“You Shall Be Holy” – A Closer Look at a Transformative Commandment

At the beginning of Parshat Kedoshim, we are taught (Vayikra 19:1-2): "And Hashem spoke to Moshe, saying, speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, Hashem your God, am holy."

To understand the importance of this mitzvah and its impact on the lives of the nation, it is instructive to consider some important points raised by the commentators.

The Netziv of Volozhin (in his commentary "Ha'amek Davar") explains: "You shall be holy - in contrast to the practices of Egypt and Canaan and their desire to breach every law, comes the commandment to the entire congregation of Israel, to guard themselves from desire."

According to the Netziv, this commandment seeks to teach the people to separate themselves from desire and thereby disassociate themselves from the immoral practices and lifestyles embraced by the Canaanites and Egyptians, as discussed by the Torah in other places:

"You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices." (Vayikra 18:3).

"For all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and the land is defiled." (Vayikra 18:27).

"You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived... and you shall not follow their statutes." (Vayikra 18:3).

The Malbim notes: "You shall not do what they do in the land of Egypt where you lived: It is clear from this that the land of Egypt contained within it all the abominations in the world, so by writing that they should not do as the Egyptians did, nor as the Canaanites did, they would already be warned against all kinds of abominations and idols that were concentrated there."

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch explains: "The laws of Egypt undermined human dignity and freedom, while the statutes of Canaan sanctified moral licentiousness - including the lowest levels of bestiality."

Even researchers have highlighted the morally degraded state of the people who lived in Canaan. They note that the customs of the Canaanites "tended toward the lowest levels of immorality, they normalized the use of male and female temple prostitutes, were immersed in snake worship, and human sacrifice was common practice. The abundant amounts of bloodshed and sexual licentiousness found in Canaanite literature are unparalleled in any other ancient mythological literature” (Biblical Encyclopedia, under the entry "Canaan").

On several occasions, our Sages describe the extreme materialism and infatuation with worldly desires that were prevalent among the Egyptians and Canaanites:

"The practices of the Egyptians are more corrupt than all other nations... The practices of the Canaanites are more corrupt than all other nations." (Sifra on Vaykira 18:3).

"This compares the practices of Egypt to the practices of the Canaanites; just as the Egyptians were immersed in idolatry and bestiality, so too were the practices of the Canaanites." (Yalkut Shimoni, Vaykira, Chapter 18, Symbol 590).

Indeed, the similarity between the Egyptians and the Canaanites should not be surprising. The Egyptian Empire ruled over Canaan for a long period (before the Exodus from Egypt) and deeply influenced the lifestyle of the inhabitants of Canaan.[1]

After spending hundreds of years under the influence of the Egyptian Empire[2], the Jewish people were fortunate enough to leave Egypt, receive the Torah, and embrace a different way of life. Hashem commanded them to be holy by abstaining from the evil practices they had been exposed to for so long in Egypt and by shunning the evil ways of the inhabitants of Canaan, the land which they were about to inherit.

Then and now, the ability to stand up and reject the immorality that surrounds us, enables us to be holy and cultivate own spiritual destiny.

[1] The researchers note: "For the entire time, Canaan was subject to the prolonged and vigorous influence of Egypt... In certain respects, the Egyptian and Canaanite religions practically merged, and Egyptian temples were built throughout Canaan." (Biblical Encyclopedia, under the entry "Canaan").

[2] For example, Shemot Rabbah notes (1:8): "When Yoseph died, they violated the covenant of circumcision, saying 'Let us be like the Egyptians.'" Later, the Midrash states (16:2): "You find that when Israel was in Egypt, they were serving idolatry and would not abandon it, as it is said (Yechezkel 20:8): 'But they did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes.'" Moreover, the Midrash Rabbah explains (22:8): "Because Israel was eager for idolatry in Egypt and they would bring their sacrifices to the demons... and they would offer their sacrifices in prohibited altars and punishments would come upon them. Hashem said: Let them bring their sacrifices before Me at all times in the Tent of Meeting, and they will separate from idolatry." The Rambam explains: "Until the Jewish people were in Egypt for an extended amount of time, and they returned to learn their practices and worship idols like them... and in a short time, the principle that Avraham had planted would have been uprooted, and the children of Yaakov would have returned to the errors of the nations and their waywardness." (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Idolatry, Chapter 1, Law 3).