"דבר אל כל עדת בני ישראל ואמרת אלהם קדשים תהיו"
“Speak to the entire Congregation of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy”
19:2
Grammatically, this verse should have said קדושים היו which would mean that is is a command for the Jewish people to become holy. Instead, it says קדושים תהיו meaning you will be holy implying the future tense.
The Rambam says that the Torah is reassuring us that once the galut is finally over, all Jews will do teshuvah and be redeemed and forgiven. This passuk can be an allude to this by stating in the future tense that “you will be holy” and we will be meriting mashiach and a complete exile and redemption.
What are other interpretations of this passuk, what do other mefarshim say?
Where else in Tanakh is a pasuk, or words of a pasuk, written in future tense hinting to something that will happen in the future?
What is another example of Bnei Yisrael meriting mashiach through their deeds or actions?
Where else is holiness mentioned in the Torah?
Rashi comments that קדושים תהיו means that בני ישראל has to separate themselves from sexual immorality and from sin, before they could become holy. Once they find the barrier against sexual immorality, only then can they find holiness. I like this answer because hashem wants us to be as pure as we can be before we’re holy, and he expresses to us that although we may not be there yet, holiness is achievable and we we’ll get there eventually.
ReplyDeleteRashbam says that קדושים יהיו means that the laws in the Torah are to make you holier
ReplyDeleteI think this is true and the purpose of the mitzvot aren’t just to make life harder it to make you a better person
^^^^ Mia Gerszberg
ReplyDeleteThe daat zkenim explains that the meaning of the last two words is made clear in pasuk 4. Where it says "you shall not turn to idols". Saying even if you just try to understand how idols are useless, do not do it! Because Hashem is the only true holy one, there is no point in looking into other nations.
ReplyDeleteThe Ibn Ezra answers that the reason behind the passuk mentioning your mother before your father when telling us to honor them is because you recognize your mother before your father. He then goes on to say the reason it afterwards says shabbos is because you then recognize shabbos. Lastly, it mentions Hashem because even though we hope that as soon as we can we are recognizing and loving Hashem but it’s only later in life that you are able to understand hashem is the real and true creator of the world and understand what that means.
ReplyDelete