In this week’s Parsha (22:30), the Torah commands us to be Anshei Kodesh – “people of holiness.” Other times the pasuk just says to be holy. However, here there’s an extra word – to be People of Holiness. Isn’t this wording extraneous? Isn’t it obvious that Hashem is addressing human beings? Can’t the pasuk simply say, “Be holy”? Why does the Pasuk emphasize that we should be “people” that are holy?
I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk says that the lesson to us is that we shouldn’t try to conduct ourselves as angels in our pursuit of holiness. He says that Hashem has enough angels in Heaven. Rather we should consecrate our physical and bodily needs to use them in service of Hashem. This is why it says to be “people of holiness”, meaning “people” and not angels.
Rav Meir of Premishlan said that the Torah is teaching us that in order to attain holiness one must first be a person, a “Mentch.” One cannot be holy if one doesn’t have basic decency and mentchlichkeit (ethical behavior). That is why it says to be “people” of holiness. First, behave like a good person, be respectful and kind to others, care about their property, and then you can achieve holiness.
Someone once came to Rav Shlomo Kluger zt”l and told him the following: “I work for a man who has a wine cellar. He has many barrels of wine and I’m his employee. One day I took my purse with all my earnings, and I hid it in the wine cellar. I came back and it was gone. I know that it was my boss, the owner of the wine cellar who stole it because he’s the only other person who has a key.
So, Rav Shlomo Kluger called in the owner of the wine cellar, and he said your employee had a purse with all his earnings and it’s gone. What do you think happened to it? The owner says, “I didn’t take it. It wasn’t me. I would never do such a thing.” Rav Shlomo Kluger said to the owner, “It must have been that one of the non-Jews stole your key once and got in there. However, I have terrible news for you. Because it was one of the goyim that stole it, you have lost thousands of dollars because nobody can drink the wine anymore due to Yayin Nesech (prohibition of a non-Jew touching uncooked wine). I’m sorry, but hopefully, you will find the thief. The man said what? I lost thousands?! Suddenly he screamed, “It was me! I stole his purse! I admit it!
Rav Bunim of Pshischa says that Parshas Mishpatim which deals with interpersonal laws comes right after the Torah discussing Matan Torah – the receiving of the Torah because Hashem is telling us what a Torah Jew is. Do you want to know what a Torah Jew is? A Torah Jew is somebody who cares about other people’s possessions. A Torah Jew is somebody who cares about other people’s property. Somebody who cares about other people’s money. Somebody who cares about the welfare, health, and safety of somebody else – that’s what a Torah Jew is. The Torah gave us Mishpatim, rules, ordinances, and protocols to follow. We must follow these laws and protocols.
