Ashalam from Beta Vikhai and thank you for joining me in the study of Parashat Akreimot Kudushim. This week we're going to read two parashat and I would like to try to talk about true holiness. And what do I mean by saying true holiness? What is holiness? How do we create sanctification? How do you sanctify something? How do you create kdushah holiness? So let's begin. When the Torah starts with this commandment, Ish imoveavtirao, you should fear your mother and your father, the echabtutai, dishmaru, but you will safeguard, you will keep, you will maintain my Shabbatot, my Sabbath. When we read this verse, when we read this Pasuk, obviously a few things come to mind. First, here, the first one to be mentioned is the mother, and only after that the father. And the word that is associated with your parents, with your mother and father, is tiraw, which means you will have fear from them. As we know, in Aserata Devote, in the Ten Commandments, it says kabed, you should honor, you should respect, et avika, vet imacha, first your father, and only after that your mother. But here, when it comes to fear, it comes first with your mother, then later on with your father. So we have this part of the verse. And then immediately we have vechtotai tishmoru. And Hashem says, even though I told you to fear your parents, you should keep my Shabbatot. And obviously, what's the connection between the first part of the verse and the second part of the verse? And then it says, Ani Hashem Erokheim, I am Hashem your God, and therefore I'm able, I'm allowed, I would like to commend you with this verse that basically says two things. Fear your parents and safeguard the Shabbat. What's the connection? What's going on in this verse? That's what we're going to do today. The Ralbah Rabileve ben Gershon from the 14th century says the following. Hashem commanded us to fear our parents. Because there is a tremendous benefit to be able to accept and to receive the morals and the ethics of the Torah. And why? Why, through the parents, I become more susceptible to accept moral and ethics, says the Ralbag, says because parents, even if they sometimes need to be need to be tough, they will try to educate their children to do the right thing, to do the moral and the ethical thing. This is part of our natural inclination, natural really part of our DNA as parents, is to make sure that our children behave in the proper moral and ethical way. And also, as parents, we don't want our children to be damaged, to be injured, and we don't want our children to injure someone else. And also, it's not only about moral and ethics, it's also about the day-to-day behavior. As parents, we try to make sure that our children eat and drink the right thing, and they should not have an over-desire to for food, drinks, and other material things, because we know it's going to lead to stealing because they're not going to have a lot of money, or they will just do nothing, just eating, drinking, and do whatever they desire instead of doing things that are productive. And that this entire thing with the relations between parents and their children, it basically is associated with what the Torah had in mind when the Torah says, like a parent, educate, teach, maybe even discipline his children. This is the same way Hashem is teaching and disciplining us. It came to teach you about those ethical behavior. Listen, my son, listen to the ethics or to the even the rough things of your father, and do not abandon what your mother taught you. And because the model of parents teaching their children is the model for the ethics and the morals of the Torah, if liga Torah, therefore, says the Ralbad, this is why the Torah is so meticulous, really, and is so, in a way, even harsh in terms of the punishment of a child who disobeys his parents. We have this terrible story about Ben Soreu More, a child who is a rebellious son who does not listen to his parents, and the parents try their best and they try everything they can in their power, and he continues to be a person who does not want to listen to them. And the story ends with him really being put to death, which according to our sages never really happened. But the idea is that the Torah expects and demands really from the children to listen to their parents, because by listening to your parents and by giving the obligation to the parents to educate, to teach, to discipline, to guide, to lead their kids to the right and proper way, this is a model of what Hashem expects of us. So says the Ralbago, which is very simple, very logical, but yet very insightful. And I'm talking about fear, not just to be uh to tremble when they come, but to have admiration, to have awe, to have reverence, to emulate them, to understand that when they try to educate you, to teach you, they're doing that for your own benefit. And also to create this tradition that you will transmit to others. A. B, this model also can lead us and help us and guide us in our relations with Hashem. The same way we are we have fear and we have awe from our parents, we obviously need to have it from Hashem, who created our parents, and they created us. So, in a way, what the Ralbag says is that the opening statement, Ishimove Avifti