Levitcus 19,2. “Be holy, etc.!” Vayikra Rabbah ‎‎24,9, considering the words: ‎כי קדוש אני‎, “for I am holy,” asks ‎whether it is possible that the Torah demands that we, the Jewish ‎people, are to be as holy as He is? The Midrash’s answer is ‎that, on the contrary, the words ‎כי קדוש אני‎, indicate that true ‎sanctity is something reserved for the Creator alone. However ‎holy we can become, His holiness will always be superior to ‎ours. Earlier commentators have already dealt with the ‎meaning of this verse at length, i.e. the question of how serving ‎the Lord can be performed by means of holiness, and they ‎concluded that this refers to serving the Lord with one’s heart. As ‎to precisely how this is to be done, we have learned in ‎‎Taanit 2 that prayer is the best means of serving the Lord ‎with one’s heart. The “prayer” meant by the Talmud there is not ‎that we address our requests to the Lord, but that we express ‎our awareness of His greatness and at the same time our ‎inadequacy to express with words what we really feel about Him. ‎By stating that compared to Him we are only dust and ashes, that ‎we are sullied by our sins, and that we accept the yoke of serving ‎Him as our Master, we can begin to gradually develop the level of ‎holiness that it is possible for any of His creatures to attain.‎ When Solomon in Proverbs 1,5 speaks of ‎ישמע חכם ויוסף לקח‎, a ‎wise man will hear and (each time) increase his learning, he ‎speaks of how continuous, and even more so, repetitive Torah ‎study will increase our level of spirituality, holiness.‎ In this connection our author refers to the well known ‎dispute about the proper procedure in lighting the ‎‎Chanukah candles. (Shabbat 21) The school of ‎Shammai held that we start with eight candles on the first night ‎and progressively light one candle less each evening. The school ‎of Hillel takes the opposite view, ruling that we light only one ‎candle on the first night but increase this by an additional candle ‎each night until on the last night we light eight candles. The ‎school of Hillel explains that the reason why they want to ‎increase the number of lights each night, is although the amount ‎of miracle oil has steadily declined, the appreciation of the miracle ‎increases with each night that we pronounce the blessing when ‎lighting the candles as an act of gratitude for G’d’s miracle at the ‎time. With increasing recognition of the miracle of Chanukah ‎there comes an increased awareness of our relationship to the ‎Creator, or expressed differently, ‎מצוה גוררת מצוה‎, “the ‎performance of one of G’d’s commandments brings in its wake ‎the desire to fulfill more of His commandments.” Recognition of ‎the greatness of G’d inevitably leads to an awareness of the ‎puniness of man when compared to Him. It is this awareness of ‎our own limitations that gradually brings us closer to ‎understanding and emulating the virtue of the ‎אין סוף‎, ultimate ‎form of humility. The school of Hillel, disciples of Hillel who was ‎world renowned for his personal modesty and humility, followed ‎their mentor when they formulated the concept of ‎מוסיף והולך‎, ‎that a spark of holiness feeds upon itself and makes ripples like a ‎pebble thrown on the surface of the water.‎ This idea is also reflected in the opening words of our portion ‎קדושים תהיו‎, “commence the process to become holy, as it is ‎continuous and feeds on itself.” An additional factor helping you ‎to progress along this route is ‎כי קדוש אני‎, “for I am holy,” i.e. ‎when you contemplate My holiness this will inspire you to ‎emulate My holiness to the extent that this is humanly possible. ‎In fact, G’d says that His own holiness will increase proportionate ‎to the amount of holiness to be found amongst His people on ‎earth. ‎[This is not a surprising statement, as in matters of ‎purity and impurity as well as in matters of holiness and ‎secularity we do not apply objective yardsticks but subjective, ‎relative ones. A good example is to be found in Leviticus 14,36 ‎where despite the fact that according to reason the furnishings in ‎the afflicted house would be ritually impure as the house is ‎impure, the inhabitants are allowed to remove them before the ‎arrival of the priest. Ed.] One of the most welcome phenomena on earth that G’d looks ‎upon with the greatest pleasure is the virtue of humility. This ‎thought is reflected in Proverbs 22,4 ‎עקב ענוה יראת ה'‏‎, “the natural ‎result of humility is fear of the Lord; the more people practice ‎humility the greater the holiness of G’d.” ‎[The virtue of humility is not only great but is most ‎difficult to acquire. First one must possess qualities that are the ‎result of building one’s character; once one does possess these ‎qualities which others boast about, one must go about one’s ‎business as if unaware of possessing such qualities. If Moses had ‎responded to the accusation of his sister Miriam (had he heard ‎them), he would have done so at the expense of his humility. ‎Ed.]‎‎‎ ‎

