parsha bit: Acharei Mot - K'doshim

[cellio]

This week's parsha commands us "be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy". What does it mean to be holy? Nachmanides says it is not just keeping the commandments. A man can fulfill the law but still not be a nice person. Because one can always find loopholes in the law, he says, people will do so. To "be holy", according to Nachmanides, is to not use those loopholes, nor to over-indulge in things permitted by the torah. (Commentary on Lev 19:2)

Comments

another idea

[chaos-wrangler.livejournal.com]

I don't recall which commentary this came from, but it's stuck with me since grade school so perhaps it's worth something. "kadosh" can be translated as separate/special, i.e. god is different/special/separate, so is shabbat, so is the "holy land", and so we are to remember to be and act. This works well with the understanding of tahor vs tamei as not meaning clean vs unclean or pure vs unpure but as 2 distinct ritual states, one of which is more appropriate for things/places/actions which are separate in the sense of "kadosh".

Re: another idea

[cellio]

Good point. I think of "kadosh" as both "separate" and "for a special purpose"; to the extent that the latter is holiness that works. But I think of my challah plate as small-scale kadosh even though I wouldn't call it "holy"; it's dedicated to Shabbat/Yom Tov use, but that's different. So "holy" probably isn't the best translation.

Re: another idea

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

I can't look it up right now, but one of my favorite Torah/OT verses is from one of the prophets (Malachi?): "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your G-d>." To me, if that's not holiness, it's at least a good start.