What Do We Mean
By 'Holy', Batman?

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Parshat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim:
Leviticus 16:1-20:27; Amos 9:7-9:15.

W

hen was the last time
the word "holy"came up
in conversation or in an
email? (Holy Facebook, Batman!)
In today's world, "holy" seems to
be one of those anachronistic words
that we hide away in our closets
or basements and only
bring out on rare special
occasions in the fall to
say "Hi, holy days." Holy
feels ancient. Holy feels
outdated, somewhat like
our grandmother's china
in a digital age of fancy
plasticware.
What do you think of
when you hear the word
holy?
Holy time? Dusty holy
books? Far off exotic holy
places? Holy ritual objects? Gray-
haired holy people? Does something
need to be ancient or distant or
arcane in order to be thought of as
holy? Can something new be holy?
Can an iPad be holy? And if so, what
would make it holy?
To some degree, to be holy means
to be different, to be set apart, spe-
cial, to be not ordinary. As part of
the Saturday evening Havdalah cer-
emony, a time when we differentiate
between holy and regular times, we
chant the blessings singing "hamadil
bain kodesh l'chol" to differentiate
between holy and the ordinary. To
be holy then is to be not ordinary.
On the other hand, holy can also
describe everyday life.
In this week's dduble Torah por-
tion of Acharei Mot and Kedoshim,
we find the "Holiness Code," God's
instruction book for living a holy life.
Kedoshim (which means holy) begins
with God telling Moses to instruct
the Israelites in the laws of being
holy. "God speaks to Moses and tells
him to speak to the whole Israelite

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community and say to them: 'You
shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God
am holy' (Leviticus 19:2).
First, God commands or predicts
that the Israelites will be holy and
then prescribes the laws, which, if
followed, will lead to holiness. These
varied laws describing
how to go about living
day-to-day life include a
recounted version of the
Ten Commandments, laws
about sacrifices, food and
relationships. These laws
detail how we should treat
the elderly, handicapped,
strangers and the poor.
We are told to respect our
parents and deal ethically
in our business.
Follow these laws, God
tells us, and we will be holy. This
section is a veritable user's manual
of holy actions, a guide for ensuring
that life's day-to-day moments are
momentous.
This Jewish definition of holy
understands holy as being some-
thing that is unique, special and dif-
ferent, yet lived out in the messiness
of everyday life. Holy isn't some-
thing to be locked up in a china
closet or viewed from afar. Holy is
something that should be lugged
around and brought out as a living
guide as often as your smart phone.
Why settle for ordinary when you
can have amazing? Why live in the
mundane when you can be holy?

❑

Jeffrey Lasday is director of the Jewish

Federation of Metropolitan Detroit's
Alliance for Jewish Education.

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