Our Endless Capacity

At the beginning of this week’s Parsha, the Sforno writes that Sefer Vayikra can be seen as having two distinct halves: the first is about Korbonos and Tumah and represents the ideas of “Sur Merah”, removing the negative from ourselves, and Teshuva. The second half focuses on the “Aseh Tov,” the performance of Mitzvos. He adds that the second half of the Sefer begins with Parshas Kedoshim, which contains a wide range of individual Mitzvos. Our Parsha begins with the Mitzvah of “Kedoshim Tehiyu” which itself is an all-encompassing Mitzvah. The Rishonim offer differing explanations as to the exact meaning of the term “Kedoshim” and what it refers to, but the message is the same: we must make ourselves Kadosh. It is important to understand why this section of Sefer Vayikra begins specifically with this Passuk. It is also interesting to note that this section of Aseh Tov does not contain the “major” mitzvos, the ones that we all look forward to and make Shehechiyanu on. Rather, the Parsha has many of the “everyday” mitzvos, and many mitzvos that are Bein Adam L’Chavero. Although we cannot judge the importance of any individual Mitzvah, the ones taught in this week’s Parsha seem on the face of it to be “minor.” Why does the portion of Sefer Vayikra that teaches us Mitzvos begin this way? There is an interesting Medrash on the last half of the Passuk: When the Torah says “Kedoshim Tehiyu” says the Medrash: “Yachol Kamoni: we may think we have to be as Kadosh as Hashem himself” but when the Passuk continues “Ki Kadosh Ani Hahsem Elokeychem” we learn that we cannot in fact attain the same level of Kedusha as Hahsem, but that we must nonetheless strive to reach our own heights in Kedusha. This Medrash is amazing: would it not be for the Drasha of “Ani Hahsem Elokeychem” we would assume that when the Torah urges us to be Kadosh we are expected to be as Kadosh as Hashem himself! How is this even a “Hava Amina”? How can we, lowly humans, even consider that the Torah wants us to be as Kadosh as the Melech Malchei Hamelachim? R’ Chaim Shmulevitz asks this question and offers an astonishingly simple answer: Because we can. He explains: We, as Jews, have within us the potential to reach heights in Kedusha that we cannot even fathom. If we work on ourselves, our capacity to grow and attain greatness in Ruchnias is so endless that if not for the fact that the Torah itself tells us its impossible, we would assume that we indeed have the ability to reach the same heights of Kedusha as Hashem himself. This thought, while remarkable in its simplicity is also extremely encouraging: we must have the confidence in ourselves to believe that we have the power to reach such heights, because the Torah tells us that we can. There is a contrasting idea that appears a few Pesukim later, which I think is the flip side of this coin, and serves to further highlight the potential that we each have. A few Pesukim later The Torah tells us: “Al Tifnu El HaEllilim, V’elohei Masecha Lo Saasu Lachem: Do not turn to idols, and do not make for yourselves gods of metal” Rashi explains that the word Ellilim comes from the word “Al” meaning not or nothing. Other forms of god are, as we know, nothing. On the other had says Rashi, the Passuk uses the term Elohei Masecha, which seems to mean that idols are in fact gods. These two halves of the Passuk seem to be in conflict with each other: are idols “nothing” or are they “gods?” Rashi explains that they start as nothing, but if a person peruses them, puts his efforts and attentions into them, they in fact become like “gods” R’ Yerucham explains that this is true in everything in life: whatever we run after, and make important, becomes important. An idol of metal, which clearly has no super-human powers, can become akin to a god if a person makes that his focus. We see here too that a person has an unbelievable capacity to affect himself and his surroundings based on how he focuses his efforts. From these two contrasting thoughts, those of R’ Chaim and of R’ Yerucham, we see that a person has a choice in life: he can choose the path of Kedoshim Tihiyu, work on himself and attain unimaginable heights, or he can choose the path of Elohei Masecha and cause utter destruction, creating false gods out of mundane, worthless objects. Perhaps that is why the Aseh Tov portion of Sefer Vayikra begins with the Passuk of Kedoshim Tihiyu: we have the ability to attain heights in Kedusha through the very Mitzvos that the Torah is about to enumerate. These are the key to our growth. But we should not think that only the major, monumental Mitzvos are a path to Kedusha: every single day we have the opportunity to perform countless Mitzvos and acts of Chesed. Throughout our everyday interactions and while fulfilling all our various personal responsibilities, we have the chance to do Mitzvos, both Bein Adam Lamakom and Bein Adam L’chaverio, that add enable us to become more Kadosh, and reach spectacular heights. R’ Yaakov Kaminetzky in an unrelated thought in this Parsha, writes that if Charles Darwin had met the Chofetz Chaim he would have abandoned his life’s work because he could never have believed that humans come from monkeys. The Chofetz Chaim was a Kadosh, because he perfected himself through Mitzvos and Limmud HaTorah. Such a human being clearly comes from a higher source, and cannot be the product of evolution from primates. If we work on ourselves, through our Asiyas Hamitzvos we can attain similar heights, we just have to remember that our potential and capacity is unending. The Tal HaChaim points out that the Torah uses the word “Tihiyu” which means “You will be” and not “Tihey” which would mean “you should be.” The Torah is not making a request of us, it is telling us a fact: we will be Kadosh if we make that our goal. We have a guarantee from the Torah that we will be Kadosh, all we have to do is tap into our potential.