דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל כּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the LORD your God, am holy.
Leviticus 19:2
It is interesting that this combined parsha of Acharei Mot/Kedoshim comes approximately seven months following Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is all about our relationship with God and judgement. We are asked to repent for our misdeeds and do better in the year to come if we are judged favorably. Being good and doing good is at the forefront of our thoughts (I hope!) all during the High Holiday season.
Seven months later, as memory of Yom Kippur has already faded into the distance, along comes Parshat Acharei Mot, where the alarm bell rings midway in the year to remind us to do good, to be good and in its partner Parsha, Parshat Kedoshim, to be holy.
Parshat Kedoshim gives us a panapoly of ways to be holy. It includes things we should do and things we should not do. Perhaps the message is this: Holiness is about actions. It is many things and in some ways it is beyond description. Holiness is as Holiness Does.
I urge you to read both Parshat Acharei Mot and Parshat Kedoshim as we approach this Shabbat. Once again we are reminded of the important messages in Sefer Vayikra.
At the end of this post is a podcast that helped me me understand the different ways Kedoshim T'hiyu are understood. I hope that you will listen. It was a beautiful podcast.
On a different note, we are today on the 19th day of counting the Omer. I continue on my quest for 49 poems for 49 days. I am a little behind and the project is proving more difficult than I thought, but I hope to publish this little book of 49 thoughts and poems once it is complete.
Finally, on this Yom HaZikaron, we are remembering the many who have fallen in the defense of the state of Israel. As someone who lives in the Diaspora, I have to pinch myself to say how fortunate I am to live at a time that Israel "chai v'kayam.'(lives and exists)
We cannot take the state of Israel for granted.
Those who have given their lives to ensure Israel's further existence deserve a special place in Gan Eden. May their memories be a blessing.
Leann
Holiness is as Holiness Does
Holiness is remembering to call
even when you are busy
and even when you don't have much to say.
Holiness is giving someone your place in a long line.
Holiness is smiling at your neighbor
even if his dog barks too much.
Holiness is as simple as a deep breath
or as complex as the debate that has gone on forever
on what holiness really means.
Holiness is as holiness does.
Holiness is
noticing;
not taking for granted
and not forgetting
to give,
to give
and to give some more
and sometimes holiness is also taking.
Holiness is as holiness does.
Holiness is being available.
It is the words you speak and the foods you eat.
Holiness is about being alone, but surrounded
by something you cannot define
and understanding that not everything needs a definition.
Holiness is understanding that you are not the center,
but a part of what makes the mechanism work
It can’t work without you.
Sometimes holiness is words over action
and sometimes it is actions over words.
The holiness of balance.
Holiness is as holiness does.
Holiness is placing yourself
in someone else’s shoes without judgement.
And did I mention
it is making that call
to that someone who needs a call,
or an ear,
or a shoulder.
Holiness is knowing when to fight the fight
and when to raise your voice.
Holiness is the celebration of silence.
Holiness is knowing and holiness is
understanding that we know nothing.
Holiness is knowing when to pivot towards
and when to turn away.
Holiness is as holiness does
Holiness is remembering
even when it is easier to forget
and forgetting when it is easier to remember.
Holiness is more than the past,
more than the future.
Holiness is this very moment.
Holiness is more than
3
Or 5.
Or 7.
Or 10.
Or 49.
Or even 613.
Perhaps it is about 1.
Holiness is the common denominator.
It is as inconceivable as infinity,
but it is right at your fingertips
if you take the time to look.
Holiness is as holiness does
Look down at your hands
and make that call.
More posts from Words Have Wings for Parshat Kedoshim:
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/kedoshim-haikus Kedoshim Haikus (2022)
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/thoughts-about-holiness Thoughts About Holiness (2022)
https://www.wordshavewings.net/post/holiness Holiness (2021)
An interesting podcast that I found helpful:
Pardes from Jerusalem: April 27, 2022
"Be Holy! How?"
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