Parshas Kedoshim
1. Regarding the content of the command "קדושים תהיו וגו׳" ("You shall be holy, etc."), we find two interpretations that are as far from each other as one extreme is from the other: a) In its plain sense — "holy" means separated and set apart.1 And not only set apart from the matters of this world,2 but rather "You shall be holy" with such an exalted holiness that it bears a likeness and a connection to the holiness of G‑d. That is why "קדוש אני" ("I am holy") is the reason and explanation for "You shall be holy"3: ascent upon ascent, elevation after elevation, until the ultimate holiness4 that transcends all matters of creation and the entire order of Hishtalshelus (the chain of spiritual worlds).5 b) Along the lines of the Gemara's interpretation6 of a verse that is similar5* to our case7: "והתקדשתם — אלו מים ראשונים, והייתם קדושים — אלו מים אחרונים" ("'You shall sanctify yourselves' — this refers to the first waters [the washing before the meal]; 'and you shall be holy' — this refers to the final waters [the washing after the meal]"). That is, the holiness lies in simple, physical matters — regarding eating and drinking1 — and in this verse, too, the reason for the command is explained: "כי קדוש אני" ("for I am holy").7*
2. The explanation of the matter:
The parshiyos "Acharei" and "Kedoshim" have (in their content) a special connection between them (as is also evident from the fact that in most years8 they are joined). It is understood that this connection contains (as does every matter in the Torah9) a special instruction for every person in his Divine service — especially in light of the well-known saying of the Alter Rebbe,10 that every Jew "דארף לעבן מיט דער צייט" ("must live with the times"), that is, with the weekly Torah portion.
The common point shared by these two parshiyos is plainly recognizable and understood — which itself is proof that the instruction contained in it is also directed at and suited to every person:
Parshas Acharei begins with a matter that is the ultimate holiness in place, in time and in soul, in the well-known terminology11 "עולם שנה נפש" ("world, year, soul"): the service in the Holy of Holies, on the holy day [Yom Kippur], by the Kohen Gadol. And the theme of holiness is also the essence of the content of Parshas Kedoshim. It begins with "קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני" ("You shall be holy, for I am holy"), and also (close to) its end12 it says: "והייתם לי קדושים כי קדוש אני ה׳" ("You shall be holy unto Me, for I, the L‑rd, am holy"). (And it is repeated within the parsha: "והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים כי אני ה׳ אלקיכם" ("You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am the L‑rd your G‑d")1313*.) To the point that the entire parsha, with all its matters and all its verses, is called "Kedoshim."
Now, since the holiness that every Jew is commanded to attain is of such a lofty level that it bears relation and proportion to the holiness of "I am holy," as explained above, the question arises: How is it possible for a person to reach and ascend to the holiness that is above, which is beyond all proportion to the matters below? The verse explains: "You shall be holy" (up to the level of G‑dly holiness) — "You shall be" (also a term of assurance14) — "for I am holy." Since He, may He be blessed, is holy, therefore every Jew as well, being "חלק אלקה ממעל ממש" ("truly a part of G‑d above"),15 is able — and therefore also obligated ("You shall be" being a term of command) — to ascend to the utmost height of holiness.
However, this exalted holiness of Parshas Kedoshim requires a preparation and a prelude — and this is alluded to and learned from Parshas Acharei: the service of Yom Kippur, on the holy day and in the place that is the Holy of Holies, through which comes the atonement and purification of the Jewish people, to the point that "לפני הוי׳ תטהרו" ("before the L‑rd you shall be purified")16 — in their purity they "reach" the level that is "before (higher than the level of) the Name Havayeh."17 This is what gives them the power and ability for the service of "You shall be holy," so that they ascend and attain union with the ultimate holiness of "I am holy."
3. Now, it has already been discussed that the name of a parsha alludes to its content.18 Accordingly, the preparation and the empowerment to ascend in holiness, which the verse comes to teach us at the beginning of Parshas Acharei, is also alluded to in its name — "אחרי מות" ("after the death").
The explanation of this: "After the death," in its plain meaning, relates to everything discussed in the parsha, i.e., to the warnings and commands that come after the death of Nadav and Avihu, "בקרבתם לפני הוי׳" ("when they drew near before the L‑rd").19 The explanation of this is well known19: "when they drew near before the L‑rd" means that they reached a very great closeness to G‑d, an intense love and yearning for the Holy One, blessed be He, to the point that their bodies could not contain the great desire and yearning of the soul, and they came to actual "כלות הנפש" ("expiry of the soul").
Nevertheless, the Torah comes with commands and warnings also for "after (the death of Aharon's two sons)." That is, even the level of "when they drew near before the L‑rd" is not the ultimate goal of Divine service; rather, it has an "after" — to ascend further in Divine service even after one has reached the intense yearning of expiry of the soul. That is, there is no limit to ascending from level to level in the service of G‑d; even when a person reaches a very lofty level, he is able (and therefore) obligated to ascend even higher.
