‘Kedoshim Tehyu, Be Holy!” 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?
A well known Rabbinic adage emerges from the succession of the next 3 Torah portions: Acharei Mot, Kedoshim, Emor – “after their death, they say Holy!” That is, as soon as you are gone, they talk about how holy you were! But there is yet another spin we can give to this phrase by slightly moving the comma: After the death of the righteous, speak!