‫בס“ד‬
May 6, 2005 ‫כח‘ ניסן תשס“ה‬
‫פרשת קדושים‬
Published by the Student Organization of Yeshiva
‫זה כלל גדול בתורה‬
Yossi Levy
P
arshas Kedoshim contains a number of
subjects that are central to Jewish life.
Rashi highlights this point in his first
comment on the parsha, telling us that in
the times of the Bais Hamikdash, during hakhel
the King read Kedoshim because of its unique im-
portance to the Jewish people. One of those piv-
otal issues is “‫( ”ואהבת לרעך כמוך‬Vayikra 19:18), and
on that pasuk Rabbi Akiva makes the famous
statement, “‫—זה כלל גדול בתורה‬this is an important
rule in the Torah.” On the surface, Rabbi Akiva’s
statement has tremendous significance; this pasuk
is one of the pillars of the Torah. However, with a
better understanding of R’ Akiva and his attitude
toward life, “Love your neighbor as yourself” can
assume even greater meaning.
The last gemara in Mesechas Makkos discusses
an incident with R’ Akiva and a number of other
Chachamim. As they approached Yerushalayim,
they saw a fox scavenging in the place where the
Shechinah once resided. R’ Akiva started laughing,
and everyone else began crying. Those around R’
Akiva were astounded; was this a time for laugh-
ter? R’ Akiva finally explained that until now he
was unsure whether the prophecy of Zecharia,
foretelling the reconstruction of Yerushalayim,
would be fulfilled. Now that he had seen Uriah’s
prophecy about the complete destruction of
‫סוף זמן תפילה‬
‫הבדלה‬ ‫שקיעה‬ ‫מנחה גדולה‬ ‫חצות‬
(‫)גר“א‬
8:44 P.M. 7:58 P.M. 1:28 P.M. 12:52 P.M. 10:30 A.M.
Times are for New York City
Volume 19, Number 13
Yerushalayim fulfilled, and since he knew from a
nevuah in Yeshaya that Uriah and Zecharia’s ne-
vuos were linked; he was certain that Yerusha-
layim and the Bais Hamikdash would eventually
be rebuilt.
R’ Akiva’s attitude is very perplexing. Was he
really concerned that the Bais Hamikdash would
never be rebuilt? Did he think that Hashem would
leave His home forever and that now was a time
for rejoicing?
Possibly, R’ Akiva’s response emanated from his
unique personality and perception of life. R’ Akiva
was clearly upset by seeing the churban, as evi-
dent by his tearing of his garments at the scene of
the destruction. Nonetheless, he preferred to look
at the situation with a hopeful view for the future.
Therefore, he latched onto whatever positive could
be taken from the circumstances and focused on
it. This upbeat perspective most likely stemmed
from the simchas hachayim that is expressed by
the Rambam in Hilchos Deos, “A person should
not be a jokester…and not sad…rather he should
be happy” (2:6). The Rambam does not mean that
an individual must act like a clown and make light
of grim situations or, conversely, always act de-
pressed. Instead, a person must have an inner
simcha, an inner joy. A person needs to be satis-
fied with himself and his situation in life. Of
course, it would be ridiculous to suggest that this
happiness could base itself in any mundane con-
cept, such as acquiring wealth or Continued on page 4
‫סוף זמן תפילה‬ ‫ז מ ן ק “ש‬ ‫ז מ ן ק “ש‬ ‫הדלקת‬
‫נץ החמה‬ ‫עלות השחר‬
(‫)מג“א‬ ( ‫)ג ר “ א‬ ( ‫)מ ג “ א‬ ‫נרות‬
10:06 A.M. 9:19 A.M. 8:43 A.M. 5:47A.M. 4:35 A.M. 7:39 P.M.

