50 | MAY 12 • 2022 

principles. The Gemara (Yoma 
86a) puts it succinctly: “Make 
the name of Heaven beloved 
through you.” In other words, 
we are called on to bring 
the people we encounter 
to an appreciation of and, 
ultimately, a closeness to God, 
through our living example.
The Gemara goes on to 
explain what this means — a 
person who is associated with Torah 
living, displays unimpeachable integrity 
in his dealings with others and speaks 
gently to everyone at all times. Says 
the Gemara, when we behave in ways 
that inspire others, we fulfil the verse: 
“Through you, I will be glorified.” 
The Gemara adds a remarkable caveat 
regarding a person who is learned in 
Torah but does not behave with integrity 
and does not speak gently to people: 
Such a person brings God’s reputation 
into disrepute. From this Gemara, it 
emerges that the most powerful way to 
promote the name of God in the world 
is through the example of our own 
behavior.
This idea — that we are charged 
with carrying the name of Hashem in 
the world through the way we live our 
lives — places a solemn responsibility 
on all of us. And it makes us partners 
with our Creator in a very real sense. 
Any partnership is defined by two 
parties working together to serve a 
common interest, a common set of 
objectives. God wants to spread truth 
and light in the world and calls on us 
to be His partners in this endeavor. We 
carry out this sacred charge by being 
living examples of the goodness and the 
decency and the uprightness and the 
inspiration that accompanies a Torah life, 
thereby ensuring people have a favorable 
impression of God and His Torah.
Abraham is our standard bearer 
in this regard. He spread the light of 
Godliness in a world of pagan idolatry 
and influenced countless people. He did 
so through his kindness and his resolute 
uprightness, demonstrated through so 
many examples in his life. He went out 
to battle to save his nephew Lot and 

others who had been captured in war but 
refused to take any of the spoils of the 
war. He kept his tent open on all sides, 
welcoming wayfarers no matter who they 
were and where they came from. He was 
a pillar of light and compassion. He was 
unerringly straight and ethical in his 
business dealings. And as his children, 
we are called on to live in the same way.
So far, we have looked at public 
declarations and living by example as the 
means to fulfil the mitzvah of kiddush 
Hashem. There is a third way we can 
bring about kiddush Hashem in the 
world, and that is through self-sacrifice.
The Rambam, based on the Talmud, 
says the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem is 
fulfilled when a person is placed in a 
situation where they have to give up their 
life for the sake of God. We know there is 
the sacrosanct Torah principle of pikuach 
nefesh, which means in order to save a 
life, virtually all of the commandments 
are set aside. But there are exceptions. 
If one of the three “cardinal” sins — 
idolatry, murder and sexual immorality 
— is involved, then a person must give 
up their life rather than transgress them. 
And, actually, during a period in which 
the Jewish people and the Jewish way 
of life is under systemized attack, it is 
a great mitzvah to give one’s life for the 
cause, even under other circumstances. 
In fact, this is the ultimate expression of 
kiddush Hashem; a brave declaration of 
total dedication, love and trust, a visceral 
demonstration that there is nothing more 
important than living in accordance 
with God’s values and with our ultimate 
purpose in life.

TRANSFORMATIONAL MITZVAH
In every respect, the mitzvah of kiddush 
Hashem is deeply transformational. It 

transforms us into people who 
look to promote truth and values 
and goodness in the world, 
who embrace responsibility for 
spreading light and the love 
of God in the world. And, by 
cultivating a consciousness 
for how we are perceived by 
others, we learn to moderate 
our behavior and ensure our 
conduct always meets the 
highest ethical standards. It transforms 
us into people who are conscious and 
aware of how we are perceived by others. 
This involves empathy to understand 
how others perceive us and to realize that 
every action we perform is being judged, 
and not only are we being judged, but 
Hashem and His Torah are being judged. 
Of course, living with an awareness of 
what our priorities are in life, and being 
prepared to sacrifice for our highest 
values, also changes us in profound ways.
The ultimate vision of kiddush 
Hashem finds its expression in the 
attainment of the Divine promise for the 
climax of history, of a world incandescent 
with God’s light, saturated with the 
knowledge of His presence, which will 
one day be fulfilled with the coming 
of the Mashiach. As the prophet Isaiah 
says: “The Earth will be filled with the 
knowledge of Hashem like the waters 
that cover it.” This Final Redemption for 
the world is described by the Rambam 
as a time with “no famine, no wars, no 
jealousy and competition,” a time in 
which “goodness will be abundant and 
all of the delicacies will be available as 
the dust, and the only occupation in the 
world will be to know Hashem.” In other 
words — a world in a constant state of 
kiddush Hashem.
Ultimately, kiddush Hashem is about 
bringing the world closer to this vision 
of a world filled with God’s light and love 
and values, saturated with the closeness 
of His presence. 

Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, who has a 
PhD. in Human Rights Law, is the chief rabbi 
of South Africa. This essay first appeared on 
aish.com.

continued from page 49

SPIRIT

A WORD OF TORAH

“KIDDUSH HASHEM IS ABOUT 
BRINGING THE WORLD CLOSER 
TO THIS VISION OF A WORLD 
FILLED WITH GOD’S LIGHT AND 
LOVE AND VALUES.”

