Kedoshim (Holy Ones)

Leviticus 19:1-20:27

“Holiness and the Golden Rule”

POSTED 02 MAY, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy”’” (Leviticus 19:1-2).

“Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine” (Leviticus 20:26).

The overriding premise of Kedoshim begins and closes with the admonition for Israel to be holy. In between is a list of rules that promote the pursuit of holiness. These range from simple ways to handle the harvest, labor, and foreign relations, to restrictions about the occult and deviant sexual activity. The wide variety of instructions are all designed to sanctify God’s people unto Himself.

As one meditates upon each of these mitzvot (commandments), a sense of protection from the wickedness of the world system comes to mind. Even though the thought of participating in many of these activities has never been considered by many of us as Believers, the sad reality is these depraved activities do occur in many civilizations. Sadly, even in the Judeo-Christian culture of America, the laxity of moral codes and basic human ethics is fostering a proliferation of many of these formerly illegal actions. One could readily conclude from observing the society that surrounds us that we approaching the Last Days that Paul warned Timothy about:

“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

When you take a look at this list of how human beings will behave in the Last Days, you can readily detect that each of these despicable characteristics is almost part and parcel with people ignoring the list of commandments detailed in Kedoshim. But rather than focus on all of the negative aspects of Kedoshim, one small section of the reading relates to the actions among the people, brethren, and neighbors of Israel. The positive commandments about how we should treat our neighbors is something that we will consider, as the distinction of our walk with the Lord should testify that we are indeed spiritually transformed from within:

“You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord. You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:15-18).

The concept of how we should treat our neighbors or brethren with respect is something that is sorely needed in the Messianic community of faith. Sadly, it has been my experience that even those who profess to be pursuing a Torah-based lifestyle often do not adhere to these basic commandments of how we are to relate to our neighbors. This is very troubling, because unlike some of the more obscure commandments buried in the Torah, with little or no reference in the Messianic Scriptures, both Yeshua and the Apostles amplify how we should treat our neighbors. Perhaps the most quoted reference is described in triplicate by the Gospel accounts of Mark, and then by Matthew and Luke. When Yeshua was asked what the greatest commandment was, He said it was to love God and love one’s neighbor:

“Yeshua answered, ‘The foremost is, “Hear, o Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ The scribe said to Him, ‘Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is one, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ When Yeshua saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions” (Mark 12:29-34).

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets’” (Matthew 22:36-40).

“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this and you will live’” (Luke 10:25-28).

If you look at these three separate passages, you will detect that the two questions had three similar, but not identical answers recorded by the three different Gospel writers. Each coupled the question about what was the greatest commandment, or how might one inherit eternal life, with the concept of loving God with all one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength. This was considered the greatest commandment, and the requirement to love one’s neighbor as himself was coupled as being the second greatest. After all, it has been said that if you love the God who cannot be seen, then what about your neighbor who you contend with on a daily basis? Here, you have the opportunity to visibly display your love for your visible neighbor or brethren by the very actions that you should be making toward God, who is invisible.

Loving our Neighbors

As you dig deeper into this Torah portion, you will detect that Leviticus 19:15-18 has a more explicit way to extend our love for our neighbor. First, you will note that the concept of judgment is valid for evaluating different situations. We should not fall into the trap that our brothers or neighbors are beyond judging, because life being what it is, there inevitably will be times when we are called upon to judge circumstances. Of course, when we are in those predicaments, the admonition to judge fairly and equitably is very clear:

“You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly” (Leviticus 19:15).

As the Prophet Zechariah restates the premise, impartiality is critical to proper justice:

“‘These are the things which you should do: speak the truth to one another; judge with truth and judgment for peace in your gates. Also let none of you devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love perjury; for all these are what I hate,’ declares the Lord” (Zechariah 8:16-17).

It is clear that if you judge with evil in your heart, that you will be opposing the Lord and His established ways. You will have exposed yourself as one who does not love the Father and his neighbor as himself.

The second principle that this portion declares deals with the chronic problem of slander in the camp of Israel:

“You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:16).

There is nothing more damaging to a person, short of physical harm, than the wickedness of defaming someone by the evil use of the tongue. Sadly, this is one of the most prevalent sins in the Body of Messiah today. The Jewish people know the damage that an evil tongue can bring to the community, and consequently prayers are delivered each day from the siddur against speaking guile. Interestingly, the admonition about avoiding slander is coupled with the command to not “stand aside while your fellow's blood is shed” (Leviticus 19:16, NJPS). With this being the case, how should we react when we hear our neighbor’s name or character being slandered or murdered? Would it not make sense to stand up for our brother and prevent the obvious character assassination? Sadly, the Body of the Messiah largely does not know how to employ these commands. We would benefit greatly if we simply came to the defense of a brother slandered.

