At the end of Parshas Shemini, we read the following verses

כִּ;׀ אֲנִי יְהֹוָה הַמַּעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי׃

For I יהוה am the One who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God: you shall be holy, for I am holy.

כי אני ה’ המעלה אתכם. עַל מְנָת שֶׁתְּקַבְּלוּ מִצְוֹתַי הֶעֱלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם; דָּבָר אַחֵר, כִּי אֲנִי ה’ הַמַּעֲלֶה אֶתְכֶם: בְּכֻלָּן כְּתִיב “הוֹצֵאתִי” וְכָאן כְּתִיב “הַמַּעֲלֶה”, תָּנָא דְבֵי רַ’ יִשְׁמָעֵאל אִלְּמָלֵי לֹא הֶעֱלֵיתִי אֶת יִשְֹרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁאֵין מִטַּמְּאִין בִּשְׁרָצִים כִּשְׁאָר אֻמּוֹת דַּיָּם, וּמַעַלְיוּתָא הִיא גַּבַּיְהוּ, זֶהוּ לְשׁוֹן מַעֲלָה: ם

FOR I AM THE LORD THAT BRINGETH YOU UP [OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT] — On condition that you should accept My commandments did I bring you up (Sifra, Shemini, Chapter 12 4). Another explanation of: FOR I AM THE LORD THAT BRINGETH YOU UP — In all other places it is written, “I brought (you) forth”, and here it is written “that bringeth (you) up” — in reference to this it was taught in the school of R. Ishmael: If I had brought up Israel from Egypt only to effect this one thing — that they do not defile themselves by reptiles as do the other peoples, that should be sufficient for them (Bava Metzia 61b), and it should be regarded by them as an elevation for themselves — this is what is implied in the expression used here: מעלה (I raised you above the people of the land of Egypt).

We immediately get a sense of how important is kedushah or holiness. It’s a foundational block of Jewish practice and connecting with HaShem. What’s interesting is that this statement seems to come out of nowhere until we get to our parsha this week

דַּבֵּ֞ר אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֧ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל וְאָמַרְתָּ֥ אֲלֵהֶ֖ם קְדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּהְי֑וּ כִּ֣י קָד֔וֹשׁ אֲנִ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃

Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them:You shall be holy, for I, the ETERNAL your God, am holy.

Except that now, holiness takes on a brand new level of separation from other things

קדשים תהיו. הֱווּ פְרוּשִׁים מִן הָעֲרָיוֹת וּמִן הָעֲבֵרָה, שֶׁכָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹצֵא גֶדֶר עֶרְוָה אַתָּה מוֹצֵא קְדֻשָּׁה, אִשָּׁה זֹנָה וַחֲלָלָה וְגוֹ’ אֲנִי ה’ מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם (ויקרא כ”א), וְלֹא יְחַלֵּל זַרְעוֹ, אֲנִי ה’ מְקַדְּשׁוֹ (שם), קְדֹשִׁים יִהְיוּ, אִשָּׁה זֹנָה וַחֲלָלָה (שם):

קדשים תהיו YE SHALL BE HOLY — This means, keep aloof from the forbidden sexual relations just mentioned and from sinful thoughts. [It is evident that this is the meaning of קדשים תהיו because] wherever you find in the Torah a command to fence yourself in against such relations you also find mention of “holiness”. Examples are: (Leviticus 21:7) “[They shall not take] a wife that is a harlot, or a profane etc.”, and in the next verse “for I, the Lord, who sanctifieth you, [am holy]”; (Leviticus 21:15) “Neither shall he profane his seed (by the forbidden unions mentioned in the preceding verses) for I the Lord do sanctify him”; (Leviticus 21:6) “They shall be holy… followed by (v. 7) “[they shall not take] a wife that is a harlot or a profane” (cf. Vayikra Rabbah 24:4-6).

There’s also the statement of not being like other peoples

וִהְיִ֤יתֶם לִי֙ קְדֹשִׁ֔ים כִּ֥י קָד֖וֹשׁ אֲנִ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וָאַבְדִּ֥ל אֶתְכֶ֛ם מִן־הָֽעַמִּ֖ים לִהְי֥וֹת לִֽי׃

You shall be holy to Me, for I GOD am holy, and I have set you apart from other peoples to be Mine.

ואבדל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי. אִם אַתֶּם מֻבְדָּלִים מֵהֶם הֲרֵי אַתֶּם שֶׁלִּי, וְאִם לָאו הֲרֵי אַתֶּם שֶׁל נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר וַחֲבֵרָיו; רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר מִנַּיִן שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר אָדָם נַפְשִׁי קָצָה בִּבְשַׂר חֲזִיר, אִי אֶפְשִׁי לִלְבֹּשׁ כִּלְאַיִם, אֲבָל יֹאמַר אֶפְשִׁי וּמָה אֶעֱשֶׂה וְאָבִי שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם גָּזַר עָלַי? תַּ”ל וָאַבְדִּל אֶתְכֶם מִן הָעַמִּים לִהְיוֹת לִי, שֶׁתְּהֵא הַבְדָּלַתְכֶם מֵהֶם לִשְׁמִי — פּוֹרֵשׁ מִן הָעֲבֵרָה וּמְקַבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמָיִם (ספרא):

