KLM: Mitzvot of Parsha Mishpatim - What is Kedusha? How To Be Holy! with Rabbi Asher Baruch Wegbreit

[Music] the what I hope to give you yet again like we did last week in pares yro is a word for the shabas table right just think of how many people around the world are studying the Torah portion on a weekly basis and you'll get a word for the table but the km's slice of it is I hope to give you a mitzvah for Life a word for the table and a mitzvah for life now we're using the book as we said EV and we're getting a servant of the king of kings view of the Torah portion and one of the features I thought would be fascinating for you to know is how many mitzvas are delineated in the pares yro where the Ten Commandments came had 78 Mitzvah now we come to par Mish ready for this I hope you're sitting down 154 Mitzvah are contained in this paraa okay let's so it's not to overwhelm you we're going to do one okay we're going to get a word for the shabas table on the on this verse and then we'll see a mitzvah for life from the very same verse let's get started so so I'm going to show you the PK in the Torah and maybe I'll just tell you what um the key word here it it's a word that in Translation is recognized around the world ever since the Torah came out and that word is called Holiness in in English holy in Torah it's called kados kadus Kush that's the Hebrew word for what is translated is Holy what we need to know is what does holy mean and what difference does it make okay we're going to see both let's go so I want to show you the source in the Torah we um is that good do you see it uh yeah yeah that's great wonderful ful okay so for those of you um who want to know the exact location this is in the second book of the five books of Moshe shos and it's in pares Mish which is as we see hundreds of laws mosha after he get you know if you if you don't know a lot about Judaism in Torah you you think of the Ten Commandments right and Charleston H whoever he was you you think of that but uh here we're going to see there's 154 we're not going into them but there was4 as I mentioned okay so now we're detailing after Moses comes down from the mountain now we're getting into the details okay the Angel by the way is in the details here we go this pusk I'm going to read it in Hebrew and then in English and then we'll delve in so it's in chapter 2 2 PK 30 and it says like thises this is going to be translated in two different ways in a certain sense right let's say people right they say people people of Holiness you shall be for me or people of Holiness you will be for me it's all in the delivery okay and then let's just finish the verse it says ubas um and meat of an animal that was had its flesh torn it's called trafe by beast and hers uh Predators attacked a let's say a kosher animal uh a cow and let's say a bear killed a cow uh not killed a cow that would be a NAA but it it tore um it tore the Flesh of it in a place where it will die if it doesn't die now okay it's called tra so tra meat um that was found in a field loo don't eat it but how about this do some kindness with it uh the K Tash throw it to a dog and let a dog enjoy it the Jo dog doesn't have rules uh dietary requirements okay that's the pusk but what we want to zoom in on is the first four words KES okay first we're starting with the word for the shabas table meaning let's get a deep insight into the Divine message that's being delivered here all right before we get into the mitzvas that are embedded in this okay so here we go word for the table so the the the phrase here right people of Holiness we have to Define what holy means and then we have two ways to look at the same word t now if you understand from the or oral Torah and I mentioned this before that it teaches us that you can find everything in the Torah okay Hashem encompassed in the Torah all of Jewish history all of science all of history etc etc etc you know I'll give you a an example an amazing example there's a hospital uh in Israel that's very uh well known uh it's called shic the gates of uh righteousness shic hospital my my wife gave birth there several times gar and it's a very special hospital and it was built I think in the 1940s 50s okay who built it the son of one of the chief rabbis there was a rabbi named rev ysf Kim Son enfeld and he designed the hospital the architecture for the hospital as it still stands okay now that was like I said in 1940s and 50s and it's still standing where where did he go to architecture school he didn't he learned it from the M Aran which talks about domains and structures he used the talmud and built the hospital that's still standing okay I'm just trying to say to you so much is infused in every phrase and word okay so let with that here's what we're going to um uh try to understand what does cod kodes mean holy this is the definition that I'm going to uh start with and then we're going to uh pun intended we're going to elevate that definition I think I think um the best way to in on the lowest level means uh different um separated right separated apart from but more um to the point is distinguished okay something that Holy is distinguished from that which is not holy so we say for example the Sabbath Shabbat is Holy it's distinguished from the rest of the week it's not like the rest of the week and the concept of Jewish marriage is based on the idea of holy what does it mean that you mades and Isa uh uh a man sanctify see oh that's another way it's translated sanctifies what is he doing he's distinguishing his