This is the principle, the prelude and the preparation for holy service that is alluded to in the name "Acharei" ("after"): one must not be satisfied with one's service and ascent in holiness up to this point; rather, there must be an "after" — an ascent that is an elevation above the previous elevation.
However, the service itself, and the power to ascend in an unlimited ascent, are emphasized in Parshas Kedoshim: the reason that "You shall be holy" — up to an unlimited holiness, as explained above — is "כי קדוש אני — קדושתי למעלה מקדושתכם" ("for I am holy — My holiness is above your holiness").20 Whatever ascent you make in holiness, still "My holiness is above" — it is above all limitation, on the level of the truly Infinite (Ein Sof). Therefore also "your holiness" (whose cause and reason is "My holiness") — you must ascend in it more and more.
4. This is the instruction for each and every Jewish man and woman: One should not be satisfied with having accomplished something within one's soul and having reached a lofty level in one's service of G‑d; rather, one should always strive to ascend in the levels of holiness. Even if a person tells himself that he has already reached the level of "when they drew near before the L‑rd," and even if he has truly reached it, he must know that now Parshas "Acharei" begins — after his previous service and level there must be service with greater vigor and greater strength, namely the service of "You shall be holy, for I am holy," ascending higher and higher in the mountains of holiness.
Moreover: not only an ascent by way of walking22 from level to level, an orderly ascent that is consequently limited. For although he rises to a higher level than the previous one, nevertheless, since all the levels are in proportion to one another, even when he ascends, elevation after elevation, to a high and exalted level, he has still not completely left (his connection to) his initial state and level. This is like the rungs of a ladder, or the links of a chain — it is only one ladder and one chain, in which the upper link is bound to the one beneath it, and therefore it has a bond and a connection even to the very lowest link; and the same applies to the rungs of a ladder —
The command and instruction of "You shall be holy" is that the ascents in holiness must be unlimited, both in the number of ascents and in the quality of the ascent: to rise to such an elevation that it is completely in the category of "after"21 relative to the level that preceded it — that his level after the ascent is beyond all comparison to, and has no connection with, his previous standing and state.24
5. Based on the above, one can understand the connection of the parshiyos "Acharei" and "Kedoshim" to the theme of the Exodus from Egypt, for (in most years23) they are read on the Shabbosos between Pesach and Shavuos,25 i.e., in the period that extends from and is connected to the Exodus from Egypt26:
The essence of the Exodus from Egypt is a going out and an ascent (as explained elsewhere27 regarding "המעלך מארץ מצרים" ("Who brought you up from the land of Egypt")) from one state to another state, with no comparison whatsoever between them — both physically, "מעבדות לחירות" ("from slavery to freedom"),28 and spiritually, "מאפילה לאור גדול" ("from darkness to great light").28
And it is known29 that "בכל דור ודור וכל יום ויום חייב אדם לראות עצמו כאילו הוא יצא היום ממצרים" ("In every generation and every day a person is obligated to see himself as if he went out of Egypt today"). That is, in his service today he goes out from his level of yesterday, which is considered "Egypt" (Mitzrayim) and a "limitation" (meitzarim) relative to his capacity today.
6. Based on this, the two interpretations of "You shall be holy" mentioned above can be reconciled: a) utterly holy and set apart — a going out and an unlimited ascent, all the way to "My holiness" that is above; b) like the effect of the "first waters" and the "final waters," which are on account of impurity, uncleanness and the danger of Sodomite salt30 — this comes to emphasize and teach that the service of "You shall be holy," in its most exalted quality as explained above, applies to all Jews, from one extreme to the other: from those who are holy and abstracted from any connection to the matters of this world, to those who are still actually involved in them, in the simplest way.31
And according to the instruction of the Alter Rebbe in his saying "to live with the times": at the time when the parshiyos "Acharei-Kedoshim" are read and studied, they contain an instruction for life for every Jew — for those on a lofty level, that they should not say they have ascended enough in their service; and for those who are very far from this level, that they should not become discouraged, thinking that they will not be able to ascend in holiness so much and will remain at their low level. Rather, they too can ascend, elevation after elevation, up to the incomparable (and even to the level of "קדושתי למעלה — (היא) מקדושתכם" ("My holiness [that is] above — [it is] from your holiness"), according to the well-known interpretation of this,32 and along the lines of the interpretation of "דע מה למעלה ממך" ("Know what is above you") — meaning: know that all that is above is all "from you"33).
(From the sichos of Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim, 5731)
Notes
1) See Tanya, ch. 46 (66a): "And kedushah is a term denoting separation."
2) See Ramban here.
3) See Tanya, ibid.: "'Who has sanctified us with His commandments' — Who has elevated us to the level of the supernal holiness, blessed be He, which is the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory and essence… and they become truly G‑dly; and this is the meaning of 'You shall be holy unto Me, for I am holy'…" See there.
