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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Kdoshim
These opening words of our Sedra constitute the quint-essential "mission statement" of the Jewish People: Be holy throughout your life. But what does "holy" mean?
Some sources connect holiness with separateness; i.e. we should maintain a distinction from all other peoples on Earth, consecrating ourselves to a unique way of life & devoting ourselves solely to Hashem. They associate the word "kodesh" with "hekdash," a term that refers to offerings (animal sacrifices, monetary donations to the Bet HaMikdash, etc) that have been designated for a specific spiritual purpose & so may not be used for anything that is mundane or secular.
This is the reason why some Jews engage exclusively in "religious practices" such as Torah study or prayer, considering other pursuits as "bitul z’man" or a waste of our precious time; why they live in closed communities that shun any contact with the outside world & why they associate only with "their own kind," unless forced to do otherwise for compelling financial or health reasons.
That is certainly one strategy.
But our parsha is filled with Mitzvot – commandments – that discuss interaction with the world at large & the way in which we must act as we interface with others. These include dealing honestly in business dealings by maintaining accurate weights & measures (one of only 3 Mitzvot that promise long life); reserving a place in our fields for the poor; paying workers on time; refraining from misleading another person; not bearing a grudge or taking revenge on another; loving the convert; indeed, loving all of those around us, even as we love ourselves.
How can we fulfill all these mitzvoth, & so many more, if we lock ourselves in a virtual closet?
I suggest that Hashem created the world as an ultimate "training center." He could have made us all uniform, like-minded people who live totally identical lives. But that would frustrate His overall goal – molding our neshamot to their highest level of perfection. And so He created the possibility of poverty, to see how we respond to the needy; situations of social or sexual temptation, to see if we can control our urges & hold back our desires; & even war, to test if we’ll actively fight evil or just try to avoid it.
Kedusha, in short, is something you not only must learn, but something you must earn.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