wife from all other women in the world right saying you are absolutely unique and distinguished and it's done in a very beautiful way okay so it's saying that um whatever you're referring to as kodish or holy is distinguished distinct unique okay all good words to say now what's the first message that's being delivered here when I say the first message it's it's one I want you to share with your friends and family okay and that is um and it comes from uh one of our most esoteric books the Zohar okay and just to introduce it I I want you to um realize that uh you know one of the hottest topics right now in the world is anti-Semitism and the reason it is is because it's hot right now okay and uh we know that we're hearing reports all around the world and in the college universities anti-Semitism is spreading now uh that's a terrible thing but we we believe that there's nothing that Hashem does that's truly Terri okay it always is for the ultimate good so what is it that uh what's the good thing about anti-Semitism I hate even saying it and it's horrible no one should do it that you'll have hell to pay I promise I promise there'll be held to pay for any anti-Semitism but in in in AEM allowing it what's the good thing so it reminds um people who are Jewish that they're Jewish right now it's unpleasant it's Starling it's uncomfortable and sometimes people uh throughout the Jews have made the like wrong decision about it at times to just try to hide their Judaism but that it just doesn't work it didn't work in Nazi Germany Mak shamam okay so here's the thing suddenly a person says what's this why why are the Jews getting this why am I getting what did I do wrong right what did I do wrong that's what Israel is trying to say what did we do wrong we were viciously attacked why is this happening right so again if we don't um search to discover our true identity sometimes it's brought to our attention Okay now here's the surprise okay KES means AEM means here ready here's how we're going to translate this KES Hashem is saying you are you will be a holy people to me for ever and ever meaning you will always be a distinguished to me now what is Hashem saying by us being distinguished it's really really beautiful and I feel like this is such a this is the ultimate source for a Jewish person to feel a sense of um esteem pride and joy over being part of the Jewish people listen to what the Zora observes is this the first time Hashem has spoken of us as distinguished no there are four times that the Jews are described by Hashem as a special Nation okay I'm going to read them and I'm going to read what the zor says is the message from it okay so it's said back in the previous uh parro um Co you Jewish people will be a kingdom of nobility you'll be noble men and Noble women all right now the thing is this the sad thing is when we forget who we are we we end up actually thinking we're um like a peasant because the the world around us knows we're different and doesn't always look at us in the most positive way so we absorb such negativity but we are nobility you hear that nobility the the creator of the world says you are a kingdom of nobility to me that's the first thing he says but look the Zar says that but his love for us is not complete by saying that he says it also says you're a kados You Are Holy people okay so that's the next thing so he's saying I it's not enough for me to tell you that I I look at you as a kingdom I'm the king and you are noblemen you're you're a kingdom of noblemen yourselves your princes and princesses not you're holy meaning here's again Hashem says I distinguish you as a disting you're distinguished people and that's an expression of love but the sah says that still doesn't express aem's love for us sufficiently I'm reading the zor this not my words okay so it says after that um the next expression that is kados again you are a distinguished Nation to me why is Hashem repeating this this is what we have to understand that's the third time that we've been described as special uh Noble distinguished right one more one more is our verse our says you are you will be uh a holy people to me right that's okay now here's something to think about uh this reminded me of uh some poetry that's very famous okay I bet I can start the line and you can finish it uh the poet was Elizabeth Barrett Browning and she said this how do I love you what's next let me count the ways who hasn't heard of those beautiful words and then she enumerates the way she loves the loved one right so uh and and it's it's multiple times basically saying I love you I love you I love you I love you so I once heard this from a REV gersfeld Sita he says why do parents nag children okay nagging is negative in a certain sense meaning why do they repeat themselves again and again so he wanted to say that one of the causes let's say the positive causes of a parent nagging a child is because they're wor they're going it's something important and they're worried they're going to forget brush your teeth brush your teeth brush your teeth so they don't really on to brush of their teeth and you they parents know what's going to happen if you don't brush your teeth it's important to brush your teeth just an example that way he says really you know our divine parent Hashem is the perfect Divine parent is saying that when he repeats things he's trying to say this is important and I know you may forget one of the things Hashem said a lot is the world is good every day of creation the world is good the world