“And you shall be holy people to Me …” (22:30)
In this week’s Parsha, the Torah commands us to be “People of holiness.” Isn’t this wording extraneous? It is obvious that Hashem is addressing human beings. Can’t it simply say, “Be holy”? Why does the Pasuk emphasize that we should be “people” that are holy?
Rav Menachem Mendel of Kotzk said that the lesson 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. (Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita)