Another approach to the words ‎קדושים תהיו‎ and what it ‎means, seeing it is an abstract virtue and cannot be demonstrated ‎by deeds. In order to understand this we need to explain why this ‎line is followed by ‎איש אמו ואביו תיראו‎, the commandment to ‎‎“fear” one’s mother and father. This too will be better understood ‎after we appreciate the saying in Avot 3,1 where Akavya ‎ben Mahallel exhorts us to keep the following three concepts in ‎mind at all times, as they are a great help in preventing us from ‎committing transgressions. He asks us to remember of our lowly ‎origin, i.e. a putrid drop of sperm, where we are headed for, i.e. ‎dust, and to whom we will have to render an accounting, i.e. the ‎Highest Judge in the universe. Reading the words of such a ‎model of humility as Akavya ben Mahallel, probably the most ‎humble person of his generation, telling us about his fear of ‎facing the heavenly tribunal after his death, brings home to us ‎what true humility is all about, as he does not even credit himself ‎with possessing the lowest level of fear of the Lord, the level ‎based on ‎יראת העונש‎, fear of punishment. Another remarkable ‎feature of his Mishnah is its somewhat cumbersome and ‎lengthy wording. Why did Akavya not simply say: “know that ‎you originate from a putrid drop of sperm, etc;?” This would have ‎saved more than half the words he used.‎

We hope to justify Akavyah’s using the language the ‎‎Mishnah recorded. Akavyah posits that a person in ‎evaluating himself, taking stock of himself, is tempted to look at a ‎list of his achievements first. If that person is a good person, ‎Akavyah reminds him that seeing that he is “descended” from an ‎evil smelling drop of semen he does not really have anything to ‎boast about. If he is a morally weak or inferior person, he is ‎reminded of his superior ancestors as his origin, something which ‎should make him ashamed for not living up to his forefathers’ ‎standards. Akavya was aware that there are two levels of “fear of ‎the Lord.” The lower level is called “fear of punishment,” whereas ‎the higher level is called ‎יראת הרוממות‎ “the awe of the ‎overwhelming superiority of the Creator.” He therefore addresses ‎both categories of individuals, assuming that each category finds ‎it difficult on occasion to resist the evil urge so that he may ‎commit a transgression. True ‎יראת השם‎ is only this latter category ‎of “awe and reverence of the Lord.” This is the level of ‎יראת שמים‎ ‎of the righteous, seeing that the ‎צדיק‎ always focuses on the ‎concept of the ‎אין סוף‎, “G’d as personification of infinity.” In Job ‎‎18,12 we have been taught that ‎חכמה ‏‎, “true wisdom,” is only ‎found in the realm described as ‎מאין‎, same letters as ‎אין‎ in ‎אין סוף‎. ‎The tzaddik always keeps reflecting on the fantastic ‎concept of the infinity of the Creator and how He is in charge of ‎millions of different categories of holy angels and a universe the ‎extent of which boggles the imagination. He thinks of how all ‎these angels are in constant awe of Him so that through his ‎preoccupation with such thoughts he does not fall victim to the ‎urge to taste the physical pleasures offered by the region into ‎which we have been placed by our fate. These physical urges, ‎after all, have become part of him only by genetic transmission ‎from his father and mother, whereas his divine soul, G’d’s ‎contribution to every human being as an integral part of Him, is ‎supplied by Him Who, most certainly is not subject to such urges. ‎It was Moses’ ability to concentrate on that “third” of his ‎ancestry, i.e. the ‎אין סוף‎, that resulted in his being described as ‎איש האלוקים‎, a “godly man.” (Deuteronomy 33,1) He had attained this ‎status by becoming what the Torah called: “the most humble ‎man on earth.” (Numbers 12,3) It follows from the Torah’s ‎definition of his personality that he had concentrated on the ‎closest possible connection with what was concealed from him, ‎‎(as well as from any living human being) i.e. G’d’s essence, so that ‎he considered himself as ‎אין‎, as if non-existent, immaterial.‎

