Is that a reason to be holy?

The opening verse in Parsha Kedoshim reads, “G-d tells the Jewish people: You be be holy, because I am holy”.

Now that seems to be a strange reason to be holy. After all, G-d is very different than us humans, and while holy makes perfect sense for G-d it may not be the easiest fit for us. Why would G-d’s be holy be a compelling reason that we should be holy, too?

To answer this question, I’m going to borrow a page from Tanya, the classic early work of Chabad teaching. A big theme there (especially in Chapter 18) is that G-dliness is within us, we are each made in G-d’s image, and we just have to discover that which is already within us, buried and hidden in the inner core of our souls.  In that spirit, this verse may be saying: If you find it hard to be holy and feel it out of reach, remember that there’s G-dliness within you. See it out, reconnect with it, find it inside yourself – and then you will be holy, because I (G-d) am holy.

So this verse can be read as a charge to discover and reveal the holiness which is already within us.

Being Graduation Weekend (May 2016), here’s a tie-in to your college experience: In some sense, the college experience has a similar mission, to help a person seek out and develop their inner potential.

But that’s only the beginning. The Torah portion of Kedoshim doesn’t stop at the first verse. It goes on for a total of 64 verses, a short portion but chock-full of practical, hands-on everyday Mitzvot ranging from respect for parents and elders, keeping honest weights and measures in business, leaving portions of the harvest for the poor, keeping justice blind to litigants socio-economic status, not putting a stumbling block before the blind, saying the truth in financial matters – you name it!

And that’s an important charge at graduation. Character development and personal growth may have been the big theme during college years (and obviously remains important throughout life) but once we step over the threshold into the real world, another major emphasis comes into play: The things that we’re going to do! The effect, large and small, that we will have on the world around us.

Everyone is familiar with Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” which has become a go-to  tract for graduation, with its timelessly relevant lessons about the challenges and adventures of post-graduation life. For some reason, I always thought or assumed that the title line follows up with “and Oh, the things that you’ll do!” — but alas, it doesn’t. It might have been my overactive Chabad mind thinking that way.

So while Seuss’ book is phenomenal, and is a perfect message for graduates, it may be missing this one point. Its not only about us, our successes and sense of fulfillment. It’s more and more about the mark we make on the world, how our actions affect and influence others.

Back to Kedoshim: Yes, the first verse is about self-identification and the journey of personal growth, but then another piece follows. And thats about the many Mitzvot we do that make a positive impact in our world.