At the simplest level of meaning, kedusha, in the first-Temple times and earlier, was defined by one’s perisha, meaning “separation from forbidden things.” In Bereisheet (the creation story), we gain some insight into what perisha really means. Our sages tell us that Hashem had created and destroyed many universes before bringing this one into existence (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 3:14). One of the forces that had been created in these previous universes was the force of darkness, which we also can call “evil.” Bereisheet 1:2 implies this evil as the “darkness on the face of the depths.” In this context, evil is not merely the absence of light; it is the force of evil, which was clearly a creation of God, as is pointed out in Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) 45:7. It was from out of this darkness that God said “‘There shall be light,’ and light came into existence” (Bereisheet 1:3). Once the light emerged, we had the polarity of light and darkness, the light being the force of good and the darkness being the force of evil. The idea of light and dark is key to understanding the meaning of kedusha and the meaning of perisha. In Bereisheet 1:4, God separated the light from the darkness. And so kedusha, light, or holiness, means to separate oneself from darkness, from tumah, or uncleanliness. Rabbi Gabriel Cousens, MD Torah as a Guide to Enlightenment (Parsha Emor)
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 01:20:03 +0000
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