Agents of Holiness: Kedoshim 2022

Agents of Holiness: Kedoshim 2022

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

Signs posted over the first two rows of seats on busses in Israel read, “Rise before the elderly.” The meaning is clear: These seats are reserved. It isn’t law per se; but it is the way of the land and the people, ingrained in Israel’s culture and way of life. 

The words are a commandment from the Torah. They appear in this week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim ("You shall be holy,” Leviticus 19:1—20:27). The portion is meant to be a manual to living a holy life and in fact is known as the Holiness Code. Some of the commandments it contains reflect an earlier, more primitive way of thinking. Overall however, Kedoshim introduces a revolutionary way of thinking about God and what God expects/wants of us. 

Holiness, we are told, isn’t found only in our relationship with God. It is equally—or even more so—part of our interaction with one another. Most importantly, it’s about the dignity that must be afforded to the poor, the elderly and the stranger, to the weak and marginalized in society. 

The Holiness Code is read twice during the year: Once during the annual cycle of readings; the second time, on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

The concept of holiness is key to any religion. Making a connection with the divine spirits that one perceives or imagines in the world around us is a component of being human. In the ancient world, this connection was usually achieved through the agency of priests (or priestesses), usually by offering sacrifice to the pertinent gods.

In Kedoshim, this thinking is turned on its head. Only a handful of commandments mention any sort of sacrifice at all. The great majority have to do with our own behavior. Holiness emanates from God. Each commandment reminds us of this fact. And yet the emphasis is on our individual actions, on what we do.

In this portion we understand that our behavior can be more than common courtesy. It can reach the level of holiness. There are many examples, from fairness in business and trade to tending the earth; from paying the day laborer at the end of the day to a law forbidding you from taking his coat as collateral for a loan. Holiness is in how we relate to one another. And while some of the commandments have to do with our actual actions, others refer to our emotions: Love your neighbor as yourself; do not take revenge or bear a grudge. Do not hate your brother in your heart.

This view lies way ahead of the common ancient belief systems in which it arose. The understanding of holiness that Kedoshim brings into to our own life gives us unprecedented potential. Holiness isn’t an abstract. It’s in our everyday behavior. Holiness is found in such simple acts such as supporting the weak or leaving aside a portion of our field (physically or metaphorically) for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. 

This revolutionary understanding what God expects of us is shown through one word: V’hit-kadish-tem—"You shall sanctify yourselves” (Lev. 20:7). The grammatical form of the word indicates that we are the agents of holiness in our own lives. The spark is already there. The potential for holiness is already planted within us. All we must do is give life to it with our deeds.

This is the heart of the entire Torah.

© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman