Parashat Kedoshim 5784

by Rabbi Margie Cella

In this parashah, God commands that we be holy because God is holy. This is achieved through the observance of God’s mitzvot, dozens of which are delineated in this portion. Many of the commandments given here are instructions regarding our relationships with others: leave the corners of your field unharvested for the poor to glean them; pay a person’s wages on the day they complete their work; show respect to the aged. Do not steal, lie, slander, bear a grudge, or defraud your neighbor, nor curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; do not show partiality in judgement. You must not curse father or mother, rather you are to revere them.

Perhaps the most relevant mitzvah in this category is so important that it is mentioned twice in this parashah: you shall love the stranger as you do yourself—because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. Because you yourself know what it feels like to be a stranger, you must be able to empathize with those who may be new to your community, or who simply may be different from you in some way. Empathy should cause you to be open and welcoming, as well as supportive. No message could be more relevant today, as our world is once again plagued by divides along political, religious, and ethnic lines, and xenophobia causes many to fear those who come to our country seeking a better life. Becoming holy as God demands of us requires that we remember that we were once standing in their shoes, and to reach out and find the common ground that unites, rather than divides, us. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Ba’Zeh –– All the people of Israel are responsible for one another.