The Hebrew Bible expresses the central concerns of the minds and hearts of an ancient people. One such concern underlies the question posed by the prophet Micah (6:6–8):

‘With what shall I approach the ETERNAL? Shall I approach God with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? God has told you what is good and what the ETERNAL requires of you: Only to do justice and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God.’

—Baruch Levine, JPS Commentary on Leviticus

Micah’s question is the question for every seeker, every person of faith: What does God require of us? What does the Holy One of Blessing demand?

The answer Micah offers is clear: do justice, love goodness, walk humbly with God.

In his now-classic commentary on Leviticus (the book of the Bible we begin to explore this week) Professor Baruch Levine notes that the Torah’s answer to Micah’s question appears in the middle of Vayikra (the Hebrew name for the Book of Leviticus): “You shall be holy for I, the ETERNAL your God, am holy!” (Lev. 19:2)

Even though the Book of Leviticus is largely about a sacrificial ritual which hasn’t been observed since the Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans almost 2000 years ago, the purpose of that ritual is as clear and urgent today as it has ever been: its goal was to inspire our ancestors to righteousness, justice, and holiness.

This is no empty ritual but rather the recipe for a life of meaning.

Holiness is not abstract. It can be experienced in every moment of our lives. We live holiness in the way that we care for others; in our ongoing advocacy for the hostages still held in Gaza; in our courage to stand up to antisemitism; when we raise our voices to protect democracy in both America and Israel; when we fight for the most vulnerable; when we do the right thing in a world that, sometimes, doesn’t much seem to care. We strive for holiness when we live joyous, vibrant Jewish lives as part of a community committed to making meaning and changing the world.  

This is how we answer the essential question: What does God demand of us?

These are the ways we strive to be holy.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yoshi