Kedoshim / קְדֹשִׁים Leviticus 19:1 ~ 20:27

SUMMARY:

This parsha contains what is called "The Holiness Code". Here, the first two verses set the expectation for holiness on the part of Am Yisrael.

There are dozens of commandments by which a person sanctifies themselves in relationship to God.
Commandments cover everyday life and some repeat and expand on the "Aseret HaDibrot" [the Ten Commandments}. There are prohibitions against idolatry, the commandment for tzedakah, equality before the law, Shabbat, sexual morality, honesty in business dealings, honor of one's parents and the sacredness of human life.

Kedoshim ends by detailing punishments for certain types of idolatry and sexual misconduct.

God is separate from the world and transcends it, but God is not withdrawn from it. Israel must in imitating God by being a holy nation similarly not withdraw from the the world, but rather radiate a positive influence on it through every aspect of Jewish living. ~Martin Buber, Bechirat Yisrael

...holiness is a basic way of seeing and experiencing life. It represents a striving to be present in each moment (even as we know that often we will be distracted or unconscious). It reminds us to celebrate the gift of our lives. It is more than being kind and compassionate, though of course that can be an essential element of holiness. Holiness means being in touch with wholeness. It acknowledges the preciousness of existence. ~Rabbi Michael Strassfeld

Hakhel (Hebrew: הקהל haqhēl) is a biblical commandment of assembling all Israelite men, women and children, as well as converts, to assemble and hear the reading of the Torah by the king of Israel once every seven years, to strengthen their fear of God.

Originally this ceremony took place at the site of the Temple in Jerusalem during Sukkot in the year following a Seventh Year. According to the Mishna, the "commandment to assemble" (Hebrew: מצות הקהל mitzvat hakhel) was performed throughout the years of the Second Temple era and, by inference, during the First Temple era as well. The biblical mitzvah of Hakhel is only in effect when all the Jewish people reside in Israel. However, more recently attempts have been made to revive a symbolic form of hakhel.

(Vayikra 19:1) "And the L–rd spoke to Moses, saying (Vayikra 19:2) Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: Holy shall you be." We are hereby taught that this section was stated in the presence of all. Why so? Because most of the major tenets of Torah are inherent in it. "Holy shall you be": Separate yourselves (from arayoth.) "Holy shall you be, for holy am I, the L–rd your G d." If you sanctify yourselves, I will consider it as if you had sanctified Me, and if you do not sanctify yourselves, I will consider it as if you had not sanctified Me. — But perhaps the meaning is: If you sanctify Me, I am holy, and if not I am not holy. It is, therefore, written "for holy am I" — I remain in My holiness whether or not I am sanctified (by men). ~Sifra Kedoshim, Section 1.

The easiest thing is to hide from the world and its follies, seclude oneself in a room and be a holy hermit. What the Torah desires, however, is that a person should be part and parcel of “all the congregation of the children of Israel”—and be holy. ~Alshich [b. Moshe Alshich 1508, in Hebrew: משה אלשיך, also spelled Alshech, known as the Alshich Hakadosh, was a prominent rabbi, preacher, and biblical commentator.

Akeidat Yitzchak 64:1:4

When striving to achieve his potential, man must look beyond himself and attempt to act as if he had become a partner in what he is striving for. When king Saul listened to the people and allowed Agag to live, his error was that he was too aware of his own shortcomings and not sufficiently aware of the lofty position he occupied by reason of being king of Israel, G'ds holy nation, (compare Samuel I chapter 15) Concentrating on the Divine, which constitutes part of man's roots, is the antidote to dwelling on one's mortality. The latter is depressing, whereas the former is elevating. G'ds imperative "be holy, for I am holy," means "do not use the fact that you are in a mortal shell as an excuse not to strive for the ultimate you are capable of."

This view conflicts with this one:

Akabyah ben Mahalalel said: mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin: know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning. From where do you come? From a putrid drop. Where are you going? To a place of dust, of worm and of maggot. Before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning? Before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. ~Pirkei Avot, 3

Sanctify yourself also regarding that which is permissible to you. ~Talmud, Yevamot 20a

The meaning of this is that since the Torah has warned against forbidden sexual relations and forbidden foods, while permitting relations with one’s wife and eating meat and wine, the lustful person can find a place to wallow in promiscuity with his wife or wives, and be of “the guzzlers of wine and the gluttons of meat,” and converse at will of all licentious things (since no prohibition against this is specified in the Torah). He can be a hedonist with the Torah’s permission. Therefore, after enumerating the things which it forbids entirely, the Torah says: “Be holy.” Constrain yourself also in that which is permitted. ~Nachmanides

Although I have commanded you to fear your father, if he tells you to violate the Shabbat—or to transgress any other mitzvah—do not heed him; for “I am the L‑rd your G‑d”—both you and your father are obligated to honor Me. ~Rashi; Talmud

Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molten gods (19:4) At first they will be just “idols”; but if you turn to them, you will end up making them “gods.” ~Rashi

Evil talk kills three people: the speaker, the listener and the one who is spoken of. ~Talmud, Tractate Eruchin 15a

The speaker obviously commits a grave sin by speaking negatively of his fellow. The listener, too, is a partner to this evil. But why is the one who is spoken of affected by their deed? Are his negative traits worsened by the fact that they are spoken of?

Indeed they are. A person may possess an evil trait or tendency, but his quintessential goodness, intrinsic to every soul, strives to control it, conquer it, and ultimately eradicate its negative expressions and redirect it as a positive force. But when this evil is spoken of, it is made that much more manifest and real. By speaking negatively of the person’s trait or deed, the evil speakers are, in effect, defining it as such; with their words, they grant substance and validity to its negative potential.

But the same applies in the reverse: speaking favorably of another, accentuating his or her positive side, will aid him to realize himself in the manner that you have defined him. ~The Lubavitcher Rebbe

The word rechilus comes from rachil, a peddler. The gossip is like a salesman, going door to door hawking their merchandise. Unfortunately, in this case, the merchandise isn’t brushes or encyclopedias, it’s slander, anger and hatred.The nature of rechilus is as follows: Jane hears Mary say that Sally is nasty. Jane runs to Sally and says, “You should hear what Mary is saying about you!” Now, not only is Mary badmouthing Sally, Sally is mad at Mary. Jane, the gossip, has increased animosity among members of the community rather than defusing the situation.

~Rabbi Jack Abramovitz

A talebearer (Heb. rachil) is one who carries tales among people, saying, “This is what Ploni said about you…” “this is what Ploni did to you…” or “this is what I heard about someone that he did or wants to do to you….”

Even if the information is not derogatory, and even if the person being spoken about were asked would volunteer the information himself, and even if the information is true, or even if the intention of the speaker was something entirely different, it is still Rechilut. www.torah.org

Evil talk is like an arrow. A person who unsheathes a sword can regret his intention and return it to its sheath. But the arrow cannot be retrieved. ~Midrash Tehillim

Specific laws from this parsha:

To be holy means not merely in the privacy of your home and ashamed of your faith in public. Be not, as the assimilationists put it, "A Jew at home and a man outside." Be holy "in the community" in public, out in the open, in society. Among your own people or in the midst of strangers, wherever you may find yourself, never be ashamed of your character and sanctity as a Jew. ~ Rabbi Chaim Sofer