Kedushah measured by closeness to Hashem

במד' ואתה מרום רוממות אתה כו' בעולם כו'.

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 creation.

כי מה שבחר הקב"ה לתת קדושה יתירה לבנ"י וכן לכהנים כו'.

For that which the Holy One chose to grant additional kedushah to Bnei Yisrael, and likewise to the Kohanim...

The Sefas Emes addresses why Hashem granted an extra measure of holiness specifically to Bnei Yisrael, and a still greater measure to the Kohanim.

הוא מצד כי הקדושה נמצא מהקב"ה שהוא קודש וכפי דביקות הנבראים בו כך חל עליהם הקדושה.

it is because kedushah comes from the Holy One, who is [the source of all] holiness, and according to the degree of the creatures' attachment (deveikus) to Him, so does the kedushah rest upon them.

All holiness flows from Hashem, who alone is intrinsically Kadosh. A creature is holy only in proportion to its deveikus — its closeness and attachment to Him. Kedushah is therefore not an independent property but a function of nearness to Hashem.

ולכן כיון שבנ"י קרובים אליו ית' לכן נמצא בהם הקדושה.

Therefore, since Bnei Yisrael are close to Him, blessed be He, the kedushah is found in them.

Bnei Yisrael possess holiness precisely because they are an am karov, a people near to Hashem; their closeness is the reason kedushah dwells in them.

וז"ש קדושים תהיו כי קדוש כו' וכיון שאתם עם קרובי תוכלו להתקדש ביותר.

And this is the meaning of "You shall be holy, for [I, Hashem your God,] am holy" — and since you are My near people (am kerovai), you are able to sanctify yourselves all the more.

"Be holy, for I am holy" is not just a command but an explanation: because Hashem is the source of kedushah, and because Bnei Yisrael are uniquely close to Him, they have the capacity to attain holiness to an even greater degree than other creatures.

וז"ש רוממות אתה כו' שכל התרוממות קצת הברואים על קצתם הוא כפי התדבקותם בך.

And this is the meaning of "You are exalted (romemus atah)" — that all the elevation of some creatures over others is according to their attachment to You.

Reading the Midrash's "romemus atah," the Sefas Emes explains: whatever loftiness one created being has over another is entirely measured by how attached it is to Hashem. There is no inherent hierarchy; rank is purely a matter of deveikus to Him.

כי אתה מרום בלבד כאמור:

For You alone are the [true] exalted One (marom), as stated.

Ultimately, Hashem alone is intrinsically "on high." Every other being's elevation is only borrowed — a reflection of its closeness to the One who is truly exalted.

Summary: All kedushah originates from Hashem, the sole source of holiness, and rests upon a creature only in proportion to its deveikus to Him. Bnei Yisrael are holy — and the Kohanim more so — because of their special closeness to Hashem; "Be holy, for I am holy" means that as His near people they can sanctify themselves all the more. Indeed, every distinction of rank among created beings is nothing but a measure of attachment to Hashem, for He alone is truly exalted.