Anyone who has the good fortune to have refined his ‎personality to such an extent can hardly have considered himself ‎as having originated from a putrid drop of sperm, in the words of ‎Akavya, neither would he have considered himself as proceeding ‎to a destination described by Akavya as ‎עפר רמה ותולעה‎, “dust, ‎decay and vermin.” It is also known that the tzaddik is ‎referred to as ‎בן‎, “son” by G’d, and when a son comes to his ‎father, even in order to be judged, he does not approach his ‎father with fear as he is sure that his father will find him ‎innocent of the accusations which resulted in his having to stand ‎trial. Such self-confidence by a son is not automatic if the son had ‎all his life been obeying his father only because he had feared ‎being punished if any wrongdoing of his would be discovered. The ‎fact that this type of son had not looked up to his father as ‎someone deserving of the utmost respect regardless of his power ‎to mete out punishment, had prevented a close bond being ‎established between father and son. Hence the son’s real anxiety ‎when appearing before his father as an accused. The son whose ‎obedience was based on fear of punishment is far more closely ‎tied to his physical father and mother, so that when reminded ‎that his origin in this world goes back to a putrid drop of semen ‎this is likely to remind him of his insignificance, and will restrain ‎him from committing transgressions, most of which are due to ‎his arrogance vis a vis his peers. He is not in a relationship ‎of son to his Creator, but rather in the relationship of servant to ‎master. When a servant is summoned to appear in court to ‎answer some accusation, he is not supremely confident of his ‎acquittal, -assuming that he is innocent,- but is greatly worried ‎about the outcome of the trial. This is what Akavya had in mind ‎when he addressed his saying, while not to sinners, but to two ‎different categories of Jews both of whom observe the ‎commandments but for different reasons. When he spoke of ‎concerning yourself with “where you are headed,” he meant that ‎when you worry to constantly become closer to your Creator as ‎you serve Him because of your ‎יראת הרוממות‎, he meant that this ‎by itself would ensure that he would not lapse into sin. When ‎addressing the person serving G’d from fear of punishment, ‎however, he reminded that person that failure to consider that ‎his destination might become only dust, decay and vermin, ‎without the prospect of a hereafter, this might act as a deterrent ‎to being lured into sin. In light of the foregoing, we conclude that ‎the reason why the verse ‎איש אמו ואביו תיראו‎, which on the face of ‎it appears to repeat the fifth commandment to “honour your ‎father and mother,” with a minor variation, is inserted by the ‎Torah at this point to warn us not to attach oneself to the merely ‎physical parts of mother and father, but to seek closer association ‎with the Divine Father, one’s spiritual origin. Of this part of ‎man’s origin only can it be said: ‎כי קדוש אני‎, “for I am holy.”‎

Leviticus 19,3. “every person is to revere his or her ‎mother and father and you are to observe My Sabbath ‎days.” It is a psychological rule that when someone is afraid ‎of something or someone, a small portion of the fear is ‎transmitted and radiated by his personality when he is in contact ‎with others. Clearly, he is not able to reflect the full extent of his ‎fear, especially when the subject is fear of the Lord, as the whole ‎concept of G’d is a concept that cannot be adequately expressed ‎in mere words. As a practical example of what we mean, take the powerful ‎phenomena in nature, all of which through being His creatures ‎are clearly in a state of awe vis a vis their Creator, so much ‎so that a small portion of this awe is transmitted to the person or ‎persons looking at these powerful phenomena such as the sun, ‎electrical storms, the vast firmament filled with stars, etc. At the ‎same time, none of these phenomena are able to transmit the full ‎extent of their awe for the Creator to the people who look at ‎them. ‎[The way that various parts of the physical universe ‎reflect a minute part of the fear of the Lord with which they ‎relate to Him is that they appear to us as sources of outpourings ‎of blessings or curses. It is possible to err and to feel that this ‎reflected fear of the Lord emanated by them is the “real” thing, ‎i.e. that these phenomena though mere creatures are Divine. This ‎is a “chance” that the Creator has taken, relying on our common ‎sense not to mistake the agent for the originator. This also was ‎G’d’s answer to the questioner who accused G’d of misleading us ‎by providing a sun which could be mistaken as a deity. I have felt ‎it necessary to insert this paragraph. Ed.]