4) See Meor Einayim (46b) on this verse, on the interpretation of our Sages, of blessed memory (Vayikra Rabbah 24:9): "יכול כמוני, תלמוד לומר כי קדוש אני — קדושתי למעלה מקדושתכם" ("Could it be like Me? Therefore the verse says 'for I am holy' — My holiness is above your holiness"), that "could it be like Me" is said in an affirmative sense. See also Ohr HaTorah on this verse.
5) Berachos 53b, end.
5*) See Ohr HaTorah, Kedoshim, p. 117.
6) Shemini 11:44. See also our parsha, 20:7; Chiddushei Aggados of the Maharsha, ibid.; Torah Or, Shemini, ibid.
7) It should be noted that in our case as well, on "You shall be holy" — which seemingly, in its plain meaning, is (as stated above in the text) the ultimate elevation in holiness — Rashi explains: "הוו פרושים מן העריות ומן העבירה" ("Be separate from forbidden relations and from sin"). And Vayikra Rabbah (24:6) mentions only "a fence against immorality." See also the commentators on Rashi here.
7*) Although in the Talmud there it says: "'For [I am] holy' — this is fragrant oil" — the meaning is that this reason adds a further matter: oil. On this basis one can better appreciate why the one who leads the blessing does not recite a blessing over the final waters because there is no fragrant oil (see the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, beginning of §181): for the reason refers to what precedes it, and therefore the two matters are a single enactment and custom.
8) In every ordinary year (for in every (minor) cycle of 19 years there are 12 ordinary years and seven leap years (Rambam, Laws of Sanctification of the New Moon 6:11)).
9) [The word "Torah" is] from the term "horaah" (instruction) — Zohar III, 53b.
10) Sefer HaSichos 5702, p. 29 ff.
11) The concept of these three dimensions is the foundation of Sefer Yetzirah (Ohr HaTorah, Yisro, p. 916 ff.).
12) 20:26.
13) Ibid., 7.
13*) See Meor Einayim 46a; Ohr HaTorah, Kedoshim, p. 109.
14) See above, note 4.
15) Tanya, beginning of ch. 2.
16) Acharei 16:30.
17) Likutei Torah, Acharei 26c, 27d.
18) See Likutei Sichos, vol. 5, p. 58.
19) See Ohr HaChaim on this verse at length* (explained in the booklet "Lehavin Inyan HaNesirah" — Yerushalayim 271a; it requires further investigation who its author is); the discourse beginning "Kasuv BeOhr HaChaim" (by the Alter Rebbe, Ashalech — Liozna); the discourse beginning "VeChol HaLevavos" (Ohr HaTorah, Acharei, p. 538 ff.); the discourse beginning "Acharei Mos" 5649; and elsewhere.
*) The book Ner LaMaor (Margolis) cites several works that explain this Ohr HaChaim.
20) Vayikra Rabbah, ibid.
21) "Death" — the nullification of the previous level. Similar to the statement of our Sages that [Rabbi Zeira] fasted forty fasts in order to forget the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Metzia 85a (according to the reading of the Maharshal)). Similarly, the ascent [of souls] through the River of Fire (Nehar Dinur) and from Gan Eden to Gan Eden, in order to forget the vision of their previous level (Torah Or 32d, 69c, 96a; Sefer Ashalech — Liozna, p. 126; ibid., p. 168; and elsewhere).
22) See the explanation of the difference [between the souls and] the service of the angels: although the angels, too, "ascend from level to level," they are called "standing," while the souls specifically are called "walking" (Likutei Torah, Shelach 38d; the discourse beginning "Tzeenah U'Reenah" 5660; the discourse beginning "Shuvah Yisrael" 5666; and elsewhere).
23) Parshas Kedoshim is always after the festival of Pesach. Parshas Acharei is sometimes (see Tur, Orach Chaim §428) read on Shabbos HaGadol before Pesach.
24) See Shelah, section Torah Shebiksav, beginning of Parshas Vayeshev.
25) See Shemos 3:12 and Rashi there.
26) Shoftim 20:1.
27) Pesach Haggadah, the blessing "Asher Ge'alanu."
28) "Great light" is the illumination of Atik Kadisha, through which comes the light of expanded intellect (mochin d'gadlus) (Siddur of the Arizal — Kol Yaakov).
29) Tanya, beginning of ch. 47 (see also Pesachim 116b).
30) See Tur and the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, beginning of §158 and beginning of §181.
31) And even to those who need to be warned to be separate from forbidden relations and from sin — as mentioned above, note 7.
32) Meor Einayim, Kedoshim 46d, end; ibid., 47b; 46d; Ohr HaTorah, beginning of Parshas Kedoshim.
33) Likkutei Amarim of the Maggid, §198. This is also cited in the name of the Alter Rebbe (Sefer HaSichos 5704, p. 23).
Key Lesson
No matter how high a person has climbed in holiness, Parshas "Acharei" says there must always be an "after": a further ascent, and ideally a leap to a level beyond comparison with the one before. Because "I am holy" — G‑d's holiness is infinite — every Jew, whether lofty or still deeply involved in worldly matters, is given the strength to rise without limit and should never become discouraged.