לזכר נשמת אמי מורתי שולמית בת הר’ יעקב אליעזר ע”ה
In memory of my mother, Mrs. Shulamith Rabinowitz A”H.

קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ד’ אלקיכם

You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your G-d am holy. (Vayikra 19:2)

What does the word קָדוֹשׁ (kadosh), which we translate as holy, actually mean?

It means to be separate in the context of separation from the physical and mundane aspects of life.

For example, Ramban (Nachmanides) explains קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ as the Torah’s directive to practice moderation even in what the Torah permits us to partake of. There are many foods that we are permitted to eat. Nonetheless the Torah directs us to partake of what is needed and to separate ourselves from what is extra lest we become gluttonous.

Every day we proclaim that Hashem is holy.

קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ, קָדוֹשׁ ה’ צְבָ-אוֹת. מְלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ

Holy, holy, holy is Hashem of Hosts, the fullness of all the earth is His glory.

Hashem’s essence is holy, holy, holy- separate and far removed from the conception of any creature, whether angelic, spiritual, or human. At the same time, His glory fills the earth. The Earth is full of experiencing His presence.

A person who is kadosh, holy, is one whose life is separate and elevated from the mundane. This may sound like the domain of a select few. Actually it manifests itself on many levels and is attainable by everyone.

Rabbi Yaakov Haber explains that the baseline definition of kedusha is to be elevated from the ordinary.

Shabbat and Yom Tov are holy days. These are days of a very special experience because they are inherently elevated from the ordinary days of the week and year.

In regard to how we live our lives it means to live our lives in a manner elevated from the ordinary. We should always be extremely careful with the words we say. We should be super honest in business and in every aspect of interacting with people. Under all circumstances we should behave in a manner that expresses concern for the feelings and well being of others.

Being holy means we act in a way that people will say, “He or she is a very special person,” and, “The Jews are very special people.”

It’s true that there are individuals who live on a much holier plane than the rest of us. They’ve raised their lives beyond the ordinary in a very unique way. But Hashem told us all before he gave us the Torah,

וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ־לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ

You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
(Shemot 19:6)

That’s a charge for every single one of us. Every one of us can achieve this if we decide that being ordinary is just not enough.

Shabbat Shalom!
Yitzchak