Is holiness something that we have to strive for or is holiness inherent in each one of us?
(1) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
If the command stopped right there, what might we think holiness entails?
(1) יהוה spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, your God יהוה, am holy. (3) You shall each revere your mother and your father, and keep My sabbaths: I יהוה am your God. (4) Do not turn to idols or make molten gods for yourselves: I יהוה am your God. (5) When you sacrifice an offering of well-being to יהוה, sacrifice it so that it may be accepted on your behalf. (6) It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the day following; but what is left by the third day must be consumed in fire. (7) If it should be eaten on the third day, it is an offensive thing, it will not be acceptable. (8) And one who eats of it shall bear the guilt for having profaned what is sacred to יהוה; that person shall be cut off from kin. (9) When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (10) You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I יהוה am your God. (11) You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another. (12) You shall not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God: I am יהוה. (13) You shall not defraud your fellow [Israelite]. You shall not commit robbery. The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning. (14) You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind. You shall fear your God: I am יהוה. (15) You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kin fairly. (16) Do not deal basely with members of your people. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow [Israelite]: I am יהוה. (17) You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart. Reprove your kin but incur no guilt on their account. (18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow [Israelite] as yourself: I am יהוה. (19) You shall observe My laws. You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed; you shall not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material. (20) If a man has carnal relations with a woman who is a slave and has been designated for another man, but has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there shall be an indemnity; they shall not, however, be put to death, since she has not been freed. (21) But he must bring to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as his guilt offering to יהוה, a ram of guilt offering. (22) With the ram of guilt offering the priest shall make expiation for him before יהוה for the sin that he committed; and the sin that he committed will be forgiven him. (23) When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. (24) In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before יהוה; (25) and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit—that its yield to you may be increased: I יהוה am your God. (26) You shall not eat anything with its blood. You shall not practice divination or soothsaying. (27) You [men] shall not round off the side-growth on your head, or destroy the side-growth of your beard. (28) You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am יהוה. (29) Do not degrade your daughter and make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with depravity. (30) You shall keep My sabbaths and venerate My sanctuary: I am יהוה. (31) Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them: I יהוה am your God. (32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am יהוה. (33) When strangers reside with you in your land, you shall not wrong them. (34) The strangers who reside with you shall be to you as your citizens; you shall love each one as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I יהוה am your God. (35) You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity. (36) You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.I יהוה am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. (37) You shall faithfully observe all My laws and all My rules: I am יהוה.
Leviticus Chapter 19 (bullet points inserted)
(1) The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: (2) Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
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(3) You shall each revere your mother and your father,
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and keep My sabbaths: I the LORD am your God.
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(4) Do not turn to idols or make molten gods for yourselves: I the LORD am your God.
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(5) When you sacrifice an offering of well-being to the LORD, sacrifice it so that it may be accepted on your behalf. (6) It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the day following; but what is left by the third day must be consumed in fire. (7) If it should be eaten on the third day, it is an offensive thing, it will not be acceptable. (8) And he who eats of it shall bear his guilt, for he has profaned what is sacred to the LORD; that person shall be cut off from his kin.
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(9) When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. (10) You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I the LORD am your God.
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(11) You shall not steal; you shall not deal deceitfully or falsely with one another.
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(12) You shall not swear falsely by My name, profaning the name of your God: I am the LORD.
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(13) You shall not defraud your fellow.
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You shall not commit robbery.
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The wages of a laborer shall not remain with you until morning.
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(14) You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind.
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You shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
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(15) You shall not render an unfair decision: do not favor the poor or show deference to the rich; judge your kinsman fairly.
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(16) Do not deal basely with your countrymen. Do not profit by the blood of your fellow: I am the LORD.
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(17) You shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart.
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Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because of him.
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(18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen.
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Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD.
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(19) You shall observe My laws.
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You shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind;
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you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed;
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you shall not put on cloth from a mixture of two kinds of material. (shatnez)
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(20) If a man has carnal relations with a woman who is a slave and has been designated for another man, but has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there shall be an indemnity; they shall not, however, be put to death, since she has not been freed. (21) But he must bring to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, as his guilt offering to the LORD, a ram of guilt offering. (22) With the ram of guilt offering the priest shall make expiation for him before the LORD for the sin that he committed; and the sin that he committed will be forgiven him.
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(23) When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. (24) In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before the LORD; (25) and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit—that its yield to you may be increased: I the LORD am your God.
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(26) You shall not eat anything with its blood.
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You shall not practice divination or soothsaying.
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(27) You shall not round off the side-growth on your head, or destroy the side-growth of your beard. (28) You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.
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(29) Do not degrade your daughter and make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry and the land be filled with depravity.
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(30) You shall keep My sabbaths and venerate My sanctuary: I am the LORD.
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(31) Do not turn to ghosts and do not inquire of familiar spirits, to be defiled by them: I the LORD am your God.
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(32) You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
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(33) When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. (34) The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I the LORD am your God.
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(35) You shall not falsify measures of length, weight, or capacity. (36) You shall have an honest balance, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin.
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I the LORD am your God who freed you from the land of Egypt. (37) You shall faithfully observe all My laws and all My rules: I am the LORD
Author: Rashi Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki.
