Two Minute Torah Podcast

Kedoshim 5771 by Elizabeth Kaiser

Shalom, my name is Beth Kaiser and I am a senior at Miami University of Ohio. Welcome to KOACH's Two-Minute Torah; a project of the College Department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Parshat Kedoshim begins with G-d telling Moses to tell the children of Israel that, "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy." There is a wide range of commandments in this parsha. We are commanded to keep Shabbat, respect our parents, to not steal and to not gossip among various other things. Also included in this parsha is the prohibition of cutting your sideburns, proper and equal treatment of converts, and the prohibition against certain sexual relationships. There are several verses that especially stood out to me in this parsha.

The first one reads, "You shall not curse a deaf person. You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person." In this context a blind person can be referring to someone who does not have knowledge about a particular subject. We are commanded to not provide advice for someone when we know it will be harmful to him or her. Especially in college and when entering the workforce, it is very easy to get caught up in getting ahead and giving yourself an advantage over someone else. While it is of course possible to do these things without misleading someone else, this verse is a good reminder that we must not intentionally wrong others even if it may greatly benefit us. This verse can also be applicable in our personal relationships, not just our business ones.

Another verse in the parsha states "You shall neither take revenge from nor bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your neighbor as yourself." The first part of this passage demands that we not take revenge on a person or hold a grudge. There is a difference between these two behaviors. Taking revenge involves acting towards a person in the same hurtful manner that they acted towards you. For example: I ask to borrow scissors from a friend and he refuses. The next day this friend needs to borrow scissors from me. I remind the friend of his response to my request the previous day and refuse the scissors. This is taking revenge. However, bearing a grudge is more passive. In the above example, if I lend the scissors but point out to the friend that I am not treating him as he treated me, this is bearing a grudge. Bearing a grudge is not allowed because it is a form of hatred. The second part of the verse, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" is the famous golden rule. As the second portion of the passage teaches, we are to love one another. Hillel felt that this passage was so important that he said "This is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary."