(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר׃ (ב) דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם מוֹעֲדֵ֣י ה' אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם מִקְרָאֵ֣י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֵ֥לֶּה הֵ֖ם מוֹעֲדָֽי׃ (ג) שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ מִקְרָא־קֹ֔דֶשׁ כָּל־מְלָאכָ֖ה לֹ֣א תַעֲשׂ֑וּ שַׁבָּ֥ת הִוא֙ לַֽה' בְּכֹ֖ל מֽוֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ (פ) (ד) אֵ֚לֶּה מוֹעֲדֵ֣י ה' מִקְרָאֵ֖י קֹ֑דֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־תִּקְרְא֥וּ אֹתָ֖ם בְּמוֹעֲדָֽם׃
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites, and you shall say to them: ‘These are the fixed-times of the LORD which you shall call sacred convocations. These are My fixed times. Six days shall tasks be done, and on the seventh day, an absolute sabbath, a sacred convocation. No task shall you do. It is a sabbath for the LORD in all your dwelling places. These are the fixed times of the LORD, sacred convocations which you shall call in their fixed time.
sacred convocations which you shall call. In this recurring phrase, the verb, tiqre‘u, and its object, miqra‘ey qodesh, are cognates, something that the translation intimates at least etymologically because “convocation” is derived from a Latin term for calling. “Call” in this context obviously means to “proclaim,” “convene,” “invite.” (Alter, Robert. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary)
Torah translations are based on Robert Alter's Five Books of Moses.
The Netivot Shalom asks the question: "How is it even possible that holiness could exist in This World - a world of materiality, physical desires, impurity, shells, and appetites? How can a human bring holiness upon themself in This World; look, This World and holiness are diametrical opposites."
The Netivot Shalom: The Holy Bountiful One brought down to This World a complete system of holiness where one can independently strengthen their purpose of becoming a holy nation. This system encompasses the dimensions of Space (Olam), Time (Shanah) and of Soul (Nefesh).
- In the dimension of Space/Olam, there is a Beit Mikdash that continually helps holiness flow throughout K'lal Yisrael, because the Beit Mikdash and holy congregations make K'lal Yisrael holy, and a little bit of the light pushes aside a lot of darkness, and a little bit of holiness pushes aside a lot of impurity.
- In the dimension of Time/Shanah, all of the Festive Days and Shabbatot are a system of holiness, for all who want to be called towards the holiness, there is for that purpose a well-spring of holiness.
(ב) וַיְכַ֤ל אֱלֹהִים֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֑ה וַיִּשְׁבֹּת֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֖וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃ (ג) וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־י֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ אֹת֑וֹ כִּ֣י ב֤וֹ שָׁבַת֙ מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃
And God completed on the seventh day the task God had done, and God ceased on the seventh day from all the task God had done. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, for on it God had ceased from all God's task that God had created to do.
The holy Shabbat is a fount of holiness for the one who wants to be made holy, so they draw that holiness from the holy Shabbat. And so too for the festival days, it is for this reason that they are called sacred calling-times, for they are all founts of holiness, which encompass the entire year, causing holiness to flow to the one who wants to be made holy.
And with in the dimension of Soul/Nefesh, as it is written: "...and make yourselves holy, and be holy," and our Sages say: A human who makes themself holy below [in This World], they make them holy above; a human who makes themself a little holy [in This World], they make them very holy [above] (Yoma 39a).
This means that when one begins to make themself holy, holiness flows upon them from above until they become a holy nation. And behold this system is replete with holiness in the realms of Time/Shanah and Soul/Nefesh that the Holy Bountiful One brought down to this low world, for all who want to be called to holiness.
- Indeed, in order to attain holiness, one first needs to “turn from evil” and only afterwards “do good,” for while a human exists in a state of impurity, and is immersed in materialism and physical desires, in that case one who is ritually impure cannot cling to purity and holiness, and the holiness of Shabbat and festival days cannot fall upon them. Therefore, first one need to purify one’s self from impurity...
- For Shabbat and all festival days are a reminder of Leaving Egypt, that one should remember that it is their responsibility to liberate themselves time and time again from the doings of the land of Egypt, and...this is the gateway to enter a festival day, to remember that it is their duty to leave Egypt and to be purified from its impurity....
- And this is also the preparation for the holiest day, the festival of Shavuot, the day of receiving the Torah, for all seven complete weeks of the Counting of the Omer are preparation for this great day. The preparation is to purify us from our shells and from our impurities, and so that Your people Israel should purify their souls from their grime, and to become purified from all the impurities, and only afterwards is [the saying] “I will become pure, and I will become holy with the upper holiness” fitting, and to reach the holiness of the festival of Shavuot, and Receiving the Torah. This preparation begins with Pesach, its beginning is “turn from evil” so that one will be capable of [receiving] holiness, for generally speaking, impurity cannot be attached to holiness. Everting is to bring about the purpose of “you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”