What is Holiness?

(20:7) "And you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy": This is the holiness of separation from idolatry.

You say that it is the holiness of separation from idolatry, but perhaps it is the holiness of (performing) all of the mitzvoth! __ "Holy shall you be" (Ibid. 19:2) already speaks of the holiness of all the mitzvoth. "And you shall sanctify yourselves and you shall be holy," then, must refer to the holiness of separation from idolatry.

(2) קדשים תהיו YE SHALL BE HOLY — This means, keep aloof from the forbidden sexual relations just mentioned and from sinful thoughts. [It is evident that this is the meaning of קדשים תהיו because] wherever you find in the Torah a command to fence yourself in against such relations you also find mention of “holiness". Examples are: (Leviticus 21:7) “[They shall not take] a wife that is a harlot, or a profane etc.", and in the next verse "for I, the Lord, who sanctifieth you, [am holy]"

In my opinion, this separation is not about separation from sexual immorality, as the Rabbi (Rashi) said, but it is the separation mentioned everywhere in the Talmud, where those who follow it are caled "Pharisees."

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...

And one should sanctify oneself in this until he reaches the level of "Separation," as they said of Rabbi Hiyya that never in his life engaged in idle talk.

In these examples and those like them, the general commandment comes after it details all of the completely forbidden sins, until one enters in this commandment cleanliness of hands and body, as they said "sanctify yourself-handwashing before the meal; and you shall be holy-handwashing after the meal." (Berachot 53) Holiness is fragrant oil. Because even though these commandments are rabbinic, the essence of Torah is along their lines. It warns us that we should be clean and pure and separated from the masses who dirty themselves with permitted things and disgusting things.

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.

HOLY expresses the notion that He is high above any attribute of created beings, although many of these are applied to him metaphorically. For this reason Isaiah heard an endless: 'Holy, holy, holy,' which meant that God is too high, too exalted, too holy, and too pure for any impurity of the people in whose midst His light dwells to touch Him. For the same reason Isaiah saw him 'sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up.' Holy is, further, a description of the spiritual, which never assumes a corporeal form, and which nothing concrete can possibly resemble. God is called: the Holy One of Israel, which is another expression for the Divine Influence connected with Israel himself and the whole of his posterity, to rule and guide them, but not to be merely in external contact with them.

(1) And the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (2) And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. (3) And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it He stopped from all His work which God in creating had made.

(3) ויברך … ויקדש AND GOD BLESSED … AND HE SANCTIFIED — He blessed it through the Manna, that on all other days of the week there should fall for them (the Israelites) an Omer for each person, whereas on the sixth day there should fall twice as much of that bread. So, too, He sanctified it through the Manna, that it should not fall at all on the Sabbath (Genesis Rabbah 11). This verse is written here with reference to what would happen in the future.

(3) And he blessed [...] and he sanctified: He blessed it with manna and sanctified it with manna - and the verse is written about the future - [this is the] language of our teacher, Shlomo (Rashi) from Bereishit Rabbah 11:2.

And in the name of Rabbi Saadia, [some] have said that the blessing and the sanctification is on those that observe [the Shabbat]; that they should be blessed and sanctified. But the understanding of the verse is not that it is speaking about the future.

And Rabbi Avraham (Ibn Ezra) said that the blessing is an addition of good - that there be generated greater power to multiply among bodies and greater intellectual ability for the soul; "and He sanctified it," [means] that he did not do any work on it, as [He did] upon the other days. And his word about this is correct for those that believe in it, as this is not a concept that people can feel [with their senses].

And the truth is that the blessing on the Shabbat day is the source of blessings and it is the foundation of the world; "and He sanctified it," that it should draw from the holy.

And if you will understand this, you will know that which they said in Bereishit Rabbah 11:8, "As it doesn't have a partner"; and that which they also said, "The Assembly of Israel will be its partner"; and you will understand that there is an extra soul on Shabbat, in truth.

(2) "And Elokim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it"- Rabbi Yishmael says: "He blessed it" with manna "and sanctified it" with manna, He blessed it with manna-for all the days of the week one omer [portion] fell [per person], on Friday two omer [portions] fell [per person]. He sanctified it with manna [on Shabbat] it didn't fall at all. Rabbi Nosson says: He blessed it with manna and sanctified it with blessing. Rabbi Yitzhak says: He blessed it with manna, and sanctified it with the gatherer [of sticks].

"And He blessed it" with clothing. Rav Huna says: [one] must change [one's clothes]. R' Chiyya in the name of Rav Yochanon says: [one] must mingle [a garment along with his weekday clothes for the honor of Shabbat]. Avin son of Chasdai says [one] must [let one's cloak] hang. Rabbi Yermiah and R' Zeirah were walking together, and R' Yermiah's cloak was tucked up and Rabbi Zeirah let it hang. This [reflects] what was said [that] one must lower [one's cloak]. R' Elazar says: "He blessed it" with a candle and this occurred to me, one time I lit a candle on the eve of Shabbat and I came and I found it [still] lit at the end of Shabbat and it wasn't diminished at all.

"He blessed it" with the light of the face of man, "He sanctified it" with the light of of the face of man. The light of man's face throughout the week isn't comparable to [his face] on Shabbat.

"He blessed it" with luminaries, R' Shimon son of Yehuda the man of Acco says in the name of R' Shimon: even though the luminaries were cursed from the Shabbat eve

(8) Why did God bless Shabbat? Rabbi Berekiah says: "Because it has no partner. The first day of the week has the second, the third has the fourth, the fifth has the sixth, but Shabbat has no partner. Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said: Because it cannot be postponed: a festival can be postponed, as well as the Day of Atonement [because these are days which a beit din must declare to be a new moon]. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai taught: Shabbat pleased with the Holy One, Blessed be God saying: "Everyone else has a partner, but I have nothing!" God answered saying: "The community of Israel will be your partner." God continued: "And when thy stood before Sinai, God said to the Israelites: "Remember what I said to Shabbat, that the community of Israel is your partner, [in the words of scripture] "Remember Shabbat and keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8)...

(5) Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all the earth is Mine; (6) and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy community. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.’