The Benefits of Holiness
When considering what it takes to be a holy person, many envision someone who undertakes extreme challenges of epic proportions. This would include abstaining from the pleasures of this world and elevating yourself above the day to day life and its routine. However, in our parashah - Kedoshim, which focuses on the theme of holiness, we learn that holiness is achieved not by separation. Rather it is achieved through sanctifying actions in this world, including the most mundane aspects of day to day life. The small, seemingly trivial actions elevate us and shape us into a holy community. The parashah lists myriad examples of this and concludes by saying that we must follow these guidelines of holiness or the land of Israel will reject us... This concept is indeed resonant throughout the Torah as God wants us to think about the little things. The question begs, aside from being closer to God, what exactly do we gain from being holy on a practical level?
Our Haftarah1 gives us the answer. In the beginning of the Haftarah, the Navi Amos describes Hashem's anger at the Jewish people for falling into the quicksand of sin and corruption, as such, all those who pursue evil will die.
Yet, within this nevuah of accountability, there emerges a promise of restoration and abundance. Amos speaks of a day when Hashem will "raise up the Sukkah of David that is fallen," and restore its former glory. This nevuah paints a future filled with farmers and harvesters working together seamlessly, mountains dripping with wine, and hills covered in grain. This vision represents a time of great prosperity.
This restoration of Sukkas Dovid is not just physical. It is profoundly spiritual, promising the reunification and resettlement of the Jewish people in their land, never to be uprooted again. It's a Divine assurance that despite the challenges and the divine scrutiny we face, there is a promise of redemption, a return to a state of harmony and abundance which will replace the desolation caused by sin.
We live in a world of confusion about what is good and what is evil. We are surrounded by peoples that are literal forces of darkness or seem to have lost the touch of the little things. The message of our parashah is that we must maintain our moral clarity and never forget where we came from. We remember who we are as a people through the crucial adherence to these small acts of holiness. Each act of kindness and every decision to pursue holiness accumulates a spiritual energy within us. This energy transforms us into a beacon of light, guiding ourselves and also those around us towards a brighter, more just future. This is the future which the Navi describes as a restoration of the Sukkas Dovid. By acting in ways which are holy we become closer to God and we bring the Geulah.
Amos 9 - according to the minhag of Yerushalayim as per the opinion of Rav Tikochinsky - for a more in depth understanding of this difference see https://torahanytime.com/lectures/297571