Permanent Kedusha

In this week’s Parsha, at the end of the description of the various laws of Kosher and non-kosher animals, fish and insects the Torah warns us: “V’lo Sitaamu Bahem, V’nitmesem Bam: and you shall not make yourself Tammei with them, as you will become Tammei with them.” Do not eat these non-kosher insects, warns the Torah, for you will become Tammei as a result. Rather, continues the Passuk: “V’hiskadashem, V’hiyisem Kedoshim: sanctify yourself and you will be holy.” The “Pashut Pshat” in these Pissukim is that they are referring to keeping our physical body’s in a state of cleanliness: if one eats a “Sheretz” they become Tammei, so the Torah warns us against doing so. Rather we should eat those items which are Kosher, thereby keeping ourselves in a state of Tehara. Rashi, however, explains that there is a deeper meaning here. The Gemarah in Yoma tells us: “If you are Metamei yourself on this earth, I (Hashem) am Metamei you in Olam Habbah.” The impact of this Gemarah is that our actions on this world, affect our Neshama in Olam Habbah. Therefore, if we are Metamei ourselves on this world, our Neshamos are affects in the world to come. But the Gemarah tells us that the opposite is true as well: “V’hiskadashem, V’hiyisem Kedoshim.” If we are careful to keep our physical bodies in a state of Spiritual cleanliness, our Neshamos are made Kadosh in the spiritual realm as well. Later Meforshim take this idea, and the explanation of these Pissukim a step farther. Chazal tell us that “Habah l’Taher Missayin Oso” If one wants to become pure, to do Teshuva for his past transgressions, he is given help from above. Similarly, we are told that if one wants to go on the opposite path, and not act in ways that are contrary to Halacha, he is given the opportunity: the choice is ours. The Pissukim in our Parsha seem to echo this: If you choose make yourself Tammei, you will be Tammei, but if you choose to be Mekadesh yourself, “Missayin Oso” and you will be Kadosh. The Sefer Drash V’iyun points out, however, that the words used in our Pissukim are not the same: the opposite of Tumah is Tehara. If the Pissukim were telling us that we have a choice, to go one way or the other, to choose spiritual cleanliness or the opposite, why did it use unrelated terms: Tammei and Kadosh, rather than Kodesh and Chol or Tammei and Tahor? I think that if we look at the difference between these terms we can understand the Pissukim, and perhaps gain an insight into our own growth. Tumah and Kedusha are both what one can call a “spiritual status” but they are different in their very makeup. When something becomes Tammei, there is generally a solution for that same item to become Tahor again. For most types of Tumah, one must wait a certain period of time, and then use a Mikva. Once that process is complete, though, he is Tahor and the Tumah goes away. If someone become Tammei Mes—the highest form of Tumah—a Mikva is not sufficient, they must go through the process of the Para Aduma. But again, once that process is complete, the Tumah is totally removed and the person is Tahor. Kedusha is different: once something becomes Kadosh, the Kedusha cannot be removed. If a person is Makdish an animal as a Korban, the animal retains its Kedusha. There are ways to perhaps remove the Kedusha from that specific animal, by transferring it to money or sometimes another object, but the doesn’t go away, it is merely transferred to the other item. Once Kedusha is created, it cannot be destroyed. If we draw the same parallels to the message of our Pissukim, the use of these two terms is understood. The word V’nitmesem as explained by Meforshim, refers not only to eating something that is Tammei—which brings a technical state of Tumah—but to any type of behavior that is not in the way of the Torah, and therefore brings spiritual Tumah to our Neshamos. But the Torah uses the term Tumah to tell us that this is not a permanent state: through Teshuva we can amend our ways, and become Tahor once again. Just as with physical Tumah, there is a process to become spiritually Tahor. When it comes to positive behavior, though, the Torah changes the terms. When we choose to go in the path of the Torah, to act as we are supposed to, we put ourselves in a state of Kedusha: “V’hiskadashem, V’hiyisem Kedoshim.” Perhaps the Torah chooses to use the word Kedusha to tell us that this state is permanent, just like technical Kedusha. At times we may struggle with doing the right thing, everyone does Aveiros, but we must not think that when that happens all is lost. Whatever Kedusha we have created with our various positive actions remains: we are still Kedoshim, because Kedusha is permanent. In a very similar vein, the Kli Yakar points out that with regard the Kedusha the Torah says: “V’hiyisem Kedoshim: and you will be Kadosh.” It is as if the Torah is bestowing the title of Kadosh upon us. In the previous Passuk, however, no such declaration is made: “You will become Tammei” but it does not say “You will be Temmeim.” One does not get the title of Tammei. He explains that this is because the Tumah that comes because of our Aveiros can be removed through Teshuva. This week is also Parshas Para—we read the Maftir of Para Aduma in preparation for the upcoming Korban Pesach. R’ Elyashiv zt”l points out that, as we said above, there are two ways of becoming Tahor: Mikva and Para Aduma. The two are quite different: for a Mikva to be effective, one must completely immerse himself, with no Chatzisos between him and the water of the Mikva. When it comes to Para Aduma, however, the Tahara comes about with a mere sprinkling of the water: no complete immersion is necessary. R’ Elyashiv says that these two methods of Tahara correspond to two Pissukim that discuss how Hashem himself is the Metaher of Klal Yisroel: One is “V’zarakti Aleihem Mayim Tehorim, Utehartim: And I will sprinkle Tahor water upon them, and they will become Tahor.” The other Passuk is “Mikva Yisroel Hashem: Hashem himself is the Mikva for Klal Yisroel.” These two methods of physical Tahara, sprinkling and immersion, exist in the realm of spiritual Tahara as well. R’ Elyashiv explains that when one wants to become Tahor, to do Teshuva for his past Aveiros, he does not require immersion. He can rely on the Middah of “V’zaraktei Aleihem,” a mere sprinkling, the first step, or even a sincere desire to do the right thing, will bring about a Taharah because “Habah l’Taher Missayin Oso.” As he grows and becomes more connected to Hashem he will experience the immersion of “Mikva Yisroel Hashem.” The message of Para Aduma and of Parshas Shmini are the same: we must take the first step, and decide to be Tehorim, to improve our own behavior and become more connected to Hashem. If we do that we will gain a permanent Kedusha that will help us on our path the complete Tahara.