By Rabbi Dovid Markel
The second parsha in the group of parshios read this Shabbos is Kedoshim. The portion begins with the appeal that the Israelites be a holy people.
The verse (Vayikra 19:1-2) states: “And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your G-d, am holy.”
While holiness is difficult to define in the English language, the Hebrew word for holiness-kadosh-actually means separate. Essentially then, the verse ask us to be separate from the world and not be submerged in its coarseness, physicality and worldliness. The reason-“For I, the Lord, your G-d, am holy.”
Interestingly, the Medrash (Vayikra Rabba, Emor 24:9) explains that the second statement is qualifying the first statement. Because a person can erroneously consider that they can be like G-d, does the verse state “I am holy,” imparting that “My holiness is higher than your holiness.”
Chassidic thought explains (See Ve’nikdashti 5725) however, that from the very fact that there can be a notion that one can attain the holiness of G-d, this expresses that in truth, to a certain degree it is indeed possible to be holy-like G-d.
Through teshuvah, a person taps into a level of their soul that is one with G-d. Thereby it is understood, that through revealing this level a Jew can be holy in a way that is, so to speak, similar to G-d.
There is a mistaken notion that teshuvah, which is often translated as repentance, is only possible for the sinner. This is erroneous and is altogether not the case. The true definition of teshuvah is return. Essentially, the elemental idea ofteshuvah is returning to the ultimate level of consciousness, where man and G-d are not separate but one.
When we tap into this level and are truly cognizant that man and G-d are not two entities, but are in truth one, not only do we become holy-like G-d-but we herald in the utopian era, where all of the world will be aware of this truth!