is good why because in order to give us free will we can forget how good the world is okay so do he here since uh being Jewish means we're distinguished and being you're distinguished you could be prey to uh jealousy negative feelings and things like this so Hashem says how how much do I love you let me count the way this is Hashem repeating himself this is divine words Hashem is not a poet he's not Elizabeth Barett Browning when Hashem repeats something it has Eternal depth so Hashem felt it so important to tell us how distinguished we are and how beloved we are to him that's your word for the table tell tell look all right we're having an identity crisis right now okay we're being shaken up and the the the thing we need to know so preciously is that the creator of the world loves us and has distinguished us and that's never changing right four times to stress the point so when we're so just remember the words holy mean can mean distinguished and we're being told as a group of people you know people identify with their sports teams their soccer team and their football team they get such pride and they ah Arsenal won that's that's a nod to London okay oh the the the Cowboys won so oh we won the creator of the universe whole he he thinks we're winning okay that's the word for your table you are says Hashem you sh you are to me you shall be for me always a distinguished Nation okay part one is complete we have a word for the shabas TBA you can build um build your identity of you your family and your nation build it at the shabas table by saying look the creator of the world says you are so special to me okay now let's take a look at the same verse and get a mitzvah for Life remember a word for the table and a mitzvah for life and back to the same words but we're going to add another dimension okay so that one is Hashem is making a love declaration to us you shall be a holy people to me forever and ever that's a drush by the mid by the zor okay but there's also what's called a bat um which means the primary meaning in the context so according to most commentators this is a commandment to be holy it's not just a just a promise from the Creator that he considers holy and special we're being commanded to be holy now um what we said here notice how do you tell what the meaning is in the context well one way is you look at the rest of the verse you look at the context so when it opens up and sayses uh holy people you should be for me be a holy people to me I command you to be holy and then it says don't eat uh and animal which a predator struck don't eat trfe food okay that it's called trafe in in Hebrew Okay amongst other things so what does it mean to be holy in this context and the idea is really um so deep and beautiful so let me let me start out with this um I'm going to add on to the word distinguished into in English kodish doesn't just mean distinguished it means exalted all right exalted means something like really high up right okay exalted elevated right so it's very interesting because even in the parlament of regular human beings and around the world there is a kind of idea that higher is greater and lower is lower okay that was so low of him right he acted like an animal right we see he's an angel right so even if you know the people that unfortunately haven't discovered that the Torah is actually true and it's prophecy it's a said but so they know the concept of an angel of this exalted spiritual being you see I use the word exalted so that's how we use it because we recognize there's some sort of now this is to describe spiritual things and it's not real it's not about height in a physical sense but um height in a physical sense sort of imparts the idea okay so there is a scale of um exalted to lowly all right and let me do let me uh explain who what's on top of the scale obviously Hashem the Creator of the universe the ruler and King of the universe of universes right the one who brought reality into being there's nothing more exalted than the one who made the entire creation from nothing okay not to mention all the other amazing glorious things okay so on the top of the Holy right of uh of exalted is AEM what's next in line terms of let's say being distinguished apart from and exalted so in truth we would have to say in a certain sense malim Angels right wow he's an angel an angel applies a certain type of perfection and the Torah teaches us that angels are like pure pure intellect and uh Perfection there there's some sort they're created so they're not perfect in the way hasem is but there is they are um exalted beings and they are not physical at all see here's the point physicality and loneliness are um part of the fabric of things okay so right below let's no not right below there's no comparison between hisem and his Grayson please take note of that so you have MIM what comes next right what's below there so um let's sort of as Jewish people but I'm going to say servants of the Creator okay and um and then there's also Humanity at large now Humanity at large and the Jewish people anyone can join but you don't have to join to be a servant of the crator but what is so special about them we'll get to it in a second but right we have Hashem as if you can't even relate to him in a physical sense you have maling at the top of the hierarchy you have uh Torah observant beings Jews okay uh or levels of it and then you have uh human beings that are created in the image of God then you have animals and then you have Wicked people they're the bottom of the Heap