Kedoshim
קדושיםYou Shall Be Holy
35 translated essays · 70 total
תרל"א(1870)
Sanctifying the physical through the inner divine spark· Essay 2
"You shall be holy." The Sefas Emes opens with the command of the parsha — that Bnei Yisrael are charged to attain kedushah (holiness). In the Midrash and the holy Zohar it is explained that this is also a promise, for how could a human bei…
Holiness hidden in the lowest places· Essay 3
In Rashi: the place where Bnei Yisrael were most corrupted. The Sefas Emes draws on Rashi's comment that the parsha of Kedoshim was given precisely where Bnei Yisrael's conduct had been most broken down — the lowest, most damaged place. Thi…
Hashem's presence in every act· Essay 4
"Every man shall fear his mother and his father…" (Vayikra 19:3) The Sefas Emes opens with the mitzvah to revere one's parents, which he will read as a gateway into yiras Shomayim toward Hashem Himself. In the Zohar Hakadosh it is taught th…
Cleaving to Hashem through planting· Essay 5
In the Midrash, on "And when you come [into the land]… and you shall plant" (Vayikra 19:23) — "It is a tree of life" (Mishlei 3:18), etc. The Midrash links the command to plant trees in Eretz Yisrael to the verse describing the Torah as a "…
Kedoshim essay תרל"א
Kedoshim Tihiyu: The Medrash explains that this is actually a promise. Because how can a mortal person indeed purify himself to become holy? It is only because HaShem is holy – Ki kadosh ani HaShem. When HaShem took us out of Mitzrayi…
Kedoshim תרל"א
ב”ה אחרי קדושים איני זוכר כסדר קדושים תהיו. במד’ וזוה”ק כי הוא הבטחה ג”כ כי איך יוכל בו”ד להתקדש בקדושת הש”י. The Midrash explains the words “You shall be sanctified” (Vayikra 19:2), that it is actually a…
תרל"ב(1871)
Editorial note on incomplete recollection· Essay 1
With the help of Hashem. Kedoshim. This was not written down in order, because I do not remember it properly. This is a brief editorial note from the Sefas Emes for Parshas Kedoshim, in which he records that he was unable to set down his To…
Mitzvos as markers toward holiness· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "May He send your help from the Sanctuary... and from Tzion..." (Tehillim 20:3) — from the sanctification of [your] deeds, and from the "marking" of [your] deeds. The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash that reads "mikodesh" (…
Joining Torah's holiness to physical deeds· Essay 3
In the Midrash: "When you shall come [into the land]… and you shall plant…" (Vayikra 19:23) — "It is a tree of life…" (Mishlei 3:18). The Midrash connects the pasuk about planting upon entering the land with the verse describing the Torah a…
Kedoshim תרל"ב
ב”ה קדושים. לא נכתב כסדר כי אינני זוכר כראוי במד’ ישלח עזרך מקודש כו’ ומציון כו’ מקידוש מעשים וציון מעשים כו’. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 24:4) “You send Your help from Kodesh, and from Tzion Your support”(Teh…
תרל"ד(1873)
Awakening holiness in all creation· Essay 2
In the Midrash on Kedoshim: "And You are exalted forever" (Tehillim 92:9) — Your hand is uppermost; You conduct Yourself with loftiness… "May He send your help [from the Sanctuary]…" (Tehillim 20:3) — from the sanctification of deeds and fr…
Kedoshim תרל"ד
ב”ה אחרי קדושים במד’ קדושים ואתה מרום לעולם ידך בעליונה רוממות אתה נוהג כו’ ישלח עזרך כו’ מקידוש מעשים ומציון מעשים כו’. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 24:2) “You are elevated on High”. Your hand is always above, …
תרל"ה(1874)
Kedushah measured by closeness to Hashem· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "But You are on high (marom) forever, Hashem" — You are exalted [above all] in the world... The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash on "And You are on high forever," which speaks of Hashem's supreme exaltation over all of crea…
Boundaries of arayos reveal kedushah· Essay 2
And in Rashi: wherever you find a fence guarding against arayos (forbidden relations), there you find kedushah (holiness)… The Sefas Emes cites Rashi's principle that holiness is found specifically where a person sets up boundaries against …
Mitzvos as garment for hidden holiness· Essay 3
And in the Midrash: "May He send your help from the Sanctuary (mikodesh)" (Tehillim 20:3) — from the sanctification of deeds; "and support you from Tziyon (u'miTziyon)" — from the marking (tziyun) of the deeds in your hand. The Sefas Emes b…
תרל"ו(1875)
Fences against impurity draw down holiness· Essay 2
In the Midrash on "May He send your help from the Sanctuary…": the lower beings that were created to give assistance… The Midrash on the verse from Tehillim speaks of help sent "from the Sanctuary," and of lower creations brought into being…
Yirah and the mitzvos of the heart· Essay 3
Rashi explains: regarding a matter that is entrusted to a person's heart, the Torah says, "and you shall fear your God." The Sefas Emes cites Rashi's rule that wherever an action depends on a person's inner intent — something only he and Ha…
