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“You shall love your fellow as yourself.” (19:18)

  This pasuk has become the global standard-bearer for defining human inter-relationships. Love your fellowman as yourself. What does it mean to care about someone else as well as we care about ourselves? Horav Yosef Zundel Salant, z.l., explains that the word kamocha, like yourself, applies to an individual who has the same vocation or position as you. It once happened that a Jew opened a grocery store on the same block as another Jew. One can imagine that the resulting competition brought about ill will. When the man who had been there first complained to Rav Yosef Zundel, the…

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Speak to the entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael and say to them: You shall be holy, for holy am I. (19:2)

Rashi explains that the concept of “Jewish holiness” refers  to distancing oneself from immorality and idol worship.  We see two extremes,  each at an opposite end of the spectrum.  On the one hand,  we are enjoined to sanctify ourselves, our behavior and our thoughts; on the other hand,  Rashi tells us that the opposite of kedushah, holiness, is immorality and degradation.  We must understand how these two extremes co-exist.  Chazal view  kedushah as being the zenith of spiritual ascendence: How do you admonish someone who strives for that pinnacle of human behavior to distance himself from illicit relationships and debauchery? …

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You shall not steal, you shall not deny falsely, and you shall not lie to one another. (19:11)

Horav Chaim Soloveitchik,zl, once said, “It is conceivable that specifically because an individual’s  father would “run” to perform mitzvos, the son would break down doors in order to steal merchandise from which he could profit.  While this statement seems incredible at first, Rav Chaim  substantiates it with the following explanation:  A child inherits the nature  and personality of his parent, concerning innate traits.  Behavior and mannerisms will not necessarily transfer to the offspring. When one pursues mitzvos as a result of an innate love for the Almighty and His mitzvos, purely for the sake of Heaven, this activity integrates into …

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You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow. (19:17)

The mitzvah of tochachah, administering rebuke to a fellow Jew who is erring, has two criteria that should be met.  Indeed, if these two conditions are not met, it is better that one does not rebuke.  First and foremost is l’shem Shomayim: He must be acting for the sake of Heaven.  He has no ulterior motives; he does not hate the sinner; he simply cannot tolerate to see Hashem’s Torah denigrated: He cares for his fellow-Jew who probably does not realize the seriousness of his actions.  He speaks from the heart, out of love and caring.  His words will thus…

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You shall be holy for Me;……and I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine. (20:26)

Rashi cites Chazal who explain this pasuk in the following manner:  If you keep yourselves separate from the nations and their life styles, you will be Mine; otherwise, you will belong to Nebuchanetzar and his ilk.  Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya adds, one should not say, “I do not eat pig because I do not like pig meat.” Rather, one should say, I would like to eat pig meat, but Hashem has  prohibited me from eating it and has commanded me to separate from the other nations to be His, and only His”  Horav Eliyahu Meir Bloch, zl, remarks that essentially…

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Reprove your fellow (19:17)

Usually when the Torah repeats a word it is providing  emphasis.  In this case the emphasis placed upon the word “hochei’ach“, reprove,  tells us, “you shall surely reprove”.   Horav David Feinstein, Shlita, goes a step further.  He suggests that while the emphasis is apparently upon the reproach,  the focus, however, is not  on the one who has sinned, but rather on the mochi’ach, the one who is reproving.  There must be constant reproof. This means that prior to reproving someone else, one should first go through a bit of self-censure, chastising himself repeatedly in order  to ensure that his…

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You shall love your fellow as yourself – I am Hashem. (19:18)

Rabbi Akiva said that the commandment to “love your fellow as yourself” is the fundamental rule of the Torah.  Hashem adjures us to be sensitive to the needs of others.  Indeed, Chazal base a variety of laws upon this rule.  Unfortunately, Rabbi Akiva, who expounded this rule, who emphasized its critical importance, did not merit to see this rule adopted by his twenty-four thousand students.  They all passed away tragically during the seven week period between Pesach and Shavuous.  According to Chazal, they died because they did not give the proper kavod, honor, to one another.  Rabbi Akiva did not…

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Be holy, for I your G-d am holy. (19:2)

Hashem commands us to be holy because He is holy. This is enigmatic. How can we compare ourselves to Hashem? Just because He is holy, does that mean that it is so easy for us to become holy? Imagine a poor man standing in front of a bank begging for alms from the people that come out of the bank. A wealthy man comes along and asks him, “Why don’t you go inside the bank and withdraw a few thousand dollars to tide you over?” The poor man looks back at him incredulously and says, “From what should I make…

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Be holy! For I, your G-d, am holy. (19:2)

The Torah’s exhortation to “Be holy” is more than good advice; it constitutes the cornerstone of Judaism. This mitzvah defines the Jews’ ultimate goal. We strive not simply to attain holiness for ourselves; rather, we strive to be Holy – because Hashem is holy. Hashem is not simply to be worshipped; He is to be emulated! Everything we do, every endeavor in which we are involved, must mirror Hashem’s ways. We must strive to be like Him. The Torah details the prescription for G-d-like living: Follow the mitzvos! Parashas Kedoshim provides a sampling of the Torah’s code. It focuses on…

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Every man, his father and mother shall you revere and My Sabbaths shall you observe. (19:3)

One might think that the respect one owes his parents overrides the observance of Shabbos. The Torah teaches us that the mitzvah of Shabbos or, in other words, listening to the command of Hashem takes precedence. We may suggest a novel idea. The Torah tells us that to desecrate Shabbos in order to fulfill a parent’s request does not really constitute respect. The definition of respect for one’s parents is the performance of activity that is in accordance with the will of Hashem. An action that runs counter to Hashem’s Torah, albeit upon instruction from one’s parents, is not considered…

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