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Home -> 5758 -> Kedoshim

Moshe Marcovich
In Kedoshim, 5758

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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Home -> 5758 -> Kedoshim

Moshe Marcovich
In Kedoshim, 5758

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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Home -> 5758 -> Kedoshim

Moshe Marcovich
In Kedoshim, 5758

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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