Kedoshim 5776 - English

By Rabbi Dario Feiguin

B´nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

Love, Inclusion, Transformation, and Unity

The Torah says, “And G-d spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Israel by saying: You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your G-d, am holy.”

Rashi comments about this verse, “This Parashah was told in Assembly, by congregating every person, man, woman and child, because in it most of the bases for the Torah appear.  

What are these bases?  What are the principles for which it was necessary to congregate the People as an Assembly? 

A Rabbi says: because in this Parashah this verse appears: ‘Behahavta lereacha kamocha’ = ‘Love thy neighbor like yourself.’  According to the greatest Tamayim, Rabbi Akiva, this is the very heart of the Torah, and from it come all the Mitzvot.  Without love, as Rabbi Akiva would say, the Torah and Judaism not only would not make sense, they would not be possible.

Another Rabbi says: because this Parashah teaches us that every person at any age, with any academic preparation or from any social status, if he sets his mind to it, can advance in the spiritual work to reach a higher step in Holiness.  This means that this work does not depend on how smart I am, how cute I am, or how much money I have.

A third Rabbi says: this Parashah teaches us that the Torah does not want us to become isolated from the World and give up an earthly life. On the contrary, the Torah commands us, in plural, that our religious obligation must include being a part of society. To understand that being Jewish necessarily means being involved with what happens in real life and with real people. Spiritual perfection is of no use if it is not turned towards the transformation of an unfinished and too imperfect world. Our tefilot and our knowledge are useless if we do not know how to apply them to real life. Being Jewish is not just contemplating; it is essentially doing. 

And a fourth Rabbi says: This Parashah teaches us that to advance on the path to Holiness, the union and articulation of every part of the People of Israel is indispensable. That is why it was told in front of everybody.  Because everyone, without exception, is important. Because everyone makes decisions.

Because everyone is valuable.  Because when there is a common project, there will most likely be progress; and when there is no common project, most likely we will go back and forth, generating a huge and sometimes irreparable exhaustion.   

Like Rashi said, “Gufei Torah tluim ba” = “The body itself of the Torah hangs from this Parashah”:

Love

Inclusion

Transformation

Unity

These are the most important foundations to build any individual, family, professional, communal or national project.  

Along with the values of freedom, justice and peace, these values are the Guf = the body, from where the other precepts receive nourishment and appear as commentary.  

When there is love, when we feel like a part of something, when we see that something can be changed and when we join forces with others to generate a common project, hope is reborn. 

Thus, in the middle of the desert, our People arose and began to grow.  Upon these foundations, a Nation was born.  Upon dreams and ideals that we revisit every week when we open the Torah, in an exercise that allows us to review these dreams in the light, in our own “here” and our own “now.”

Rabbi Dario Feiguin
Congregation B’nei Israel, Costa Rica