected to the idea of being designated as separate, or special:
- מִקְדָּשׁ (mikdash) - a holy place that is separate and different from normal (or mundane) places
- הֶקְדֵּשׁ (hekdesh) - an animal or other item that has been separated from everything else, designated for a special purpose in the mishkan/Temple
- קִדּוּשׁ (Kiddush) - how we mark Shabbat and holidays as being special and separate from the rest of the week
- What do you have in your home that is set aside for special occasions or for only certain uses?
Our pasuk explains why we should be kadosh: it’s because God is kadosh. This can also clarify how to be kadosh. Our best role model in kedushah is God, and we become kadosh by acting in ways that copy God.
Here’s how Rabbi Hama son of Hanina imagined this working:
מָה הוּא מַלְבִּישׁ עֲרֻמִּים דִּכְתִיב "וַיַּעַשׂ ה׳ אֱלֹקִים לְאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ כׇּתְנוֹת עוֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵׁם" - אַף אַתָּה הַלְבֵּשׁ עֲרֻמִּים.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּקֵּר חוֹלִים דִּכְתִיב "וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו ה׳ בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא" - אַף אַתָּה בַּקֵּר חוֹלִים.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נִיחֵם אֲבֵלִים דִּכְתִיב "וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אַבְרָהָם וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקִים אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ" - אַף אַתָּה נַחֵם אֲבֵלִים.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא קָבַר מֵתִים דִּכְתִיב "וַיִּקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ בַּגַּי" - אַף אַתָּה קְבוֹר מֵתִים.
The Holy One clothes the naked, as it is written: “And God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them”—you should also provide clothing for those who need it.
The Holy One visited the sick, as it is written, “And God appeared to him (Avraham recovering from his brit milah) by Elonei Mamre”—you should also visit the sick.
The Holy One comforted mourners, as it is written, “After Avraham’s death, God blessed his son Yitzhak”—you should also comfort mourners.
The Holy One buried the dead, as it is written, “And God buried Moshe in the valley”—you should also bury the dead.
- Can you think of other things about God we should try to copy?
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