okay and I have a proof for that so what is special about the middle group of human beings creating the image of God and uh Jews observing okay the the answer is that we are a mix of Angel and animal okay and that that puts us in in a very unique position because we can go up towards AEM or we can go down below animals that that's the choice human beings have okay so now when I say go up towards Hashem I'm not totally again Hashem in his Essence totally apart but I'm not being totally um figurative the Torah declares this it says be holy kados because I'm holy you hear that so there's uh when we when we choose to when we choose to be holy we're choosing to exalt ourselves Elevate ourselves far more and more towards angels and even towards Hashem in a manifested way and farther and farther from the ground from the animals and loneliness okay and rabeno yonas teaches us what everyone instinctively said about what Hamas yamam did on October 7th they said to call them beasts or animals is an insult to beasts or animals when people are cruel and Har and take innocent people and babies and act that way they have gone they have skipped the level down they didn't skip down to animal they went below and rabona says that when we sin when we go away from the will of God um we are below an animal we're not on we didn't act like an animal we acted worse than an animal okay so that's my lofty introduction for the Mitzvah of being kados to be holy Okay so Hashem is in this understanding commanding us to be a holy people so I know you're going to ask me and you should how do you do that so we're going to discuss how to be holy and that's how we're going to finish okay let me I don't think we need to see the verse right now um so how do you put this how do we Infuse our beings with Holiness that's what we're going to describe right now so the truth of the matter is there are uh how do I be holy let me count thy ways we have different ways we can be holy uh and it's again a scale all right so if you look at it again if it um the well let's go we went from top to bottom right hasem malim Angels human being uh Jews human beings all in the same area there uh animals and then Wicked people okay so the first so interestingly enough this is a positive commandment and it's mentioned several times so it's very important and when you work on being holy especially we'll get to it when you have cavana for being holy you're going to see that um there's a lot of kadua that descends on you okay here we go so the first thing is the the theme uh here and I think this is worth quoting by the way um if there's enough interest and how do you express your interest you can uh email me rabi webite um gmail.com if there's enough uh interest I'm going to create graphic illustrations for all of this but for now let me just illustrate it with my hands okay but here's a saying that can um that can kind of capture all the myths in a saying and then we're going to go into the details of opportunities real quick this is not going to be taking too much longer okay here's the here's the theme just say no to the low I repeat just say no to the low okay where's the lowest you can go we discussed it to sin right so whatever the Torah um describes this in let me hit people where it hurts you know like um speaking gossip speaking negatively you know uh um acting inappropriately uh not not connecting to God when you do Mitzvah okay so wherever the Torah says no don't do that a is so by you saying no you are being holy okay so there's a Mitzvah of Holiness by avoiding sin and doing Mitzvah all right the good news is right now what are we doing we're learning to and the whole rais Andra of kavan mitus is to sanctify intensify the beauty of what you're doing by adding conscious intention right so right now everybody should have conscious intention we are fulfilling the Mitzvah of learning Torah but you are also fulfilling the Mitzvah of Holiness because whatever the Torah says makes you have a separate commandment of being holy okay so that that's but the point is my the lowest wrong is say no to the lowest of the low which is being Wicked next now you have animals right so the next a next set of Mitzvah are just say no to to being animalistic okay what do I what do I mean by animalistic and that's in this verse is there are certain foods there's a diet for someone who wants to be holy now just to show you that um it's instilled let's say in a human being a diet that shows he's higher than an animal okay animals eat living flesh right but unless a person's really messed up they don't eat living flesh okay animal okay so one of the things is we see and also animals don't eat grass why it's it's not it's not an it's a c that's what a cow does we're not cow s and we're not lions and bears okay so you know we repulsed by by live flesh and grass because we're on a higher level but then there's the holy diet that's what kosher is that's what not eating trafe and NAA and kosher food it's a d diet to go even higher than normal with animals animals don't have a animals eat a certain thing we go past that we avoid any food that makes us more animalistic that's how the Ron bond for example explains TR conoser we don't eat eat those Foods because Hashem said so but there's a deep meaning which is it's a diet um it's a diet for Holiness for ascending becoming exalted and getting up and up and closer okay so just say no to sins one Mitzvah and yes to mitus just say no to non- kosher food if you're Jewish okay and if you're not Jewish