Mitzvos as the conduit of life· Essay 4
On the pasuk: "You shall keep My chukim… which a person shall do… and live by them." The Sefas Emes opens with the verse that promises life as the reward for keeping Hashem's mitzvos, and he will now probe what "living by them" really means…
Torah as the tree of life for all creation· Essay 5
And in the Midrash: "It is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it…" The Sefas Emes opens with the verse describing the Torah as a "tree of life" for those who grasp it firmly. For the Torah gives life to all the creatures, and the sust…
תרל"ז(1876)
Mitzvos draw down the soul's heavenly root· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "May He send your help from the Sanctuary [and support you from Tzion]" (Tehillim 20:3). The Sefas Emes opens with the verse asking that Hashem send help "from the holy place" and support "from Tzion." For thus did Hashem cr…
Holiness by elevating deeds to their root· Essay 3
And in the Midrash: "And You are exalted (marom)" — You conduct Your world through exaltation (romemus). The Midrash reads "marom" as teaching that Hashem governs His world specifically by means of "lifting up" — through an aspect of elevat…
Three partners in man and bittul· Essay 4
On the verse "Every man shall fear his mother and his father... and you shall keep My Shabbosos" (Vayikra 19:3). The Sefas Emes seeks the inner link between the mitzvah of fearing one's parents and the mitzvah of guarding Shabbos, which are…
תרל"ח(1877)
Holiness drawn into the physical world· Essay 1
In the Midrash: "With exaltedness You conduct Your world" etc. The Midrash teaches that Hashem governs His world in a way that constantly elevates it, raising each part to a higher level. Kehunah (priesthood) to Aharon, kedushah (holiness) …
Will and toil sanctify our deeds· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "He shall send your help [from the Sanctuary]" — from the sanctification of deeds. The Midrash reads "your help from the kodesh" as referring to the sanctification of a person's deeds. "And from Tziyon He shall support you" …
Planting every thing back into its root· Essay 3
In the Midrash: and it is written, "and you shall plant…" (Vayikra 19:23) — "it is a tree of life to those who grasp it." (Mishlei 3:18) The Sefas Emes links the mitzvah of planting trees upon entering Eretz Yisrael with the verse describin…
תרל"ט(1878)
Inner intent and outer deed in mitzvos· Essay 1
And in the Midrash on "May He send your help..." (Tehillim 20:3) — [it expounds] "from the sanctity of deeds, from the marker of deeds..." The Midrash reads the pasuk's "from the Sanctuary" (mi'kodesh) and "from Tziyon" as alluding to "kidd…
Holding fast to Torah amid concealment· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "And when you come [into the land]… and you shall plant…" (Vayikra 19:23) — "It is a Tree of Life for those who hold fast to it" (Mishlei 3:18) — see there. The Midrash links the mitzvah of planting trees (with its years of …
תר"מ(1879)
תרמ"א(1880)
Holiness is a limitless ascent· Essay 1
Rashi explained [on "You shall be holy"]: be careful regarding forbidden relations (arayos) and sin. Rashi understands the command of kedushah as primarily a warning to keep away from immorality and transgression. And the Ramban wrote: to s…
Guarding the inner self reveals holiness· Essay 2
In the Midrash, on "But You are exalted forever, Hashem" (Tehillim 92:9) — "You are exalted… in Your world…" The Sefas Emes opens with the Midrash on the verse from Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbos, which declares that Hashem remains exalted on …
Reaching ahavas Yisrael through preparatory mitzvos· Essay 3
And all these statements in the pasuk — "You shall be holy," "You shall love your fellow as yourself," "and you shall fear your God" — are also promises, for through keeping these mitzvos one will merit to reach these very levels. The Sefas…
Torah as the tree of life after sin· Essay 4
In the Midrash on "and when you come [to the land]… and you shall plant…" (Vayikra 19:23): "it is a tree of life…" (Mishlei 3:18) — see there. The Midrash connects the laws of planting trees in Eretz Yisrael with the verse calling the Torah…
תרמ"ב(1881)
תרמ"ג(1882)
Holiness through unity of Klal Yisrael· Essay 1
"You shall be holy" — this parsha was said b'hakhel (to the entire assembly gathered together). The command to be holy was given to all of Bnei Yisrael at once, not to individuals separately, hinting that kedushah is bound up with the gathe…
Existence sustained through bittul to Hashem· Essay 2
In the Midrash: "And You are exalted (marom) forever" — "You are exaltedness... in Your world," etc. The Midrash reads "And You are exalted forever" as: Your exaltedness is the very thing that sustains Your world. The matter is to know that…
35 more essays from this section await translation.