Rashi lived in Troyes, France (1040-1105). Usually based on midrash and Talmud. He was a vintner by profession and lived during the first crusade.
דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנֶּאֶמְרָה פָרָשָׁה זוֹ בְּהַקְהֵל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרֹב גּוּפֵי תוֹרָה תְלוּיִּין בָּהּ (ספרא):
דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל SPEAK UNTO ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL — This (the addition of the words כל עדת) teaches us that this section was proclaimed in full assembly because most of the fundamental teachings of the Torah are dependent on it (contained in it) (Sifra, Kedoshim, Section 1 1; Vayikra Rabbah 24:5).
Torah Temimah
Author: Barukh HaLevi Epstein
Composed in Pinsk, Belarus (c.1898 - c.1902 CE). Commentary on the Torah, consisting of a compilation of Talmudic and Halakhic passages relevant to each verse, with a brief explanation by the author.
קדושים תהיו וגו'. קדושים תהיו – פרושים תהיו, כי קדוש אני, לומר, שאם אתם מקדשים עצמכם מעלה אני עליכם כאלו קדשתם אותי
קדושים תהיו וגו. You are to be holy, meaning, separate. כי קדוש אני Because I am holy, meaning that if you sanctify yourselves, I will consider it as though you are sanctifying Me.
Or HaChaim
Written by Rabbi Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar (1696-1743), a Moroccan Kabbalist and Talmudist.
קדושים תהיו, "be holy!" We need to analyse what precisely God meant when He commanded us to either be or become "holy." I believe the Torah wanted to add a positive commandment as a corollary to the string of negative commandments we have just read in chapter 18. Inasmuch as God commanded us to be holy, a person who violates any of the transgressions of a sexual nature is not only guilty of violating a negative commandment but also simultaneously violates the commandment to strive and be holy.
עוד ירצה על דרך אומרם ז''ל (קידושין לט:) ישב אדם ולא עבר עבירה נותנים לו שכר כעושה מצוה, והוא מאמר הכתוב קדושים תהיו במצות עשה בבא עבירה לידו שיתרחק מעשות', ובזה קיים מצות עשה שנצטוו במאמר קדושים תהיו, והוציא זכרון מצוה זו בלשון זה של קדושים, לומר שכל המקיים מצוה זו נקרא קדוש, והוא מאמרם ז''ל (ויק''ר פכ''ד ירושלמי יבמות פ''ב יהוה'ד) ג''כ. ולטעם זה דקדק לומר אל כל עדת בני ישראל, לומר כי מצוה זו שמצוה קדושים תהיו היא מצוה שישנה בכל אדם, שכל איש ישראל בקיימו מצוה זו קדוש יאמר לו, ואין הדרגה בישראל שתהיה נמנעת מהשגה זו.
Furthermore, our verse may reflect something we have learned in Kidushin 39: "If a person sits quietly and refrains from committing a transgression he is given a reward as if he had performed a positive commandment. This is the meaning of our verse. If you are presented with an opportunity to commit a sin and you refrain from grasping that opportunity, you have fulfilled the commandment to be or to become holy. The reason God commanded Moses to tell this commandment directly to the whole congregation of Israel was to inform them directly of this and to show them how easy it is to be counted amongst the people described as "holy." Every single individual can achieve that spiritual level by merely fighting off the desire to violate a commandment when the opportunity presents itself. Every Israelite is on the same spiritual level concerning the acquisition of this merit.
Tur HaAroch
Written by R’ Jacob ben Asher (c. 1269 - c. 1343), known as Ba’al haTurim. Known mostly for his work on halakhah, he also wrote Torah commentary. The English translation is by Rabbi Eliyahu Munk.
כי קדוש אני ה' אלוקיכם, “for I, the Lord your God am holy.” Naturally, God did not expect that we, the creatures, become like He, the Creator. But, He hopes and expects that we will try and emulate as many of His characteristics as it is possible for us to emulate, seeing we are only creatures. By doing this we can achieve דבקות, a measure of close attachment to the Divine, something the Torah encouraged us to do on several occasions (compare Deut. 10,20; 11,22; 30,20) In a way, this was the message of God revealing Himself to us in the first of the Ten Commandments.
Original question. Is holiness something to strive for or is holiness inherent?
Conclusion:
When we are talking about ourselves, holiness is to strive for. We are commanded to be holy like God is holy. That is not easy and we have to work on it.
But when it comes to how we treat others, we must remember that every person is created in the image of God. We must consider that every person is thus holy and we must treat them accordingly.
At the same time, let's go back and look at the list in Lev. 19 of what we need to do to achieve holiness, what we need to do to be holy like God is holy. There are a few that deal with sacrifices and other rituals. And Shabbat is mentioned at the very top. But most of the commands have to do with relationships with other people:
- honoring parents
- social safety net for an agricultural society
- honesty in social relations
- honesty in business relations
- timely payments of laborers
- not insulting the deaf or putting stumbling blocks in front of the blind
- fairness in justice -- not favoring the poor or giving deference to the privileged
- honoring the elderly
- aliens and strangers among you should be treated like everyone else