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TORAH PORTION
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Shabbat Mevarekim (Parshat Kedoshim):
Leviticus 19:1-20:27; Amos 9:7-15.
L
ast week, Rabbi Marla Hornsten
must be included in the retelling of
told me just about the best story the story at the Passover seder (an
I have ever heard. It is simple
otherwise exempt mitzvah because it is
in its language and short in length, but
positive and time-bound), women are
it contains such a powerful statement
included in this mandate to imitate God
that I cannot stop thinking
and thus achieve holiness.
about it.
In The Torah - A Women's
Perhaps the greatest part
Commetary recently pub-
of this story is that it came
lished by the Women of
from her son Benji.
Reform Judaism, S. Tamar
Rabbi Hornsten's family
Kamionkowski teaches
had come in to town for a
that by God speaking these
visit from Seattle and her
words,"Holiness is [also]
parents were happily playing
democratized; it extends
with their grandchildren, 4-
beyond the priesthood and
year-old Benji and 2-year-old
the sanctuary to the entire
Rabbi Jennifer
Danny. Her dad asked Benji,
community and the whole
Kaluzny
"Are you going to be a doc-
land of Israel. Anyone in
Special to the
tor like your daddy?" Benji
Israel can strive toward
Jewish News
replied, "I don't know:' Then
the holy through the right
grandpa asked,"Are you
action:'
going to be a rabbi like your mommy?"
Once again, I must say wow! Finally I
To which Benji replied,"I can't be a
feel as though women don't have to read
rabbi; I'm not a girl!"
themselves into the text because women
Wow! Would this statement have been are included from the beginning. A
made even 10 years ago? Benji's world
nation cannot be holy if only one por-
view is so vastly different than mine was tion of its people are sanctified and live
when I was his age, and we are techni-
in a holy manner according to God's law.
cally only one generation apart. Growing
Elyse Goldstein, in her commentary
up, I did not have a female rabbinical
on Kedoshim, remarks,"... it is up to us to
role model, but I didn't ever consider
define holiness in a way that is truthful
that there might be a barrier to fulfilling for both men and women." Those defini-
my dream of becoming a rabbi.
tions will encompass what it means to
For Benji, women rabbis are not only
live in a world where woman are daugh-
the norm, they are the standard! Thou
ters, mothers, sisters, wives and rabbis.
he knows our male colleagues, to this
It will have to consider the changed roles
perceptive 4-year-old, his mom is the
of men in the household (dads can cook
icon of what a rabbi is; and so to him,
and change diapers, too!).
mainly women are rabbis, with a few
Living each day striving to become
men sprinkled here and there.
holy in our new roles and our everyday
In this weeks Torah portion is per-
lives is living up to our end of the bar-
haps the most beautiful passage in the
gain. Why should we be holy? Because
Torah. Kedoshim tihyu ki kadosh Ani
God is holy. It is a covenant, a two-way
Adonai Eloheichem — You shall be holy, partnership.
for I, your God, am holy.
May we all do our part in creating
Thus far in the Torah, kedushah, or
kedusha, holiness, in our homes, com-
holiness, has mainly been restricted to
munities and in our shared world. ❑
the priestly class, those who have the
most direct connection with God via
Jennifer Kaluzny is a rabbi at Temple Israel
the sacrificial cult. Now, God, through
in West Bloomfield.
Moses, addresses the entirety of the
nation of Israel.
The second verse says "Speak to the
Conversations
whole Israelite community and say to
How can you bring holiness into
them ..."It does not say "speak to the
your everyday routine? How
priests" or "speak to the men:' Just like
has the role of women changed
women were included in the miracle
in our Jewish world? What has
of the parting of the Red Sea and thus
been the impact?
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