Parshat Kedoshim 5782
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in the beginning of this week’s parsha (Chapter 19, Pasuk 2), קדושים תהיו כי קדוש אני ד' אלוקיכם. Rashi teaches that the way to fulfill the Torah’s command of being holy is to separate from illicit relationships and adds, שכל מקום שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה, אתה מוצא קדושה. Whenever, there is a fence around forbidden relationships, there will be Kedushah as well.
What is the connection between Kedushah and separating from עריות?
The Sfas Emes teaches that the notion of distancing from the עריות is maintaining the idea that everything must remain in its proper place. And when everything is where it is meant to be, this creates Kedushah. The Gemara in Kiddushin 2B teaches that the reason the word Kiddushin is used by the Rabbis to describe the procedure of marriage, is because when a man marries a woman he is prohibiting her to anyone else like Hekdesh. And Tosfos adds that when he says הרי את מקודשת לי, he is saying, הרי את מזומנת לי, הרי את מיוחדת לי; you are set aside specifically and uniquely to me. The word Kiddushin stresses a particular and exclusive relationship. Therefore, when effort is extended in ensuring everyone limits themselves to their, unique and permitted relationship, there is Kedushah.
This understanding of the significance of the prohibition of the עריות is also taught by the Maharal in the first introduction to his sefer גבורות ד'. The pasuk says in last week’s parsha before the section of the עריות (Chapter 18, Pasuk 4), ואת חקתי תשמרו ללכת בהם. Rashi teaches that the pasuk is referring to the general command of keeping those mitzvos whose reason isn’t clear, and not listening to the nations of the world and our own yetzer hara who mock us for keeping them. But the Maharal learns that this pasuk is referring to the ensuing parsha of the עריות and refers to them as a חק. But isn’t it reasonable not to take another man’s wife, not to mention the incestuous relationships? Why are the עריות referred to as a חק?
The Maharal explains that the word חק in this context doesn’t mean a law whose reason we don’t seem to understand. Rather, it is referring to something fixed with a clear border and boundary. It comes from the word חקוק; something engraved and permanent. And this is its meaning in the pasuk in Mishlei (Chapter 30, Pasuk 8), הטריפני לחם חוקי; provide me with the specific amount of food that I need to live and survive.
The notion of עריות stresses that everything has its place, and each person has their specific and unique relationship. And this is the nature of the world as a whole; every person has to find their place and maintain it. And when this happens, there is Kedushah in the world.
The ultimate relationship that belongs to us and that we need to maintain is our connection with Hashem. The Maharsha on Kesuvos 7B teaches that the bracha which is made for Kiddushin under the Chupah is מקדש עמו ישראל ע"י חופה וקידושין. Just as a man takes a woman and they have a unique, holy relationship together, so too Hashem took us as His people, and was מקדש us by making us His.
The pasuk says in Shir HaShirim (Chapter 3, Pasuk 11), ביום חתונתו וביום שמחת לבו. Rashi teaches that the ביום חתונתו referred to in the pasuk is the day of Matan Torah. This is the day that expresses the union between us and Hashem. And the more we learn Torah and keep the Torah by performing mitzvos, the more we strengthen our connection and fulfill the mitzvah of Kedushah. And this is why whenever we do a mitzvah, we say a bracha beforehand with the words, אשר קדשנו במצותיו. The more loyal we are to our בן זוג, to Hashem, and create fences to maintain our connection, the closer we are to the mitzvah of קדושים תהיו.
Good Shabbos
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