The verse (Vayikra 20:26) states: “And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine.”
On this verse, the medrash (Torath Kohanim 20:128) comments that from here is derived that the primary deterrent for transgression should be G-d’s word and not personal aversion.[1]
“Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah says: How do we know that a person should not say, ‘I find pork disgusting,’ or ‘It is impossible for me to wear a mixture [of wool and linen],’ but rather, one should say, ‘I indeed wish to, but what can I do-my Father in heaven has imposed these decrees upon me?’ Because Scripture says here, “And I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine”-your very distinction from the other peoples must be for My Name, separating yourself from transgression and accepting upon yourself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
On this, Rabbi Mendel of Kotzk asks:[2] Isn’t it indeed proper that an individual should be disgusted from sin as expressed in the verse (Tehillim 97:10) “You who love the Lord, hate evil?” If so why should the constraint of sin be G-d’s command and not disgust?
“However,” he explained, “if what negates sin is only disgust, if for a moment a person lusts after the sin, he will be unable to control himself, therefore the negation to sin should be the eternal command of G-d, that is independent from man’s whim.”
[1] See Rashi ad loc
[2] Emet Mkotzk Titzmach, Pg. 55