ואבדל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי ‎ AND I HAVE SEPARATED YOU FROM THE PEOPLES THAT YOU SHOULD BE MINE — If you hold yourselves apart from them then you will be Mine, but if not, you belong to (become subject to) Nebuchadnezzar and others like him. Rabbi Eleazer ben Azariah said, “Whence do we know that one should not say, “My soul loathes swine’s flesh”, or, “I have no desire to wear clothes which are a mixture of wool and linen”, but one should say, “I would, indeed, like them, but what can I do since my Father in heaven has imposed these decrees upon me”? Because Scripture states: “I have separated you from the peoples to be for Me”, whichyour separation from them (from their doings) should be for My sake — that one should keep aloof from sin and take upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven (Sifra, Kedoshim, Chapter 12 23).

In many ways, this point in the story send to recapture the experience at Sinai itself, even though the book is not really finished teaching us the laws, however, this part of the story is actually central to the development of Jewish Weltanschauung

אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּבָר אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (תו”כ ריש הפרשה) שֶׁהַפָּרָשָׁה הַזּוֹ נֶאֶמְרָה בְּהַקְהֵל מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרֹב גּוּפֵי תוֹרָה תְּלוּיִין בָּהּ, וְזֶה טַעַם “אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל”. אֲבָל הֻזְכְּרָה כָּאן בְּתוֹרַת הַכֹּהֲנִים מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיְּדַבֵּר בָּהּ עַל קָרְבַּן הַשְּׁלָמִים, וּמִפְּנֵי שֶׁיַּזְכִּיר בָּהּ הַמִּשְׁפָּט שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּעוֹשֵׂי הַתּוֹעֵבוֹת הַנִּזְכָּרוֹת. וְהָעֲרָיוֹת וְהַתּוֹעֵבוֹת הֻזְכְּרוּ בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה מִפְּנֵי הַטַּעַם שֶׁכָּתַבְנוּ בִּתְחִלַּת הַסֵּפֶר:

SPEAK UNTO ALL THE CONGREGATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Our Rabbis have already said that this section was addressed to the full assembly [of all Israel] because most of the fundamental principles of the Torah are dependent on it, this being the reason for the expression, speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel. This section, however, was mentioned here in [the book of] Torath Kohanim because it contains laws concerning the thanks-offering, and also because it states the punishments He commanded us to execute on those who do the abominable deeds mentioned [in the preceding sections], as well as [those for] the forbidden sexual relationships. These subjects have been included in this book [of Torath Kohanim] for the reason that we have written at the beginning of this book.

The command of *Kedoshim Tihyu* serves as a profound structural and spiritual echo of the Revelation at Sinai, effectively bridging the gap between a historical event and a lived reality. When the Midrash notes that this parsha was delivered *be-hakhel* (in a full assembly), it deliberately mirrors the *Ma’amad Har Sinai*, where every soul was present to receive the Divine word. However, while Sinai was an overwhelming “top-down” experience characterized by thunder, lightning, and a temporary suspension of the mundane, Parshas Kedoshim translates that celestial holiness into a “bottom-up” framework of daily conduct. By grounding holiness in the “fundamental principles of the Torah”—ranging from agricultural gifts for the poor to honest weights and measures—the Torah suggests that the majesty of Sinai is not a relic of the past, but a portable fire that must be rekindled through the ethical and ritual discipline of the entire community.

This recapture of the Sinai experience finds its physical anchor in the inauguration of the *Mishkan* (Tabernacle). If Sinai was a fleeting encounter where God descended upon a mountain, the *Mishkan* represents the permanent indwelling of that same Divine Presence within the camp of Israel. The laws of holiness in Leviticus act as the “operating manual” for maintaining this proximity. Just as the Israelites had to sanctify themselves and maintain boundaries at the foot of Sinai, the laws of *Kedushah*—specifically the separation from forbidden unions and the refrain from “defiling” the land—create a sacred space worthy of the *Shekhinah*. Parshas Kedoshim effectively argues that the inauguration of the *Mishkan* was not merely a construction project, but a renewal of the Covenant, demanding a level of collective sanctity that allows the fire of Sinai to burn safely in the heart of a human camp.

Ultimately, the transition from the “going up” out of Egypt mentioned in Shemini to the “being holy” in Kedoshim represents the maturation of the Jewish *Weltanschauung*. Rashi’s observation that the Exodus was conditional on the acceptance of these decrees highlights that freedom was never an end in itself; it was a prerequisite for elevation. At Sinai, the nation was “brought up” to witness the Divine; through the *Mishkan* and the mitzvos of Kedoshim, they are given the tools to stay there. This renewal transforms holiness from a miraculous gift into a conscious choice—a daily “yoke of the kingdom of Heaven.” By weaving together social justice, ritual purity, and moral restraint, Parshas Kedoshim ensures that the inauguration of the Sanctuary is mirrored by the sanctification of the people, turning the entire nation into a living extension of the Sinai experience.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)