Kedoshim
Lev. 19:1 - 20:27
This week’s Torah portion is commonly referred to the “Holiness Code”.
It commands
Leviticus 19:19 You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow
your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of
material mixed together. What
does this mean? According to Rashi, one of the foremost commentators in all of
Judaism, “These statutes
are a decree of the King for there is no rationale to the matter. “
Other ancient commentators do indeed find a rationale for this verse.
Nachmanides says in his commentary regarding the last part of the verse having
to do with mixed fabrics that
“the reason for the prohibition of wearing a garment made of wool and
linen is because at that time this kind of garment was used by the [Canaanite]
priests and magicians to adorn themselves when performing their activities.
And since this was for them a matter of great importance and very much desired
by them in order that they should do their activities in honor of the idols
and demons, therefore the Torah removed it from being worn by all people since
the Torah intends to blot out their deeds and to efface their memory. “In
other words, “don’t dress like the Canaanites because you will remind
yourself and others of their ungodliness!”.
Today this could be applied to clothing that represents the ungodly
world around us. For example, this
verse could be used as a text explaining why a believer should not wear a
tee-shirt advertising a music group that promotes ungodly living.
In the New Covenant, we read Whether,
then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1
Corinthians 10:31). Certainly this includes our choice of clothing and our
deportment. However, this applies to more than clothes! It applies to all
areas of our lives. We are called to be different than the world around us.
One reason for this is
protection. Living a holy lifestyle keeps many of society’s ills away from
us. On the other hand, these holiness laws are ways that we can make a
difference in our world. In a book
called Revolution! The Call to Holy War,
Michael Brown likens the call to holiness as a revolution in our culture.
There is no message more radical,
more revolutionary, more prophetic, more dynamic, more dangerous to hell than
the message of HOLINESS TO THE LORD. It is a message that flies in the face of
this sin-soaked generation. It is the ultimate counterculture message and not
surprisingly, it is a message that is hated and attacked. As Joseph Parker, a
contemporary of Spurgeon, said so powerfully:
The man whose little sermon is “repent” sets himself against his
age, and will for the time being be battered mercilessly by the age whose
moral tone he challenges. There is but one end for such a man - “off with
his head! You had better not try to preach repentance until you have pledged
your heart to heaven.”…
What exactly is holiness? Holiness is the love of god incarnate, the
purity and righteousness of God expressed through man. It is the character of
God lived out in flesh and blood. Holiness is soundness and health-mental and
emotional, spiritual and moral. Holiness is life-and I mean real life.
Holiness is truth, pure and unadulterated, crystal clear and undefiled.
Whereas sin is corruption and decay, holiness is wholeness and wellness.
Whereas sin pollutes and poisons, holiness refreshes and invigorates. Holiness
is the beauty of Yeshua made manifest in us and through us. A holy individual
is a blessed individual. A holy family is a blessed family. A holy society is
a blessed society. A holy generation is a blessed generation.
Sin is our enemy. The flesh is our enemy. The devil is our enemy,
opposing everything that is good, fair, lovely-anything that reflects the
image of God. The devil is a perverter, a destroyer, a deceiver; and sin is
the means by which he accomplishes his evil works. This world system marches
to his beat-throbbing with lust and unclean desires, pounding with greed,
injustice, violence, idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness, murder, cruelty…the
list goes on and on. Society is a mess because of sin!
Overall, this Torah portion forces us to question our lifestyles. Are
we a unique people? Are we holy? Do we view the concept of moral holiness as
the same thing as legalism? Remember
what we said at the beginning. Holiness is a way of life.
As we continue on the journey from Passover to Shavuot (the Feast of
Weeks) may we dwell on these issues and seek a life that glorifies God.
Shabbat shalom!