Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in Hebrew and English - Shabbos Kedoshim – 3 Iyar 5784
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Shabbos Kedoshim – 3 Iyar 5784
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
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The Midrash (Vayikra Rabah 24:9) expounds on the words קדושים תהיו ' Kedoshim Tihiyu' by saying: 'You shall be holy' (Vayikra 19:2) – You might have thought that it shall be the same as mine – therefore the Pasuk continues, כי קדוש אני 'Ki Kadosh Ani' to teach that My holiness is above your holiness – קדושתי למעלה מקדושתכם.
The Gemara teaches us that the word כי has four possible translations: אי – if; דילמא – perhaps; אלא – rather; and דהא – since. (Rosh Hashana 3a). The straightforward reading of Vayikra 19:2 would define כי as 'since'. In other words, the Pasuk should be read: "You shall be holy, since I, Hashem Elokim, am holy. Hashem is explaining that our directive to attain holiness is predicated on the fact that He himself is holy and presumably that we as his People should emulate him. However, the Midrash is offering another level of interpretation, by understanding the word כי as 'rather'. Based on this definition, Hashem is making a comparison between the sanctity of Bnei Yisroel and His sanctity, stating that Hashem's Kedusha exceeds that of his People. "You shall be holy, rather, I, Hashem Elokim, am more holy".
The difficulty with the Midrash is why it is necessary at all. Would we ever contemplate that our Kedusah was on an equal level with the sanctity of Hashem? Perhaps this is in response to the previous Midrash (Vayikra Rabah 24:8) which gives a parable of a nation that makes three crowns for their king. The king proceeded to put one crown on his head and two crowns on his sons. Similarly, we crown Hashem each day saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy..." (Yeshayahu 6:3). Hashem proceeds to put one on his head and give the other two to Yisroel.
This Midrash makes it appear that all three crowns are exactly the same. One might mistakenly think that Kedusha is a status that something either is or is not. For example, when we use terms like Kodshim and Chulin or during Havdallah when we say HaMavdil bein Kodesh L'Chol, it may seem that something is either Kodesh or not. We must understand that Kedusha has varying degrees and one must make it a priority to constantly elevate oneself in their level of Kedusha, one opportunity at a time.
There is another Midrash (Otzar HaMidrashim, Rebbe Akiva, pg 423), which states that the three branches of the letter Shin ש correspond to the three Kedushos in the world: Hashem, Shabbos and Yisroel. The Midrash supports its claim with three Pasukim. Hashem is Kadosh based on the Pasuk, "You are the Holy One, enthroned upon the praises of Yisroel" (Tehillim 22:4). Shabbos, from the Pasuk, "You shall observe the Shabbos for it is holy for you" (Shemos 31:14) Yisroel, from the Pasuk, "Yisroel is holy to Hashem, the first of his crop…" (Yermiyahu 2:3)
It is interesting to note that according to the laws of Safrus, when the letter ש is written in a Sefer Torah, the three branches must all meet at one point in the bottom-left corner of the letter, which causes each branch from left-to-right to be slightly larger than the one before. There is also a 'crown', composed of Tagin, atop the letter Shin. These facts seem to blend all these Midrashim together and support the concept that each 'crown' of Kedusha varies in degree.
The Yisah Brocho of Moditz asks why this last Midrash used these specific Pesukim from all over Tanach, when there are much more well known Pesukim in the Torah to prove that these three entities are Kadosh. The Kedusha of Hashem is evident from the beginning of Parshas Kedoshim (Vayikra 19:2), while Shabbos can be proven from the Pesukim we recite at Kiddush on Friday night, "Hashem blessed the seventh day and sanctified it" (Beraishis 2:3), and Yisroel from "a holy nation for Hashem" (Devarim 26:19) which is found in the 'Tefillin of Hashem' (Brachos 6a).
He answers that rather than use Pesukim that make statements of facts, the Pesukim chosen by the Midrash represent examples where Klal Yisroel are actively augmenting and amplifying the Kedusha of Hashem, Shabbos and Yisroel, through their words and actions, since one critical purpose of Klal Yisroel in this world is to publicize these Kedushos and make them known throughout the world.
With this idea of the Yisah Brocho we may interpret the original Midrash (Vayikra 19:2) slightly differently to better appreciate all that we have said thus far. When the Midrash states למעלה מקדושתכם, it does not mean that 'קדושתי' My holiness is 'למעלה' greater 'מקדושתכם' than your holiness. That is self-evident. It is explaining 'קדושתי' My holiness 'למעלה' rises upward 'מקדושתכם' from your holiness. In other words, Hashem's Kedusha will continue to be increased and uplifted through our words and actions.
Thus, the opening Midrash reflects the simple reading of the Pasuk. Hashem instructs us 'Kedoshim Tihiyu ' קדושים תהיו, actively be Kadosh, since the Kedusha of Hashem – as if it were possible – rises and Chas V'Shalom falls in direct proportion with our increasing or Lo Aleinu decreasing Kedusha. This is exactly what Kiddush Hashem and Chilul Hashem are. "You shall not desecrate My holy Name, rather I shall be sanctified among Bnei Yisroel, I am Hashem who sanctifies you" (Vayikra 22:32). May we continue to actively uplift the sanctity of Shabbos, Yisroel and Hashem until 'Hashem will be King over all the world and on that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One'.
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