Charli Krite – Year 12

This week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim, begins with God telling Moshe: “Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel and say: ‘You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy’.” Today I don’t want to focus on holiness in the eyes of God, rather holiness in the eyes of man, in the eyes of the people sitting in this room.

When you think of being truly holy, what do you think of? Is it turning off your phone to keep Shabbat? Sitting in this room surrounded by your friends, family and people a part of a wider community? Perhaps just a short and silent meditation. Kedoshim can be looked at in many ways, it can be interpreted in the way that relates to being holy by following commandments and fulfilling mitzvot, but it can also be understood that to be truly holy we must look into ourselves and through that, relate to others around us.

Now close your eyes, picture a moment in your life when you have felt truly holy. Think about where you are, what you can see, smell, feel. Are there people around you? Or are you by yourself? Sit in this place for a moment.

Now opening your eyes, turn to the person next to you, share with them where you were or what you were doing.

Notice how no one said anything the exact same as you. We were all in different places, having different experiences and feeling different emotions, but united by the one thing that unifies us. The collective experience of holiness.

According the Torah, to be holy relates to fulfilling mitzvot, keeping Shabbat, or not getting tattoos. But as individuals, as a part of a wider community, is this really our only definition? In Hebrew, the word kedushah, from the root word kadosh, translates to sanctity, or to be separate and thus holy. The idea of being holy therefore relates to the idea of being different or set apart from the normal, and that the realm of holiness is entirely separate from the common, in the same way, that God is. “For I, the Lord your God, am holy” implies the fact that God is unique and set apart from the normal. This metaphorical separation of ‘discovering holiness’ can be coupled with the action of connecting with others around us, the community.

If being ‘holy’ relates to being separate, why is it that the entire congregation was called together by God? Perhaps, the individual perspective of holiness comes from not only within, but also the fact that our connections with others impact the way we relate to being holy. We gather today to experience something bigger than ourselves, we come to experience something together as a community and it is here for me, that I am holy.