Kedoshim

In this parsha

Kedoshim opens with the call to be holy and gathers a broad array of commandments spanning ritual and ethical life. Among them: revering parents, keeping Shabbos, shunning idolatry, leaving the corners and gleanings of the field for the poor, honest dealing in business and justice, paying wages promptly, not gossiping or bearing a grudge, and loving one's neighbor as oneself. It also legislates the orlah fruit of a tree's first years, honoring the elderly, caring for the stranger, honest weights and measures, and the penalties for forbidden relationships.

Themes

• You shall be holy
• Holiness drawn into the physical
• Holiness revealed through separation
• Mitzvos as vessels for holiness
• Orlah, refining good from evil
• Holiness through unity of Klal Yisrael

Must-read teachings

1. 1Revealing the inner holiness of land, time, and soulIn the Midrash: "and when you come into the land and you shall plant..." (Vayikra 19:23). The Midrash expounds the command to plant upon entering Eretz Yisrael. "After Hashem... you shall walk..." (Devarim 13:5) — to engage first in plantin…תרנ"ג
2. 2Holiness revealed through separationIn the Midrash: "And You are exalted (marom) forever, Hashem" (Tehillim 92:9) — Your hand is always the upper one, both in the attribute of retribution [and in the attribute of goodness]. The Midrash on the Shabbos psalm teaches that Hashem…תרנ"א
3. 3Sanctifying the physical through the inner divine spark"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…תרל"א
4. 4Eternal holiness reawakened through unity and restraintIn the Midrash on "You are exalted forever, Hashem" (Tehillim 92:9): You are exalted in Your world… kehunah (priesthood) to Aharon… malchus (kingship) to Dovid… kedushah (holiness) to Yisrael forever, etc. The Midrash links eternal "exalted…תרמ"ב
5. 5Holiness through unity of Klal Yisrael"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…תרמ"ג
6. 6Holiness as the soul's exalted inner pointThe Midrash on "May He send your help from the Sanctuary" (Tehillim 20:3), etc.: if even the heavenly forces require assistance, then the lower beings, who were created for the very purpose of assisting — how much more so, etc. The Midrash …תרמ"ד
7. 7Orlah and refining good from evilOn the mitzvah of orlah, in the Midrash: "And when you come [into the land]..." — this is what is written, "It is a tree of life..." (Mishlei 3:18); "Who will uncover the dust from your eyes, Adam HaRishon... your children wait for the orla…תרנ"א
8. 8Torah as the Tree of Life repairing Adam's sinIn the Midrash on "And when you come… and you shall plant…": this is what is written, "It is a Tree of Life…" The Midrash links the mitzvah of planting trees upon entering Eretz Yisrael (the laws of orlah) to the pasuk "Eitz chaim hi" — the…תרמ"ה