don't eat live um animals you know living a Lim off from a torn from a living animal okay just say no to that aspect of an animal also what's another animalistic behavior is to have uh sexual relations with anyone even those that the Torah forbids us to have relationship with an animal is not so discriminating about who it mates with okay I mean they do mate with the same kind thank God right but they you know they're not like going out dating and courting and this and that but the Torah the torah's rules of forbidden sexual relationships is because Hashem commands us to be holy you're Way Beyond an you're Way Beyond an animal when you choose what the Torah says says is a a marital relationship uh monogamous marital relationship you know with the opposite gender Etc that's holy so just say no to forbidden food just say no to um forbidden relationships in other words just say no to the low okay now there's one more level okay and ready just say no to kosher food in large quantities meaning even if you're not eating the food of an animal don't eat like an animal don't drink like an animal okay getting drunk is an example of that getting unless it's a Mitzvah to get drunk po him Etc so you hear when this is the ROM says that being holy is not just protecting yourself against forbidden relations the the acts of protection like guarding your eyes so you don't get caught up in a forbidden relationship and not going into a restaurant that serves uh not H not coach or food those are all ways of be holy but he raises the bar in Holiness he says Hashem also wants to not be indulgent because when we're indulging even though we're eating uh uh exalted food but we're eating it like an animal just say no to the low and you know how far we go we go past the angels we soar past them and we become as if we become more and more like AEM okay if you will do you hear this so that is our let's just summarize and then I want to throw down the cavana L mitzu challenge for the week okay we're trying to innovate every time and I have a little bit of an innovation um and I'll explain in a second but let's just review um Hashem says you shall be holy to me meaning he's saying I love you and therefore you're you're diff you're distinguished from others I Feel Love towards you and he said it a lot let your family know let strengthen our our our our identity as people that Hashem has distinguished and loves okay so that's the message for your table okay and very important message for these times but now what is the mitzvah for your life is being holy with all its Dimensions so again being holy we're commanded to say no to sin and cruelty Etc right and yes to Torah so whenever you do a Mitzvah and you avoid doing something nasty okay that's a mitzvah Holiness okay next up just say no to to eating like an animal and mating like an animal meaning let's just let's make take precautions because here's the thing you know why we sail past the Angels they don't they're not made of an animal as we said what's amazing about human beings is we have Beasts and animals in us we are partially that and we're partially Angels okay but we have a struggle right so if we succeed in the struggle we go sailing past the Angels right because that's a magnificent thing okay we use our free choice and that's why we come like AEM okay so when you when you uh keep your eyes where they belong and not staring and not let's say flirting with the member up it's sex that you shouldn't have sex with if you will okay that's holy that's a Mitzvah and but we're going to finish by saying let's have these in mind okay and when when you say uh when you buy kosher food when you reject the non kosher offer if you're Jewish right then uh that's also holy right we're going past the animals and finally we're go we we also not don't want to eat like an animal we don't want to wait we don't want to eat animal food right but we also food that makes us animalistic really okay but we also don't want to eat like an animal we are nobility right Holiness and nobility go hand in hand and a noble person is distinguished and exalted in his behavior okay now finally um each week we're picking a mitzvah for life based on the Torah portion this week's Mitzvah is kadosa is Holiness and I I shared with you several ways to be holy but if you really want to be holy sanctify your intentions right so when you observe any Mitzvah have in mind this week just try it this week I'm doing this to because you command me and because I want to fulfill the Mitzvah of being holy right and when you take precautions about the food and the relations and things like that have that in mind when you're careful when you're on the internet to not look where you should and have in mind the MIT of Holiness have intentions sanctify your mind sanctify your intentions and also okay you don't have to um not have a donut let's use a donut a sugary kosher donut but don't have 10 Donuts or whatever refrain from what's permitted to be like a noble and have that in mind so if you would like to join us for the kadha the Holiness week right meaning we're going to um work on um uh being mindful of the Mitzvah of kadha all week so if you'd like to join my WhatsApp group uh we have a VOD it's called a WhatsApp VOD where we work together to help us grow and so um again email me at Rabbi webite gmail.com and we'll add you to the WhatsApp group if You' like and that way we can work on Holiness all week and uh exalt ourselves and exalt the world as well all right thank you very [Music] much go