קדושים-מות אחרי פרשת
In parshas Kedoshim we are commanded to be holy. “You shall be holy because I, Your G-d, am Holy.” Hashem chose us to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” “Holiness” is actually the last chapter of Mesillas Yesharim because it is the highest possible level a Jew can reach, allowing him to experience ruach hakodesh. To be holy is the dream and greatest aspiration of every Jew. But what does it actually mean to be holy and what does holiness demand of a person?
In Toras Cohanim, Hazal tell us that “You shall be holy” really should be translated as “You shall be separate.” The midrash adds that just as Hashem is separate from the world, so too we must be separate from the world. At first glance, this seems to be very problematic. First of all, what kind of life is that? Hashem wants us to live like ascetics and miserably trudge through existence? That sounds horrible! Secondly, it isn’t even true! We don’t live in caves and on top of mountains like monks. According to Toras Cohanim, we should all pick up our things and move out! And even if we did, this midrash would still be impossible to carry out in practice. To be expected to be as separate from the world as G-d is ridiculous. How can we compete? We’re physical beings and Hashem is not! What is Hazal talking about?!!!
Rav Aharon Kotler explains that we don’t have a mitzvah to separate ourselves from normal living and the rest of society. In truth, Hashem understands that every Jew might have to engage in worldly matters at some time or another. Just to survive we have to eat, drink, and take care of ourselves. However, the beauty of a Jew is that even when he is seemly involved in mundane activities, he can utilize these moments to get closer to Hashem. By having in mind that everything he does is purely for the sake of Heaven, he achieves holiness unparalleled by any other so-called “holy men.” Even while immersed in a world full of pleasure, a Jew doesn’t live a life of indulgence. Instead, he uses the world and even its pleasures to serve Hashem. Most of the world pursues pleasure as an end itself. A Jew is commanded to separate himself from such a way of life and dedicate himself whole-heartedly to Hashem. By living this way, we truly emulate our Creator. Just as the physical world doesn’t affect Hashem, by keeping the mitzvah to be holy, we also aren’t affected by the world around us. Everything we do is just for Hashem.
However, Rav Aharon cautions, just saying we’re doing everything for Hashem doesn’t always cut it. Transgressing the mitzvah to be holy is a lot easier than we think. The Ramban explains that overeating, overdrinking, and even over- talking are prohibited activities. Excess in these areas is viewed as completely unnecessary for the service of Hashem. We should only eat so that we have strength to do mitzvos and we should only say what needs to be said. To properly gauge the balance the Torah wants us to achieve in life requires reflection and to avoid falling into the trap of indulging demands that one be constantly aware. A person must constantly work at this mitzvah in order to become the holy being Hashem wants every Jew to be.
Additionally, even if one doesn’t overindulge and takes just as much as he needs, he can still forget the purpose of what he’s doing and miss out on fulfilling the mitzvah of being holy. For instance, the Rambam in Hilchos Deos chapter 3 says that when a person eats he should have in mind that he is eating in order to give himself the strength to serve Hashem. If we forget this while we’re eating and become wrapped up in the sweet taste of the food, we’re missing out on a great opportunity to become holy. We could serve Hashem with every bite if we just kept in mind the real reason we’re eating. Rav Moshe Mendel was always very careful to eat very little and even when he would eat, he would act with caution, putting down his fork after each bite to exercise self-control. He wasn’t trying to torture himself when he did this. He just wanted to make sure that pleasure would not become the primary focus of his meal. He wanted Hashem to be his primary focus. One time he was served soup. After one spoonful, he pushed away his bowl and refused to eat any more. His family asked if there was something wrong with the soup. “Yes,” he replied, “it’s too good.” For Rav Moshe, it was better to pass on the soup than be distracted from Hashem. Even though we may not be able to be like Rav Moshe, his example should still inspire us in our own avodas Hashem.
The truth is that the more one aspires to get closer to Hashem, the more appealing separating from excess pleasure becomes. Rabbi Shimon Green would say that if a person really wants to succeed in any arena, he will naturally observe what is preventing him from reaching his goal and act accordingly. For example, if a person wants to become physically fit he’s going to have to give up on a few things he likes. He’s going to have to give up on ice cream, cake, coke, etc. Also he will have to adopt new behaviors which may not be in accordance with his nature. He’s going to have to exercise, an activity that is described as tortuous by some people. Even though he may not enjoy his new routine, if he truly wants to be healthy, he will decide that his previous behaviors are no longer for him. So if we want to be Jews who are in a constant and intimate relationship with our Maker, we can’t afford to get caught up in the pleasures of this world. The more one dedicates himself and gives thought to his avodas Hashem, the more he will see the absolute necessity of becoming holy. The more one is inspired in his avodas Hashem the easier separating from the excesses of this world becomes.
However, practically speaking, everyone knows you can’t become holy in a minute. The Mesillas Yesharim says that naturally, it’s impossible for a person to maintain complete focus and cling to Hashem at all times. A man is a physical being and can’t reach this level by himself. In truth, achieving holiness is a gift from G-d and getting there requires great Divine assistance. So how should we start? The Mesillas Yesharim advises us to reflect on the ideas we spoke of above. We should contemplate the importance of striving for holiness and when we appreciate the value of this great struggle, we will become more inspired to grow and evolve. Taking baby steps in practice also helps. As the gemara says, “If you grab a little, at least you got something.” If you can even designate just one time during the day to separate from just a little pleasure, it will be a big victory. The Raavad would leave a little food over on his plate just to push himself a little bit closer to holiness. We too can take small steps towards holiness in our everyday activities.
May we all be given the strength to become more and more holy!!!