Holiness: David Solomon

David Solomon discusses holiness. Visit www.jinsider.com for more thoughtful discussion on the topic.

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• holiness
• spirituality
• religon

[theintlaw]

I believe that Kodesh is first and foremost need to be understood in the relationship between man and G-d. The fact that it affects the relationship between men to men (in politics) or between man to man (in ethics) is secondary, and it isn't much different from the way customs of other nations affect the relationship between them and others.

[theintlaw]

Does Kodesh dictate the relationship between the Jews and other nations? Does the primal meaning of Kodesh (as separation) affect such relationships? Is the way that Sabbath is separated from the rest of the week similar to the way the Jews are separated from other nations by keeping Sabbath? In my view Kodesh does affect the relationship between Jews and other nations, but not in any different way from the customs of other nations that affect their relationships with others.

[Achdus5772]

When I say 'holy' I do not mean 'better'. We have a covenant and we must keep our part. We must be Torah Jews who look to our heavenly Father for the Truth. He is the Truth and the Torah is our instruction manual. Gentiles know instinctively and are duly repulsed when a Jew tries too hard to be 'just like everybody else.' They see a Jew eat pork/do chillul Hashem and their soul asks, 'THIS is a Jew?' We fail when we strive to be like the nations. This is why Israel is suffering right now.

[Achdus5772]

Pt.2

We are not to emulate the ways of the Nations nor marry them. We merited redemption at the time of Exodus because we did not change our names our language or our mode of dress. We can have gentile friends but we must be and do whatever it takes for us to fulfill the commandment to be holy. We are in big trouble in galut with the high rate of assimilation..wanting to be accepted and liked. We want so badly to prove to the world that we are no different than they are.

[Achdus5772]

I have to disagree just a tiny bit or maybe just expound on one of your points. Our Creator is holy because of many reasons. One reason is that He is so awesome, so incomprehensible so far above and so separate from us our human minds cannot even begin to conceive of His Awesomeness. It is beyond our imagination. That being said, our G-d states to the Jewish Nation," Be holy." What does that mean? We are to remain a nation apart. We are not to follow the ways of the Nations

[theintlaw]

If the Hebrew word for holiness was first thought of in the meaning of "seperation", this is not simply an aspect but the most primal understanding of the word itself. To understand "Kodesh" or "Kdusha" one needs to trace the meaning of the word back to its origin, while not being effected by other meanings such as "Pure" or "Clean" from everyday talk. From that primal meaning you should understand for instance the meaning of "Kodesh Ha'kodashim", the most "holy" place for Jews.

[dgershuny]

Yasher koach!