Kedusha & the Distinction of the Jewish People
Matan Wexler
T
he Rambam in his work, Sefer HaMitz-
vos, lists fourteen rules that govern the
commandments he chose to include and
exclude in his counting of the 613 mitz-
vos. The fourth tenet is that a mitzvah klalis—a
mitzva that encompasses the fulfillment of other
commandments or a ‘general mitzva’—is not in-
cluded in the minyan hamitzvos. The Rambam
brings the pasuk, “You should be holy (Vayikra
19:2)” as an example of a mitzva klalis. The Ram-
bam quotes the Sifra’s interpretation of the verse
as saying that we have an obligation to separate
ourselves from the sordid acts that God warned us
not to commit. He goes on to explain that the im-
petus for this separation is that when God gives
the Jewish people commandments, He is adding
to the holiness inherent in His people. The Ram-
bam concludes this discussion by bringing the Si-
fri on the verse, “And be holy to your God
(Bamidbar 15:40),” found in the last paragraph of
Shema, that this refers to the holiness of the Mitz-
vos. Thus, God commands us to make ourselves
holy—separate ourselves—by fulfilling the mitz-
vos.
There seems to be an unusually large number of
mitzvos found in Parshas Kedoshim. The Ba’al
HaTurim on the verse, “I am Hashem, your God,
Who has separated you from the peoples (Vayikra
20:24),” says that the seventy mitzvos of Parshas
Kedoshim correspond to the seventy nations of
the world that God separated the Jews from. The
mitzvos seem to serve as the vehicle that sets the
Jewish people apart from the gentiles. As such,
mitzvos have the singular capacity to create holi-
ness and distinction for the Jewish people.
Parshas Kedoshim concludes with verses em-
phasizing the distinctiveness of the Jewish people.
According to the Rambam and the Ba’al HaTurim,
mitzvos play a central role in creating the special
status of the Jewish people. As such, it would
seem fitting that these words would conclude Par-
shas Kedoshim. However, the Torah continues,
commanding us to distinguish between pure and
impure animals and birds and, in so doing, not
make our souls abominable “through such ani-
mals and birds, and anything that creeps on the
Page 2
‫פרשת קדושים‬
ground, which I [God] have set apart for you to
render impure.” Yet, the Torah, revisiting the be-
ginning of the parsha, states, “You shall be holy
for Me, for I Hashem am holy; and I have sepa-
rated you from among the peoples to be Mine.”
Why does the Torah bring up the matter of sepa-
rating between kosher and non-kosher animals
here? Moreover, the Torah already told us these
very laws, in great detail, earlier in Parshas
Shmini!
The Kli Yakar, commenting on Vayikra 11:1,
writes that the dietary laws are for the sole purpose
of providing a guide for the “refuos hanefesh,” soul
food. These laws show that Jews have souls that
contain an inherent holiness that is uniquely found
within the Jewish people. The Torah revisits these
laws to emphasize the holiness of the Jewish peo-
ple. The mahut, essence, of the Jewish people is
holy and our actions must betray this sense of
kedushah. It is only after the Torah teaches us this
fundamental lesson, the Torah states—not as a
command—that “You shall be holy for Me [God],”
in the full sense of the word.
There is still one more question that we must re-
solve: What are the laws prohibiting necromancy
doing in the concluding verse of Parshas Ke-
doshim? How does this verse relate to the overall
message of Parshas Kedoshim? Furthermore, the
Torah already warned us not to practice necro-
mancy in Vayikra 19:31!
Rashi, commenting on the verse forbidding nec-
romancy in Vayikra 19:31, states, “Know Whom
you are exchanging for whom.” Therefore, if a Jew
associates with or uses the art of necromancy, he is
shunning the fact that God has a unique relation-
ship with the Jewish people. The law outlawing
necromancy highlights the difference between the
Jewish people and the nations of the world. Jews
do not need necromancy to provide us with infor-
mation and advice, we receive help from God. We
have His Torah, His commandments, and His To-
rah leaders to teach us how to lead holy lives.
The holiday of Pesach has just been completed.
Pesach is the birth-date of the Jewish people. The
themes of Pesach and Parshas Kedoshim are in-
exorably linked. We must take with us the message
that we are a unique, Chosen People, gifted with
inherent holiness that gives us the noble responsi-
bility to conduct our lives as God’s loyal people.
‫עיניים לתורה‬

‫‪Page 3‬‬
 ‫פרשת קדושים‬

Continued from page 1 trying to save the rainforests.

The true simcha and contentment that the Ram-
bam refers to must find its roots in placing faith in
‫עיניים לתורה‬
Hashem and His Divine Providence in this world.
Genuine emunah (faith) will bring a person to true
happiness. With this insight, we can gain a deeper
wishes a Mazal
understanding of the episode in Makkos. R’ Akiva
acknowledged the sorrow felt throughout klal Yis-
roel by the loss of the Bais Hamikdash, yet he was
Tov to
still able to maintain himself and to look to the fu-
ture. This reaction was only possible because he
possessed that inner peace and joy that the Ram-
Benjy Jacobs &
bam entreats each person to attain.
In this context, we can fully appreciate the pasuk
in our parsha, “love your neighbor as yourself.” It
Jen Schwartz on
would be no great mitzvah for Hashem to com-
mand an empty and depressed individual to love
others as much as he loves himself. In fact, in such
their recent
a circumstance “‫ ”ואהבת‬would seem to be more akin
to “‫ושנאת‬.” Instead, the Torah intends for a person engagement
to first develop an internal satisfaction and happi-
ness. Once that mindset is internalized, it is possi-
ble for a person to turn to his neighbor and to
spread that love and contentment to others. This
explanation does not exclude the simple under-
Editors in Chief:
standing of ‫ ואהבת לרעך כמוך‬of assisting a friend in
need or not doing something to him that you would YOSSI LEVY JAKE LEWIN
not appreciate. Rather, it reveals another layer to
this commandment. R’ Akiva, in his statement, ‫זה‬ Literary Editors:
‫ כלל גדול בתורה‬desired that each person focus this EITAN BITTER PINCHAS FRIEDMAN
mitzva and its deeper message, to get each person IZZIE STECKLER
to realize the perspective of ‫ אהבת עצמו‬and ‫אהבת רעו‬
that is necessary for a Jew.
Public Relations:
In the interval between Pesach and Shavuos, this
concept is especially important. During this time YEHUDA BRAND
24,000 of R’ Akiva’s students died. Chazal state ●
that their downfall was that they did not treat each
other properly. Undoubtedly, R’ Akiva’s talmidim
were well versed in proper Torah observance and
behavior. However, it seems as though they did not
internalize the message of ‫ואהבת לרעך כמוך‬. With a
rebbe like R’ Akiva, at the very least his students
accepted the outer vestiges of shemiras hamitzvos, ●
but apparently they were unable to internalize and Einayim LaTorah — Student Organization of Yeshiva
apply this one principle. On the other hand, their 500 West 185th Street New York, NY 10033
rebbe did. Even after the loss of thousands of stu- Einayim@gmail.com
dents, of almost his entire life’s work, R’ Akiva did
not turn sour and retreat from teaching further stu-
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dents. Instead, it is due to his perseverance and in-
ner simcha that the transmission of the Oral Torah
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