Rabbi Frand on Parshas Kedoshim
These divrei Torah were adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion: Tape # 95, The Mezonos Roll: Does It Exist? Good Shabbos!
Why Is this Portion Different From All Other Portions?
"And G-d spoke to Moses saying: 'Speak to the entire Community of
Israel and tell them You must be Holy, for I the L-rd your G-d am
Holy.'" [Vayikra 19:1-2]
The Medrash comments on this verse, that it was said "be'Hakhel,"
namely, it was said to all the Jewish people together. In contrast,
most of the Torah was taught to Moshe, who taught it to Aharon who
taught to his sons, who taught to the Elders, etc., etc. This
portion, however, Moshe taught in everyone's presence.
Why is this parsha different? The Medrash answers because most of
the fundamentals of Torah are dependent on this portion, called
"Kedoshim Teheyu -- You shall be Holy."
The simple interpretation of this Medrash is that since there are so
many important laws that are contained in this section, it was said
in the presence of everyone.
Perhaps, however, the Medrash means something else. Perhaps it means
that the specific command 'You shall be Holy' is so important, and has
so many of the fundamentals of Torah dependent upon it, that this
Mitzvah itself was given publicly.
According to the Ramba"n, this Mitzvah is that one which tells us
how to live and act as Jews. As the Ramba"n explains, if it would
not be for this command, a person could conceivably be a "naval
b'irshus haTorah," meaning, he could be an observant Jew, and
simultaneously a glutton. He could live an obscene life within the
parameters of the Torah. He could eat as much as he wants; he
could indulge in all the physical pleasures of life; and it might
all be 'glatt kosher.'
If not for this mitzvah, such a person could be called a Tzadik
[righteous person]. However, the Torah tells us, "You shall be Holy"
-- you have to abstain. You have to act with abstinence, with
restraint, with holiness. Don't indulge. Don't be a glutton. That
is what the mitzvah of Kedoshim Teheyu is all about. It is so vital
that it had to be said to the entire nation together.
The Shemen HaTov explains that a person cannot be Holy unto himself.
Even though the mitzvah is a mitzvah on the individual, the
individual needs society's help. If one lives in a society which is
indulgent, it becomes very difficult for that individual to remain a
'Kadosh' [holy person].
In order to achieve "You shall be holy," the cooperation of one's
family, of one's city and one's nation is required. The parsha had
to be given to everyone together. When everyone is involved in
conspicuous indulgence it becomes almost impossible for the
individual to act with restraint.
We see this very clearly in the society we live in today. The
rampant hedonism that we see today -- gratifying their every whim and
wish instantly -- surrounds us. We live in a society that doesn't
know what kedusha [holiness] is about. The only way we can personally
achieve this mitzvah of "You shall be holy," is if we not only work on
ourselves, but we elevate and try to live among people who also share
the ideal of Kedsohim Teheyu.
But it must begin with the individual. As the Chassidic Rebbe, Reb
Bunim is quoted as having said, when he was young he thought he could
change the world. As he got older, he saw he could not change the entire
world, but at least he could change his city. As time went on he saw
that even that was beyond his grasp, but he said "I'll at least
change my neighborhood." When he saw that that was not working, he
said "I'll at least try to change my family." When he saw that that
failed, he said, "I'll have to try to only change myself."
But once he succeeded in changing himself, then he saw that his
family was different, his neighborhood was different, his city was
different, and in a sense the entire world was different.
That is how it is with this mitzvah of "Kedoshim Tiheyu." We cannot
go it alone. We have to work on ourselves, and then our families, and
then our neighborhoods, and then our societies.
Making Gods Out of Gold and Silver
The verse says [Vayikra 19:4] "Do not turn toward idols; nor should
you make a graven god for yourselves". Rabbi Yeruchum Levovitz,
zt"l, the Mir Mashgiach, pointed out an inconsistency in this verse.
The verse begins by speaking of idols (elilim), which are worthless
pieces of stone or metal or rock. Then in the same verse, the Torah
continues and calls, that which, just moments ago, was a worthless
inanimate object, a graven god (Elohei Masecha). How does a
worthless stone become a Deity?
On the verse "You should have no other gods (Elohim Acherim) before
Me" [Shmos 20:3], the Medrash says 'Does that imply there are other
gods? Rather, it means others (Acherim) make them into gods
(Elohim).'
This Chaza"l is telling us an unbelievable thing: We can take and
make a god out of anything. That which yesterday we created out of
our own hands and was merely an idol (Elil), if we glorify it and
praise it and give it honor, then we have made it into a god.
Don't turn to the Elilim -- because once you stray and give
prominence to even the Elil [idol], that Elil turns into an Eloha
[God]. It can be Deified. Our own actions can turn even the lowest
of objects into gods.
Two or three thousand years ago, when people were primitive, they
believed in such nonsense. They took items out of stone, out of
metal, out of gold, and out of silver and they turned them into gods.
They were stupid, backward and ignorant. But we are modern men!
We are just like them. We also take gold and we take silver, and
turn them into gods! Except, instead of turning the gold into a
god in the form of a little man or a little eagle, we turn the gold
into a god, in the shape of a coin.
We also Deify inanimate objects. That which was an Elil yesterday,
becomes an Eloha today.
Recently, when I was out of town, on my way home from shul, I noticed
a fellow washing his car. But this fellow was not merely washing his
car -- he was scrubbing the tires! He was sitting on his knees, with
the brush and the water and the soap, scrubbing -- not the car, but
the tires! Two minutes after he starts driving the car, what are
those tires going to roll over? What will they look like? But you
can make a god out of a tire.
The next day, which was Shabbos, I took a walk around Lake
Washington, where I saw the pleasure boats in the water. (Pardon me.
Calling them boats is not doing them justice.) There was a fellow
sitting on his yacht, enjoying Olam HaZeh [the pleasures of this
world]. What was he doing? Polishing his chrome. It was a hot day
and he was making sure that the metal shined.
This fellow has his tires. This fellow has his yacht. Have we at
all changed? Have we advanced any further from the "gods of metal
you shall not make for yourself?" It is the same gold. It is the
same silver. It is the same inanimate objects that we know are just
inanimate pieces of wood and metal and rubber. But unfortunately, we
have the power of turning them into our gods.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Glossary
Elil(im) -- idol(s)
Eloha -- God
kadosh (kedusha) -- holy, holiness
Kedoshim Teheyu --You shall be holy
Personalities & Sources:
Ramba"n -- Rav Moshe ben Nachman (1194-1270); Gerona, Spain; Israel.
Reb Simcha Bunim of Pshis'cha (Poland) -- (1765-1827); Hassidic leader.
Rash"i -- Rav Sholomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105); France.
Rav Yeruchum Levovitz -- (1874-1936) Mashgiach of the Mirrer Yeshiva;
Mir, Poland.
This week's write-up is adapted from the hashkafa portion of Rabbi
Yissochar Frand's Commuter Chavrusah Torah Tapes on the weekly Torah
portion (#94). The corresponding halachic portion for this tape is:
Hallel on Yom Ha'Atzmaut? The other halachic portions for Parshas
Kedoshim from the Commuter Chavrusah Series are:
Also Available: Mesorah / Artscroll has published a collection
of Rabbi Frand's essays. The book is entitled:
and is available through Project Genesis On-Line Bookstore:
http://books.torah.org/
