Shabbat Shalom
INTRO: What does being holy mean? Can my cats become holy? Can I become holy? Can you be holy? Can we live in 2022 and still be holy? As a 13-year-old, reading this portion made me think about how complicated it is to be holy as a 13-year-old- (and still play video games). If I had to sum up what being holy is for a bumper sticker, it would read “Follow the Torah and don’t be a jerk”.
This chapter of Kedoshim is about the Holiness Code which God gave to Moses to pass it on to the Israelites.
Kadosh—holy—means to set apart. You set apart your best version of yourself. Many of the mitzvot are about how to be holy by being moral and showing kindness to others. Morality is a code of conduct about how to behave and be responsible. Chapter 19 of Leviticus outlines the ways we can become our best, even when we’re feeling our worst. Some of the important mitzvot are to honor one’s mother and father, respect the elderly, not to insult the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, not pick all the fruit from the vineyard in order to leave some for the poor, meaning you must share what you have. The most important mitzvah is “Honor Thy Fellow as Thyself” because it helps guide our behavior towards the welfare of others. But should we expect human beings to be holy like God is holy? Is being holy something anyone can become if they just follow the book of rules?
Rabbi Hiyya, who lived in Israel in the third century, believes that anyone can attain holiness. It is available to all, not just certain people. He stated that “Moses was instructed to present the mitzvot ‘You shall be holy -kedoshim tihiyu- for I the lord your god am holy,’ to the entire Israelite community.” The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And being among others in a community helps us to become holy because we can support each other. It's similar to the feeling I get being on a soccer team, when we move the ball up the field together, passing it back and forth. Through a shared goal, we help each other to do our best, and encourage each other to keep going. To be holy is to strive to do and to be your very best, even if others around you are not, or even when you feel like acting differently.
Other commentators on the Torah believe that in order to be holy, you need to separate yourself from others to keep yourself pure. Some believe as a Jew, if you are going to truly be holy, you have to practice it 24/7 and study the torah. But Modern philosopher Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Germany and later Palestine, challenges that belief. He says, “Israel must, in imitating G-d by being a holy nation, similarly not withdraw from the world of the nations but rather radiate a positive influence on them through every aspect on Jewish living.” Buber is saying that you shouldn’t separate yourself from society just because of your religion. You should, instead, show others around you how to act and be holy, like giving advice or working alongside others. Don’t think your above people just because you or they are different.
So, the ingredients to be holy is a combination of being a fair/moral person and also following the mitzvot. But isn’t it more important to be a moral person? Nachmanides, born in 1194, who was a medieval Spanish rabbi and thinker also known as Ramban, argues that one can carry out the mitzvot but also be a mean and corrupt human being. He believes that, because one can always find loopholes in the Torah law, people will take advantage of it. You need to have good intentions as well. The Talmud also mentions two types of students, one who studies Torah, is generous, supports scholars, and speaks kindly to all. The other studies Torah but is dishonest, unkind, and selfish.
I believe it is more important to be a kind and generous person and not study torah just for the sake of studying torah. The Torah gives you the tools to be more responsible.
One person who first pops into my head when I think of being holy is my Saba. He always puts others' needs before his own and is a very selfless person. When you say you need help with anything, he will drop whatever he’s doing to help you. He is the epitome of being holy. He also makes the best French toast. I still have a lot to learn on how to be holy and push myself to do things when I don’t feel like it, like doing my homework and the dishes. If I could only find a way to transfer my best self- when I create art, into things I don’t like, such as chores, I could find the formula to being more holy.
While preparing for my bar mitzvah I encountered a few challenges. One of the most difficult aspects was being able to chant all of the hebrew. But I kept persevering and managed to get it done. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to finish it in time, but I managed to get it done by practicing a lot and working hard. And it was such a relief when I finally finished it. I’ve changed a lot along this journey of becoming a Bar Mitzvah. I’ve gotten better at chanting Hebrew, but more importantly I’ve gained a new understanding of holiness and the whole concept of it.
I would like to thank a lot of people for helping me with this whole journey and I certainly couldn’t have done it without them. First off, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to come today. Also, a huge thanks to my Hebrew tutor Missy for being so patient and helpful with the Hebrew learning. I would also like to thank Rabbi Barbara for helping me with this d’var Torah. And thanks to my mom for being so helpful with everything and to my dad for always reminding me to practice my Hebrew. Thanks to my Saba and Savta for being great grandparents and helping so much with everything. Thank you to my friends and to my sister for supporting me all the way through.
Shabbat Shalom!