Next, the concept of hatred in our hearts for our neighbor is considered:

“You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him” (Leviticus 19:17).

We hear many Believers talk about “the intentions of the heart.” Here in the Torah text, the Lord amplifies the issues about what is going on in our hearts. It is very clear that we are not supposed to hate our fellow countryman, but by adding “in your heart” to the command, all doubts about what this means are lifted. Obviously, there is a serious problem here because the Apostolic writers mention this concept multiple times. Consider what the Apostle John says:

“The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9-11).

If anyone holds any hatred toward a brother or sister, that person should check whether he or she is in the darkness. We should not have any malice toward anyone in the community of faith. But the facts of life are that disagreements do occur in human relations. Here, the Torah gives us a very solemn warning about reproving our neighbor without incurring sin. The Apostle Paul further amplifies our understanding of how to lovingly rebuke a brother in the Messiah:

“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Messiah Yeshua and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thereby share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin” (1 Timothy 5:19-22).

Paul gives Timothy instruction about how to properly handle a problem with an elder in the congregation. The key is to do so soberly and without falling into sin. Too often, people level charges against others for the slightest provocation. In this account, as should be practiced with others, the necessity for multiple witnesses to a charge should be obtained. The sin of a spirit of partiality is sternly warned against. Obviously, if you have ought in your heart, then you will not be able to be impartial.

Finally, the verse that Yeshua refers to regarding the need to “love your neighbor” is mentioned in this Torah portion:

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).

It is very important that the concept of loving is coupled with the prohibition against taking “revenge” (NIV) against your neighbor:

“Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, i will repay,’ says the Lord. ‘But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:17-21).

Paul links these verses from this portion with words he knew came from the Messiah Himself, and a well-known proverb:

“Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God” (Matthew 5:43-44).

“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you” (Proverbs 25:21-22).

The Final Measure

When you consider the referenced verses in Kedoshim, they lay the very foundation for one of the most important commandments in the Holy Writ. Many refer to this as the “Golden Rule” or “doing unto others what you would have them do unto you.” Remember, after loving our Heavenly Father, we are supposed to love our neighbors as we would love ourselves. As you meditate upon this Torah portion, you might ask yourself just how well you are loving your neighbor.

If married, you might start by considering your spouse as your closest neighbor. Are you looking out for his or her needs? Are you putting his or her needs ahead of yours? Are you seeking ways to serve him or her? Are you coming to the defense of him or her when he or she is being wronged? This list could go on and on. But the point is, when considering this most crucial of relationships, you need to exercise love by serving your spouse’s needs ahead of your own.

After going through that exercise, you might want to consider contemplating how you love your other neighbors. This can range from those in your fellowship or your physical neighbors in your neighborhood.

Here is a real sobering thought to meditate upon: imagine the “golden rule” like a measuring rod that determines your degree of holiness. If you are honest with yourself, you may conclude that you are not very holy. After all, when analyzing our human interactions with our “neighbors” over the years, just about all of us can recall times when we were impartial in judgment. How about times that we said something that could be considered slanderous? What about times we hated someone in our hearts because of something a person did to us? Is it possible we said or did something to take vengeance? Is it possible that we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves?

Do you get the picture? If you take the time to do some introspection, you might conclude that this is a very convicting exercise. You might realize that obedience to the second greatest commandment is more theory than reality in your life. But this is why the faithful Torah student is blessed. Every year we have the opportunity to let the Spirit of the Most High instruct us about loving our neighbors.

We also get to consider just how holy we are by looking intently at a portion entitled Kedoshim. One just might meditate upon the requirement that “we are to be holy to Him, because He is holy.” It is very possible that the Ruach HaKodesh will convict some that attaining the level of holiness required by the God of Israel is just impossible in one’s own strength. Hopefully, this will elicit a deep desire to cry out to the Lord for help. One might realize that he has been measured by the “Golden Rule” and has come up short.

Do you remember how Yeshua, when addressing His followers, dealt with the “loving your neighbors” issue? He raised it to a much higher level! In fact, He tells us we are to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:43-48).

Interestingly, Yeshua concludes this admonition by reminding His listeners that they needed to be perfect, just as the Father is perfect. Of course, this degree of perfection can only be obtained from the imputed righteousness available by the atoning blood of the Messiah. Talk about the Golden Rule! How about giving your life for the sins of others? Is that not the epitome of loving your neighbors? This measure of holiness is why we worship and adore the Holy One of Israel, our Messiah Yeshua. May His name and works be revered beyond measure!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.