Ra, which seems to be so out of place here, says the Ralbag it's not out of place. This is exactly the place. If I would like to talk about holiness, if I would like to talk about our relationship with Hashem, we need to start with the parents because this is a model, this is a tangible model, and take this tangible model and build on it with your relationship to Hashem. So now we understand the beginning of the verse. What do we do with the second part of the Pasuk? Says Rapsim Shon Rafael Hirsch from the 19th century in Germany, says the following. So immediately, even if we pause here, we can understand the connection between the two halves of the Pasuk. Feel your parents, respect your parents, have all from your parents, is a model of the entire Torah, of how we need to listen to our parents to let them guide us, which will give us the direction of how to build our relationships with Hashem. Shabbat is the model for the entire Torah. But now we obviously need to insert content. Why is it that the Shabbat is a model for the entire Torah? So Rabshim Shonda Fahr Yosh continues, and he says, This is the source and the origin for the entire Jewish destiny. Because Shabbat, sometimes we look at Shabbat only from what we cannot do. You can't do this and you cannot do that, and it's all restrictions and obligations, but sometimes we lose sight of what Shabbat offers us. First, it teaches us that Hashem has the ability to control everything. The world continues on without us while we cease from walk, and the nature and everything else continues on. So when I see my parents keep Shabbat, I understand that even though they are very productive parents, they work and they do, and then there is this day that they cease from work because they basically have this tremendous trust and faith that Hashem is the one to run the world, I will do the same. Very similar to the Raw Bag, by emulating your parents and by listening to them, you are emulating and listening to Hashem. So respecting your parents, fearing your parents, is basically a model for how you're going to build your relationship with Hashem. And the Shabbat, the mitzvah of Shabbat, it's like the parent mitzvah, it's like the flagship mitzvah that even your parents do. Which means when you listen to your parents, it's from you towards your parents. When you see your parents keep Shabbat, that's between them and God, and between you and them, and them and God. Which means we basically created some kind of an evolution. You feel your parents, you emulate them, you try to understand their education and their guiding, and then it teaches us how to build our relationship with Hashem, and then when Shabbat comes, we all do it together. Shnehemekhanhimetayudila Hashem. So now here basically brings our attention, call our attention to the deviation in the verse. If you remember in Parashat Itro that we read in Sephoshmot, when we read the Ten Commandments, or if we will read it in Parashat Vait Hanan in the book of Deuteronomy in Sefer Dvari, there it says and it says lira in a in singular or tishmo in singular. Here it says this in plural. What's the reason? What's the cause for this deviation? So says Rhapshem Shon Rafael Hirsch. Not only individuals, just few people will be able to maintain and to erect these two principles of the Jewish culture, which is parents and Shabbat. They will imprint, they will basically will root, will basically insert, will mark their mark on the nature of the Jewish nation and the Jewish DNA. Because of these two mitzvot, Hashem will be our God. This is the two mitzvot that our submission to Hashem is reflected. These are the two pillars of holiness and sanctity in Israel. And as long as we have these two pillars, honoring your parents and Shabbat, there is a common base. There is a base that there is a connection between us and Hashem. And Hashem says, he says, our experience teaches us ki bin follow. When one of these two pillars falls, gam kavirom matlin pol. These two pillars of honoring your parents and Shabbat come together because they both aim to the same goal. To model our understanding, our perception, our relationship with Hashem. And when one of them is shaky, when one of them is basically being destabilized, the other one is going to fall with him. So it seems to be that according to the Ralbag and Rabshim Shulhir, the connection between the two parts of the Pasuk, how do we build holiness, which is basically our relationship with Hashem, A through honoring your parents, and B Shabbat. So this is the understanding and the meaning of the two parts of the Pasuk, according to Ralbag and Rabshim Shulfalh. However, I would like to develop this idea and to try to understand two sacrifices that are mentioned in our Pasha. When you would like to bring a sacrifice of a shlamim, which is peace offering, you can bring it for your own will. It does not come as a result of a sin or uh or a vow. It's just like I would like to bring a Qurban, which the offering, this uh elevation, this um peace offering, is basically almost like a family uh barbecue. It's a family meal and little parts go to the kohen, most of the part of the meat are basically divided into family. Beyond zivachemi achel, so you can eat it on that day, notar, adiomash dushi bayishariv. So you have three days after the third day, it's becoming nota, which becomes a leftover, and you need to burn it in the fire. But if you eat it on the third day, pigulhu, loyalatze, it's pigul, it's something that it's disqualified and you shouldn't eat it. And it definitely is not going to be accepted by God on the Mizbeach on the altar. And if you ate from it after the third day, you're going to carry a sin, because you basically violated the holiness of the Qurban. So here we have something very interesting. This is a peace offering, which means I just like to bring meat, I would like to have a nice meal, and I say, you know what, I'll bring it as a Qurban and I'll give some to the Kohanim, mostly will come to me. It should be something that I have full control over it. It's my Qurban, it's my sacrifice. I bring it just because of the generosity of my heart. I can do it at home. I don't need to bring it there, and still I have those restrictions. What's the idea behind it? So says the Khizkuni, you will bring this Qurban from your own will. With the generosity of your heart. Don't be tzarein, don't be stingy in what you bring to Hashem. He says something that is 101 psychology, basically sometimes you see other people do it, so you say, ah, it's not nice that I will do it, so I'll bring it too. So when you bring it, so the first thing that we have is that when you bring something to the Kodesh, if you want to come closer to holiness and sanctity, don't do it because your friends did it. Don't do it just that I did it. Do it with full heart. Do it with your own ratson, with your own will. And one of the simple most basic reflections of what you do is the way you do it. If you just bring something in a very stingy way, everyone understands that you don't want to do it. And I would like to pause here for a second. Because the same thing also with respecting your parents, honoring your parents, and keeping Shabbat, there is a way to do it. The Talmud in Kiddushin and other places talks about the fact that someone can give a tremendous meal for his parents and he will not be considered as someone who honored them. And someone can basically tell his parents to please walk here and he will be considered someone who honored his parents. And why? Because the guy who just gave them the meal and just throw the meal in front of them and left, he didn't fulfill the mitzvah. He fed them, but he didn't honor them. And sometimes you need to tell the Talmud talks about the idea that the parents had to go and work very hard for the king, and this person, the son, says, you know what, you do that, you do the simple thing, and I will do the hard work. Again, it's about the attitude, it's about how you approach the mitzvah. So especially when it comes to kodesh, when it comes to how you form your relationship with Hashem, do it with full heart. Don't do it because of social pressure. Don't do it because how is it going to be perceived if I don't do A or B. Do it because you want to do it. Do it with full heart. So that's the Khizkuni. Rapshim Shalafha'i al Hirosh adds another dimension, especially because it's a peace offering. He says, when we come to bring a peace offering, and we bring it because, not because we committed a sin, not because I took a vow, just because I want it. So this is the complete wholesome happiness. He says we should not, it's not even, should not even cross our mind, any idea of paganism, which is what? He said there is something very interesting. The Khizkuni says what? That when we bring the peace offering, we need to do it with full heart. We need to show that we really want it. Says Rabshim Shonna Farish, at that point, you also need to be careful. I don't think that because I'm bringing this peace offering, not because of a sin, and not because of a vow, and not because of an obligation. I just do it in order to appease the God. I'm bringing him Korban. I want to show how much I love him. So he needs it. So I bring it to him. He says, This is paganism. When you do it, when you bring the peace offering, you need to know that you are doing that for yourself. This is obviously opening up here a pandora box that opens here a huge discussion that I would like all of us to think about is that when we do whatever mitzvah we do, when we pray, when we learn Torah, when we give tzakah, do we do it for Hashem or do we do it for us? Do we really think Hashem needs our prayers or we need it? And he just allowed us to do it. There are obviously different thoughts about it, different interpretations, but it's definitely something to think about. And then Rabshim John Farish continues. To eat with joy, with happiness in front of God in the Beta Mikdash or at the Mishkhand at the tabernacle. That's the ultimate goal of bringing a sacrifice. To eat it, even if you think you didn't even do it, but you think that I'm going to eat it only in five days from now, it will disqualify the Qurban. It says, how important and how meaningful is the connection between the verses here. At the beginning, the opening statement of Parashat Qdushim that talks about what? Kdusha, holiness, true holiness. The third mitzvah