Kedoshim 5772

·      Parshat Kedoshim begins with what seems to be a mixed message. The Torah states, “Kedoshim tihyu,” “You shall be holy,” and the Sages in the Midrash explained that the intent is “Perushim tihyu,” “You shall be separated.” The method of becoming holy through separation is easily understood.  Holiness and sanctity are born out of an attachment to spirituality and to the other-worldly qualities of the Divine. It is understandable, then, to call for a de-emphasis of connection to the realities of this world in order to achieve a state of true holiness. The Torah apparently calls for separation—separation from the physical world, from society itself—as a means to achieving holiness.  Yet, as mentioned, we encounter mixed messages. For G-d tells Moses to bestow this mitzvah upon the Jews by speaking “to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel.”  This mitzvah—the one that encourages separation from the physical and social sphere—is given specifically at a time when all the Jews are gathered together, thus emphasizing, not downplaying, social contact. Why choose a context in which to teach this mitzvah, that undermines the mitzvah itself?

·      The Chasam Sofer (Rabbi Moshe Sofer, 1762-1839) explains that there is no contradiction between these two messages. It is not the role of the Jew to separate himself from society; it is the role of the Jew to be separate within society. It is not the role of the Jew to become sanctified through disengagement from reality; it is the role of the Jew to become sanctified while engaging reality. The Torah teaches the concept of being holy in a context of a social gathering specifically in order to do away with the notion that true holiness can only be found in a monastic lifestyle. Though it is true that engagement with society may expose us to certain spiritually detrimental behaviors—jealousy, greed, ruthlessness, materialism, and so on—through that engagement we gain far more than we lose. We gain in chesed, in our ability to care for our fellow human beings, in sensitivity to the needs of others, in social responsibility, and in countless other opportunities that express themselves only in a social context. The Torah insists that we not hide behind closed doors in order to find holiness, but that we make it our business to create holiness in the public arena.

·      This is a lesson that must keep in mind both for our wellbeing as a community and synagogue, as well as for our own personal spiritual fulfillment. For the sake of our synagogue, we need to remind ourselves of what draws someone to a community. The most common questions I receive by people thinking of joining our synagogue are not about the services or the prayers or even the mechitzah. They are about the social atmosphere and whether or not new members are made to feel welcome. For the sake of our synagogue, we need to ensure that we maintain an atmosphere of “social kedusha,” “social holiness,” as the Torah prescribes in our parsha. Every single person who walks through the doors of our shul needs to be met with the warmth, care, concern, and sensitivity that the Torah demands when telling us that holiness must be exhibited not only in isolation, but in a public, social, context.

·      For our own sake, we need to make sure that we don’t sell ourselves short. We’ve grown so accustomed to thinking that the paradigm of holiness is a Tibetan monk meditating on a hilltop or, more appropriately, a scholar in Jerusalem who is completely disengaged from this world. We study that paradigm, and, knowing that it’s one we could never fulfill, forfeit holiness entirely. What the Torah asserts here, is that holiness can belong to the most socially engaged, and, moreover, that it is with such a person that holiness will find its most sincere expression. We need not give up on the comforts of a socially active lifestyle in order to achieve holiness; we need only work at uncovering the innumerable opportunities that such a lifestyle creates to live with holiness and sanctity.