The Meaning of Kedushah

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parshas Kedoshim we are commanded (Vayikra 19:2), “You shall be kadosh (generally translated as holy), because I, Your G-d, am kadosh.” The last chapter of Mesillas Yesharim is dedicated to teaching us how to acquire kedushah, as it is the highest level that a Jew can reach, enabling him to experience Divine inspiration. Being kadosh is the greatest aspiration of every Jew. What precisely does kedushah mean to us, and how can we achieve it?

In Toras Kohanim, Chazal tell us that “You shall be kadosh” 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. At first glance, this seems problematic. Does Hashem want us to live apart, like hermits? Even our greatest tzaddikim did not live in caves or on mountaintops like monks. Moreover, even if we did live this way, we would still not be separate from the world in the same way that Hashem is. We are physical beings, and He is not! What could this midrash mean?

Rav Aharon Kotler explains that we do not have a mitzvah to separate ourselves from the rest of society. Hashem wishes that we engage in worldly matters whenever necessary. To survive, we must eat, drink, and take care of ourselves. However, a Jew utilizes the mundane activities to get closer to Hashem. By having in mind that everything we do is purely for the sake of Heaven, we achieve holiness.

Even while partaking of necessary material pleasure, a Jew does not indulge. While most of humanity pursues pleasure as an end in itself, we make use of the world only for the sake of Hashem. By living this way, we truly emulate our Creator. Just as the physical world doesn’t affect Hashem, we too are unaffected by the world around us when we keep the mitzvah to be kadosh.

However, Rav Aharon cautions, transgressing the mitzvah to be holy is easier than we think. The Ramban rules that overeating, overdrinking, and even excessive talking are prohibited activities. These are unnecessary in the service of Hashem. We should eat only as much as we need to have strength to do mitzvos, and we should say only what needs to be said. Properly gauging the balance that we must achieve requires reflection, and avoiding the trap of indulgence demands alertness. We must constantly work on this mitzvah in order to become the holy beings Hashem wants us to be.

Additionally, even if we are precise when partaking of the material world, we can still lose out on the mitzvah of kedushah. If we become wrapped up in the taste of the food, we can easily lose focus on why we are eating. Suddenly, instead of eating for Hashem’s sake, we may be eating because we want to satisfy ourselves, thus wasting the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of being kadosh.

In truth, the more we aspire to get closer to Hashem, the less appeal physical pleasure has to us. Rav Shimon Green would say that whenever a person has any sort of goal, he checks for those things that prevent him from reaching it. For example, if a person wishes to be fit, he foregoes things that he enjoys, such as ice cream, cake, and soft drinks. He also adopts new behaviors that may not be comfortable for him, like exercise. He may not enjoy his new routine, but if he wants to be in good shape, he concludes that his previous behavior is no longer for him. So too, if we want a constant and intimate relationship with our Maker, we can’t afford to get caught up in this world’s pleasures. The more dedication and thought we put in to our service of Hashem, the more we will see the necessity of being holy, and the easier separating from excess becomes.

Holiness is not acquired in a minute. The Mesillas Yesharim says that it is impossible for a person to act only for the sake of Heaven every moment of the day. Nevertheless, we must make efforts to achieve it as much as possible.

We can start with small steps. Regarding food, there are many different ways to begin internalizing this ideal. The Ra’avad would advise people to leave a little food on their plate uneaten, in order to achieve a bit of holiness. (This is not a waste of the food, as it is serving a holy purpose.) Rav Baruch Ben Chaim would add that if this is too difficult, one can delay consuming the food for a few minutes, as this too expresses separation from gashmiyus. Rav Shlomo Brevda has a different idea: no matter how much you fill your plate, refrain from having seconds. These approaches apply to food, but they can be applied to many other areas in which abstinence brings kedushah.

Rav Moshe Mandel was always careful to eat very little. When he was eating, he would act with restraint, putting down his fork between bites. He wasn’t trying to torture himself; he just wanted to make sure that pleasure would not become his primary focus. He wanted Hashem to be his primary focus at all times.

One time, he was served soup. After one spoonful, he pushed away his bowl. 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 forego the soup than to be distracted from Hashem.

May we be zocheh to more and more kedushah!