9 May 2024 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook

Parashat Kedoshim

„Through the holiness of life in its supernal content, one can come to an essential love of life.”From Orot HaKodesh II:382

Our portion is full of positive and negative commandments: honoring parents and keeping Shabbat, refraining from idolatry and offering sacrifices to the Holy One, the gleanings, the forgotten sheaf, and the corner of the field, honor for the elderly and for those with disabilities, and much more. But what is the connection between all these and the title of the portion, which opens and closes it - our obligation to be "holy"? The answer is that when we live our lives in holiness, we are connected to the world. Holiness is not detachment and withdrawal, but a deep connection to all that happens here. A connection that is not driven by impulse but is deep and essential, as part of who we are. To be holy is to be connected to life.

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The study is dedicated to the memory and the return of Itay Chen (19), who was abducted from the Gaza envelope region.

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