A Thought on Parashat Kedoshim: The Road to Holiness

דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם קדשים תהיו

This week’s Parasha sets us apart; Hashem commands us to be holy. But how do we accomplish this? This is the subject of a famous debate between Rashi and Ramban.

After discussing the forbidden relationships in last week’s Parasha, Rashi says that being holy means avoiding any forbidden relationships. The Ramban, on the other hand, explains that to be holy means separating from that which is permitted to us. Although the Torah permits you to drink wine and eat meat, spending day and night indulging in them would not only lack a positive effect, but would have a negative one. The Torah tells us that all good things should be taken or done  in moderation, with a limit. The common denominator from both commentators is a lesson in self-control. We all have desires for physical pleasures, and we must learn to take control of them rather than letting them take control of us.

Let’s dig in a bit deeper:

It seems that the Torah is commanding each and every Jew to be “holy”. Yet, when one reads the famous ancient Jewish text מסילת ישרים, The Path of the Just, you find the opening chapter teaches us:

רבי פינחס בן יאיר that תורה מביאה לידי זהירות, זהירות מביאה לידי זריזות, זריזות מביאה לידי נקיות, נקיות מביא לידי פרישות, פרישות מביאה לידי טהרה, טהרה מביאה לידי חסידות, חסידות מביאה לידי ענוה, ענוה מביאה לידי יראת חטא, יראת חטא מביא לידי קדושה, קדושה מביאה לידי רוח הקודש, רוח הקודש מביאה לידי תחיית המתים (תלמוד בבלי עבודה זרה דף כ

Kedusha is explained as the point when a person clings to Hashem so tightly that none of his actions ever take him away from Hashem, and he does not sway at all from His path. This makes it seem like kedusha is a lofty character trait that only the selective righteous attain in their lifetime. If this is true, why then does the Torah in this week’s Parasha make it seem like not is it only attainable to all of us, but that we are obligated to pursue it?

Furthermore, asks the commentary Ohr Hachaim, why is the phrase קדשים תהיו written in the future tense? Shouldn’t it be written in the present tense?

The sefer Otzrot HaTorah suggests that we can answer both of these questions with one answer. The Torah did not command us to be holy in the present tense, because that is not something that can be commanded to every individual as not all of us are on that high level. Rather, it is written in the future tense to teach us that acting in a certain way will raise us to a level of holiness, should we limit our want for forbidden pleasures.

This is similar in concept to the words of a few passages in the the Talmud:

1) Masechet Shabbat (104b) - הבא ליטהר מסייעין אותו
When a person comes to purify himself, Hashem helps him achieve this.

2) Mashecht Yoma (39b) - אדם שמקדש עצמו מעט מקדשים אותו הרבה
A person who purifies himself a little bit, Hashem will help him purify himself a lot.

3)Medrash Rabbah - Shir Hashirim 5:2) - פתחו לי פתח אחד כחודה של מחט ואני אפתח לכם לפתחים שיהיו עגלות וקרונות נסנסים בה.
Hashem is telling us that in our attempt to improve and do Teshuvah, if we open the gates of Teshuvah up a little like the eye of the needle, He will open it up the rest of the way.

4)Masechet Makot (6a) - בדרך שאדם רוצה לילך בה, מוליכין אותו
Whatever path a man wants to take, Hashem will help him take that road.

If we put these ideas together, we understand that the Torah’s commandment to be holy is not in conflict with the words of the רבי פינחס בן יאיר. We all can accomplish holiness. It is up to us to take small, consistent steps in the right direction. We can each take small steps to manage our lusts and desires, and Hashem will help us achieve a true level of to holiness.