Kedoshim | Holy Bumper Stickers!

What happened to car bumper stickers!? Way before the days of aspiring to drive a clean, white Tesla - car bumper stickers were all the rage. If you wanted to get your message across strongly and proselytise the world, there was no better way to do it than by sticking a flashy one-liner on the back of your car.

Some ‘thorough’ research revealed that the reason why our cars all look so smooth nowadays is largely because car manufacturers changed bumpers from steel to plastic and stickers would ruin the paint job. There’s also the advent of social media where your profile can be turned into a tweeting bumper sticker machine multiple times a day - broadcast proudly to your algorithmic ‘echo chamber’!

Be that as it may, the climax of our joint Parsha this week is ‘bumper-sticker’ worthy - even on a new Tesla. “Kedoshim Tihyu!” “Be Holy!”

Rashi believes that this is juxtaposed with Acharei Mot’s mitzvot against immorality to give us a general imperative to ‘Be Separate’ - refraining from immorality. The Ramban takes a different approach with his famous call to “Be Holy in that which is permissible to you”.

In our quest for closeness with G-d we have these two main options. We can either focus on separating from the challenges of this physical world, ascetically ascending the isolated mountain to retain an untainted holiness or we can courageously stay on the ground, consistently working to integrate Hashem's highest values into our everyday lives and the many diverse encounters across the worlds of society, career and state.

As Medinat Yisrael continues to forge it’s way forward, only 75 years young, now, more than ever, we have to answer the call to do the courageous work of the Ramban - to appreciate the world in front of us - engage in it and be Holy through it and with it. We cannot take the miracle of Medinat Yisrael for granted - we have to be the bridge between the natural and the supernatural and do that which is ‘upright and good’. “The good in the Eyes of Heaven and the upright in the eyes of Man.” (Sifrei Devarim Re’eh).

May we celebrate the 76th year of Modern Statehood as a far more committed and unified people. After all, we are the bumper stickers of Hashem. “Kedoshim Tihyu, Ki Kadosh Ani”.