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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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You shall not curse the deaf; and you shall not place a stumbling block before a blind man. (19:14)

The Torah concerns itself with our attitude towards the individuals who are unknowing. Although one who is deaf cannot hear our curse, it does not mitigate its evil. We are the ones that are affected by the curse, since we sink to the level of cursing people. We must realize that people are only vehicles. The evil they perpetrate is meant for us to sustain. We would do well to introspect our own deeds and correct them.   Rashi explains that while only a degenerate person would place a stumbling block before the blind, this pasuk also has a metaphorical…

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You shall not render your souls abominable through such animals and birds…Which I have set apart for you to render unclean. You shall be holy for Me…And I have separated you from the Peoples to be Mine. (20:25,26)

  Separation and differentiation are words which are synonymous with Judaism. Indeed, they define the religion. Hashem has set us apart from the nations of the world to be His. From the very beginning His master-plan was that we should be distinct. We are to distinguish ourselves by our observance of the Divine laws, as well as our overall demeanor and virtue. It is evident that the underlying purpose of the Jewish dietary laws is to separate us from the nations. We are elevated from the rest of the world by the food that we eat, the special food that…

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

Chazal teach us that this Torah transmission was unlike the usual procedure for Torah transmission. The standard procedure was that Moshe would teach the mitzvos first to Aharon, then Nadav and Avihu, followed by the zekeinim, elders, and finally, the entire nation. In this instance, Moshe taught the mitzvos to the entire Klal Yisrael simultaneously. The reason for this change is that these mitzvos include the essential laws of the Torah. The extreme nature of these mitzvos required that everyone be present together. The various commentators focus upon the need for the entire assembly of Klal Yisrael to convene in…

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“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (19:18)

This comprehensive dictum of morality, the golden rule of human conduct, originated in the Torah. Chazal relate an incident between Hillel and a gentile who asked him to condense the entire Torah into its briefest possible form. Hillel answered, “What is hateful unto you, do not do unto your friend.” This statement has become the accepted interpretation of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We may wonder why Hillel rephrased the pasuk into a negative form. Indeed, it would seem implied that Hillel focused only on negative morality – which definitely does not present a Torah perspective. Horav Yisrael Salanter, zl,…

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“Love your neighbor as yourself, I am Hashem.” (19:18)

Horav Yosef Leib Bloch, zl, comments that the last two words of this pasuk, ‘s hbt, “I am Hashem,” represent more than the conclusion of the pasuk. They actually define the essence of one’s obligation to be sensitive to his friend’s needs. He cites the Talmud in Sukah 53a which quotes Hillel Ha’Zakein’s famous exclamation during the Simchas Bais Ha’Shoeivah. “itf hbt ot itf kfv,” “If I am here, then everyone is here.” This statement contradicts everything we have been taught regarding Hillel’s character. He was known to be the paradigm of humility. How could he make such a statement?…

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“Speak to the entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael and say to them: You shall be holy.” (19:2)

Rashi explains that this section was proclaimed when all the people were assembled because most of the fundamental laws of the Torah are dependent on it. Many other mitzvos apply to only a particular segment of the nation, such as kohanim, leviim, the first-born, the males, etc.. The call to holiness, however, includes all of Klal Yisrael. Each person is implored to sanctify himself to the best of his ability. Each and every Jew has their own individual uniqueness which should be nurtured, developed, and sanctified l’shem shomayim, for the sake of Heaven. As Horav Eli Munk, z.l., notes, the…

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