Hebraic Musing – What are the various ways to “Be Holy”?
“Holy”
in Hebrew looks like this – vDq. .The symbolic
translation is Qoph q
= (Back of head) holiness; Dalet D =
Door (of tent); Shin v
= (Two teeth) protect, peace. So we might say that Holy means “in the back
of the head there is a door to protect peace.”
Obtuse? Maybe, but what did God mean
when He told Moses to tell us to “Be Holy”?
“Speak to the entire
assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be
holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Leviticus 19:2 NIV What exactly does that mean? How do we become holy?
Let’s take a look at
the Hebrew word for holy, Kadosh, and how it is used in many different
contexts within Jewish tradition and law. Here are practical
instances where the root word for holy, Kadosh, is found:
· A marriage is
called kedushin.
·
The blessing over a cup of wine before Sabbath/holiday
meals is called kiddush
·
The prayer a son or brother recites in memory of the
deceased is called the kaddish.
All
of these various events share the same basic name. (Remember, the original
Hebrew did not contain vowels) What
do each of these events have in common and what do they teach us about
holiness?
· A marriage, kedushin,
is about two people separating themselves from every other man and woman
in the world and dedicating themselves exclusively to each other.
· When we say the kaddish
blessing over wine on special holy days, we are declaring that the particular
day as different or separate from all other days, dedicated exclusively
to God and worship.
· When we recite
the kaddish prayer for the dead, we are acknowledging that the soul
has been separated from us, and is thus closer and closer to God.
All
three situations involve separation from one thing in order to come closer to
another; and that is the Jewish view of holiness. It’s living a life that is completely and
exclusively dedicated to serving God and abandoning all activities that take
away from serving God. In fact, the
first mention of Holy in Scripture is in Genesis 2:3 – “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it
he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” The Sabbath is truly a day separated from
other days.
We
all know, or should know, that we have a purpose in life; but sometimes we live
life “by accident.” It is easy to forget
our purpose and spend our time and energy on things that don’t really fit our God-given
purpose here on earth. To live “with
purpose” means we need to recognize and act such that our lives align with our
God-given purpose for being here. Here
are a few mundane examples:
·
Eating
can be a mindless, self-indulgent act; or it can be an act of serving God when
we thank Him for the food that gives us the energy to serve Him.
·
Sleeping
can be a purely physical experience, or we can dedicate our rest for the
purpose of preparing our bodies to serve God when we wake.
·
Earning
money can be a purely selfish pursuit, or we can use our earnings to further
God’s purposes.
So
how can we become holy? How can we find
a way to separate all the activities we are already doing and designate and
dedicate everything we do to our God-given purpose for which He placed us here
on earth?
Points to ponder
How can we recognize everything we do as being
service to God?
Is everything we do serving our God-given purpose?
"Therefore come out from
them and be separate, says the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 6:17
Yosef a.k.a.
Joe Brusherd June
6, 2017
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