that is mentioned in Parashat Qdushim is the peace offering, the laws of the leftovers, and the pigul. When you think that I will do it outside of its time. And obviously, the Torah does not appreciate people who just follow their desires. Honoring your parents, keeping the Shabbat, teaches us, guides us to a life of qdusha. To recognize God in his purity, this is the soul of holiness. This is the flower of holy life. This is an incredible thing. Honoring your parents with all the details, with all the halakhot, is really because you will listen to them and then you say, if I listen to them, I would listen to a God. Okay. Shabbat, it's the full submission. You stop, you understand that the world can continue without you, and you understand that Hashem is the creator of the world. And he told you to stop and you stop. Like your parents told you to stop, you stop. So that's those are the basic pillars of our relationship with Hashem to create Kudusha. But then you have the peace offering. What is peace offering? You bring a Koban, you give really just little pieces to the Kohanim to the priest. Most of it you eat with your family. So just imagine a family meal, but it's difne Hashem, it's in front of God. You bring this spirituality and holiness into the most basic animalistic thing that we do, which is to eat. And you bring it together. So even in the time of our joy, happiness, very casual happiness, we do it in front of God. And I think this is the beauty of what Rapshim al Fa'ala is trying to do. Based on the Ralbag and Rapshim Shan-Faultion at the beginning, we created this connection between honoring your parents and keeping the Shabbat. Now he's adding the perach, the flower that comes out of it. What grew out of it is the peace offering. The peace offering is the idea of family doing things together, doing holy things together, even though it's the most mundane things. Who would think that eating as a family can become a spiritual thing? Who can imagine that the table that serves as basically the place that you put the plate on become an altar? And the family are almost like priests. This is when you build your Yahadut, your Judaism, on honoring your parents, keeping Shabbat, and then that will lead you to instill spirituality in your day-to-day life. The last component and the last idea of the connection between the mitzvot that are mentioned in Parashat, Akhrim, Mot Kdoshim, and especially Kdoshim, is being explained by Raf Salovechik. Raf Salovechik's in his Perush says the following. And also included the technical requirements concerning the offering of sacrifices. So obviously, what's the connection? You must be holy, you should not steal, you should not embezzle, and then laws about sacrifices. What is the common thread? What is the link that connects them all? Says Of Salovechik, the transition from rules prescribing ethics to those detailing ritual is seamless. Meaning the psukima going like one after another, and in a seamless way, they connect all of them together. There's no introduction, new introduction. Okay, now we open a new pausha, now we open a new chapter. It's just like you must be holy, do not steal, do not embezzle. Those are the laws of the sacrifices, this is the ritual. How can we explain that? Says Raf Salovajik. Sacredness, holiness, is not limited to the temple, where the sacrifices are offered, but also to places where khesed is practiced. I think that this statement basically brings everything together. To be kddushim, true holiness. Many people would think it belongs to the priest, to the temple, or even if it's not the priest and the temple, it's only when I'm in shul, when I'm in a study hall, when I learn Torah, that's when I need to be kadosh. But kdusha only belongs to where? To the spiritual world. What Rap Salovechik says, and that's what the Ralbag already starts saying at the beginning of our Shi'u, Rapsim Shonai Fali, Shiskuni. Kdusha, true holiness, is not limited to holy places. Rather, it applies everywhere. It applies when you go to the marketplace. You don't steal, you don't embezzle. Not only because it's a prohibition. But if you want to be holy, you can't do it. True holiness does not separate between your spiritual being and your mundane being. There is no such a thing. There is a connection, a seamless connection between spirituality and physicality. When you eat, the most basic thing, your table becomes an altar, the food becomes a sacrifice, your family become priests. And the spirituality and the holiness of the Quran applies on the plates that you eat from. When you go to the marketplace, when you do business, whatever your profession is, you do the right thing because this is part of Qdusha. This is part of being a holy nation. This is part of being in a holy land. The idea of Qdusha, which is a revolutionary to Judaism, is that there is no distinction. There are no barriers between your spiritual, religious world and your day-to-day life. So this parsha teaches us what is true holiness. It's when you live life in a holy way. Not only when you go to shoul, to a study, to a lecture, to a class, but even when you do the most mundane things. You can bring spirituality into your daily life. Thank you.