‎‎ The abstract phenomenon reflecting fear of the Lord, i.e. ‎reverence for the Lord in this universe, is called Shabbat, on ‎account of it signifying the Creator projecting His supremacy by ‎abstaining from His primary function of creative activity. We, His ‎people, by abstaining from actual work on the Sabbath but still ‎thinking about it, reflect that we have absorbed the concept ‎which the Sabbath is meant to convey. When the Torah links fear ‎of one’s parents to observance of the Sabbath, it alludes to the ‎fact that just as our parents are not really our creators but are ‎each only a “shadow” of the Creator, [‎אדם בצלם נברא‎, ‎‎“man was created as a “shadow, image,” Avot ‎‎3,14.Ed.] so the Sabbath is a concept that transcends our ‎ability to fully understand, as it is a Divine concept and we can ‎only understand certain parts of it. By emulating to the best of ‎our ability what He did on the Sabbath of creation, we are able to ‎absorb some of the true meaning of the Sabbath concept.‎‎

Leviticus 19,32. “you shall rise before the aged and ‎show deference to the old, you shall fear your G’d.” ‎Seeing that we have pointed out that the principal element in ‎what is called “fear of the Lord,” is the awe with which we should ‎relate to His sublimity and awesomeness, ‎רוממות‎, a title which ‎stems from the fact that He is the Originator of all the ‎phenomena that we can perceive with our senses as well as the ‎ones we cannot perceive, He deserves our utmost respect. When a ‎human being has attained that level of insight he is called ‎בן אהוב ‏למקום‎, “a beloved son of G’d.” When a mortal father has a son ‎whom he loves beyond all else in life, that son will be most careful ‎not to cause his father any grief whatsoever. Conversely, this son ‎will go out of his way to cause his father only pleasure and ‎satisfaction. Paraphrasing this example, our sages in the ‎‎Zohar III,7 state that Israel provides parnassah, ‎sustenance, for the Almighty. This sustenance consists of their ‎studying Torah, serving Him with prayers and by performing ‎charitable deeds for their peers, as well as keeping the other ‎commandments of the Torah. If they were, G’d forbid, to fail to do ‎all this, our sages in Chagigah 15 lament, “what would ‎become of the Shechinah”?‎ The wording in the Talmud describing the Shechinah’s ‎reaction to Israel’s failing to serve the Lord and to observe His ‎commandments, is ‎קלני מראשי‎, “I feel that my head is confused, ‎wobbly.” In other words, our misconduct causes G’d the ‎equivalent of physical pain and confusion.‎ A tzaddik will worry all his life that he should not cause ‎his father in heaven any grief or pain. He constantly endeavours ‎to only be the cause of his Father in heaven feeling well and ‎satisfied with His creatures.‎ The condition known as ‎יראת שמים‎, when applied to the ‎‎tzaddik, is his fear of the attribute of Mercy, i.e. that G’d ‎would have to apply that attribute when judging him in order ‎that he would not come to harm. [When Yaakov awoke ‎from his dream of the ladder he vowed that if he would return to ‎his father’s home safely, he would tithe all his acquisitions ‎henceforth, and that he was henceforth ready to be judged by the ‎attribute of Justice instead of having to hope for the attribute of ‎Mercy dealing with his shortcomings. (Compare Genesis 28,21). ‎Ed.] Ordinary people generally are afraid of the attribute ‎of Justice dealing with their transgressions.‎ ‎ The tzaddik’s philosophy is not limited to his personal ‎relationship with G’d, but he hopes that his meticulously ‎observing G’d’s commandments without his looking for reward, ‎will encourage G’d to increase the flow of His largesse to the ‎Jewish people and that as a result these will benefit in all spheres ‎of life from that largesse. He is aware that nothing pleases the ‎Lord as much as having an excuse to direct an ever increasing ‎flow of this largesse to His people. The termsזקן ‏‎ as well as ‎שיבה‎, ‎are synonyms for the attribute of mercy as we know from ‎‎Pessikta Rabbah 21 where G’d is perceived as having ‎appeared to the Jewish people at the revelation in the guise of a ‎bearded old man, one who is full of compassion. Keeping this in ‎mind, we can understand the commandment to treat the aged ‎and old with deference and respect as an exhortation to relate to ‎G’d with such feelings. The words: ‎והדרת פני זקן‎, may therefore be ‎understood as a command not to cause the Shechinah to call ‎out in pain ‎קלני מראשי‎, “my head is in turmoil.” Instead, we ‎should ensure that the verse speaking of הוד והדר לפניו עוז וחדוה ‏במקדשו‎, that “glory and majesty are before Him and strength and ‎splendour in His Temple.” (Compare psalms 96,6)‎