Kedoshim

📜 The Story

In Parashat Kedoshim, God tells Moshe to speak to the whole community of Israel and say, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. This is a special call, because here God speaks not only to the leaders but to every person, young and old, asking everyone to act with holiness in everyday life.

The parsha is full of mitzvot between people: honor your father and mother, keep Shabbat, do not turn to idols, leave the corner of the field and the gleanings for the poor, do not steal, do not lie, do not swear falsely, do not oppress your neighbor, pay a worker on time, do not curse the deaf and do not put a stumbling block before the blind, judge fairly, do not gossip, and do not hate in your heart but rebuke gently, and do not take revenge or bear a grudge. Here also appears the famous verse, love your neighbor as yourself, loving your friend the way you love yourself.

The parsha has more special mitzvot: do not mix two kinds of seeds in one field, do not wear a garment of wool and linen together (shatnez), the laws of a new fruit tree (orlah), where in the first three years the fruit may not be eaten, in the fourth year the fruit is holy, and in the fifth year it may be eaten. There is also a command not to eat blood, not to round off the edges of the head or beard, to rise in honor of the elderly, to love the stranger because we were strangers in Egypt, and to use honest weights and measures in business.

Later in the parsha, in chapter 20, God warns very strongly against idol worship, such as worship of Molech, and other bad paths, to teach the people of Israel to stay away from bad influences and remain a holy nation to God.

Parashat Kedoshim teaches us that holiness is not only something great that happens in the Temple, but also small things like speaking kindly, helping the weak, and being fair with everyone, every single day.