By Nadav Danieli

This week we read two parashot together- “Achrei Mot”, and “Kdoshim”

In the first one, we get very detailed descriptions of all we need to do in terms of sacrificing during Yom Kippur, and we hear for the first time about one of the most interesting sacrifices, the scapegoat, a goat that is sent to a place/a demon (depends who you'll ask), after Aaron confesses all the sins of the sons of Israel, while putting his hands on the poor goat’s head, then the goat is sent to the desert, carrying all of the sins away with him (I’m fascinated by the fact that this might have been the first ever sacrifice that isn’t cut/burned/thrown to death, but sent away).

Acharei Mot is also full of new laws and prohibitions, like don’t eat blood, don’t sacrifice tons of animals everywhere, don’t do your siblings, parents, and other family members, and the prohibition on homosexual intercourse. Some are very... controversial, but I won’t discuss it this time. I”ll just mention that I find it interesting to look at all these laws as a reflection of the reality in the old Middle East, and the place that sexuality had in the family life, religious rituals, and human society.

Parashat Kdoshim starts with one of my favourite verses in the Torah:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

(It sounds so much better in hebrew, though)

I think this is one of the founding verses of the Judaism; it sets a goal for the sons of Israel: be holy. It also explains what the rationale is behind the laws of the Torah: to make people holy by following the laws of the holy God. God literally demands people to transform themselves, to become holy.

What does it mean to be Holy?

How can you command someone to be holy?

Is that something that we even want?

And what makes our god holy? Aren’t other gods that other tribes believe in holy too?

Today we have different uses for the word “holy”, but originally, the word “Kadush” (holy), meant mostly "separated", just like Shabbat is a separated day from the working days, and therefore- it’s a Holy day because it’s separated, it’s not like the rest of the days of the week.

So what does it mean to be holy people? Does that mean that Bnei Israel needs to be separated from the other people in the world? (by location? by character? by what?), or they need to be, like god, separated from the world? Let’s look at some of the laws that come after, and I'll share some of my thoughts.

“Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.”

We are ambitious creatures; we will work really hard for money, for belief, for glory, and for survival. Sometimes we get so busy that we just don’t have time to develop our spirit; the endless race for more luxuries and the fast-paced economy doesn’t leave us any choice-keep working, or stay outside.

The shabbat though, is a day outside of time, and beyond human states. The shabbat determines that the right to rest, to have family life, and to develop your spirit, isn’t an effect of money. It’s also not given by an owner to his slave; Shabbat is an idea of equality. It declares “a war” against human nature- you must let go of your desire to compete with others and to rule others, to reach higher. You must not work, one day a week, let go of the most basic things human beings do for their whole life.

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