How Do We Achieve Healthy Holiness?

Parashat Acharei Mot/Kedoshim

What is the Difference between Spirituality and Holiness?

I always strived for holiness of body and soul. Since I didn’t find it in my native country or in the watered-down Judaism I encountered there, I searched in every other religion and lifestyle I could wrap my mind around, but to no avail. I tried to expand my consciousness to reach higher awareness and holiness through meditation and some of the lighter mind-altering drugs (I was, blessedly, apprehensive to try the hardcore ones). In their search for spirituality, many of my friends adopted an Indian-inspired lifestyle, which included asceticism and seclusion. I instinctively knew that this path was not for me, so I kept searching until I found the Torah in Israel, thank G-d! I connected with the spiritual community of the yeshiva, and with the Torah lifestyle that embraced the good things of this world, through connecting and elevating the physical rather than resorting to ascetism. So, what’s wrong with meditating alone on a mountain? I believe the answer can be found in the difference between spirituality and holiness. The English word ‘spiritual’ is an antonym to ‘physical.’ So, any endeavor that separates from the physical can be considered spiritual. Spirituality, therefore, is not necessarily desirable, as it includes idol-worship, witchcraft, and various kinds of new age spirituality, voodoo, seances, connecting with the spirits of the dead, summoning negative spirits, and more. There are many evil people who are spiritual, including those described in the Bible, from Bilam to Haman. Actually, the very last verse of our parasha warns us against this kind of spirituality: “A man or a woman who practices [the sorcery of] Ov or Yid’oni, shall surely be put to death; they shall pelt them with stones; their blood is upon themselves” (Vayikra 20:27). A ba’al ov literally means ‘master of spirits.’ Holiness, on the other hand, is to follow Hashem and His Torah to the T. Thus, the difference between the sin of the Golden Calf and the mitzvah of constructing the Tabernacle with the Golden cherubs, simply boils down to whether or not Hashem has commanded it. Holiness supersedes spirituality, as the highest holiness takes place specifically through interacting within the physical realm. For example, drinking wine and enjoying meat on Shabbat can be very holy. The word ‘קִדּוּשׁ/kiddush’ which we make on wine, at the onset of Shabbat and holidays, is another form of the word קָדוֹשׁ/kadosh which means ‘holy.’ No wonder, that it was the holiness I sensed on Shabbat at the Yeshiva, that first attracted me to Torah. 

What Is Wrong with the Pathway of Aharon’s Sons? 
For a Jew to be healthy is to be holy. This is because our spiritual health is no less important than physical health. The two parashot Acharei Mot and Kedoshim are often read together. Perhaps, it is for the sake of comparing them via contrast. Acharei Mot refers to the death of two of Aharon’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, who sacrificed a strange fire in the previous parasha. Now, in this week’s parasha, Hashem warns us not to follow their example, as it states, “Hashem spoke to Moshe after the death of Aharon’s two sons, when they drew near before Hashem, and they died… Speak to your brother Aharon, that he should not come at all times into the Holy within the dividing curtain, in front of the cover that is upon the ark, so that he should not die…” (Vayikra 16:1). Throughout the generations, many people claimed themselves to be ‘holy’ by walking in the footsteps of Nadav and Avihu. In fact, I know people today who believe that following this path makes them holy. What, exactly, was wrong with the way of Aharon’s sons, and what is so alluring about their path for certain people? The Torah says that they brought a foreign fire before Hashem, which He had not commanded them (Vayikra 10:1). This is clear support for the differentiation we made between spirituality and holiness. Aharon’s sons were clearly on a very high spiritual level. They wanted to reach the highest level of consciousness and closeness to the Divine through their sacrifice. Yet, despite their lofty, passionate intentions, their fire-offering was considered “strange” and the cause of their death due to it being a fire “which He had not commanded them.” The deed of Aharon’s sons, referred to at the beginning of Parashat Acharei Mot, is contrasted with the holiness described in the second of the double parshiot, Parashat Kedoshim – “You shall be holy!”

Holiness Requires Attaching Oneself to the Community
The Torah commentaries are puzzled by the unusual opening expression of Parashat Kedoshim, “Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel…” which differs from any other opening verse describing Hashem’s command to the Jewish people: 

:ספר ויקרא פרק יט פסוק ב דַּבֵּר אֶל כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם קְדשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, Hashem, your G-d, am holy” (Vayikra 19:2).

When it comes to the recipe for holiness, it must be taught to a congregation at large, for an individual can only be holy by attaching him or herself to the community. In order to avoid evil, a person sometimes needs to escape the company of others (Rambam Hilchot Deot 6:1). Yet, this approach will not bring a Jew to holiness. To reach holiness, we need to join the community when serving Hashem, both in Torah learning, in prayer, and in good deeds. It is impossible to reach holiness without being united as a congregation. Parashat Kedoshim, which teaches us to become holy, relates equally to Jews of various social statuses and backgrounds: To the Kohen, the judge, the son, the farmer, the builder, etc. The complete fulfillment of the Torah depends upon all the different categories of Jews. Therefore, this section was said in assembly, because only the nation as a whole will be able to carry it into action (Meor VaShemesh). To achieve holiness, rather than meditating in solitude on the mountain, secluded from the community of Israel, we must be involved in practical and interpersonal mitzvot as described in Parashat Kedoshim. This parasha includes mitzvot such as expressing awe to our parents, honoring the Shabbat, leaving the corner of the fields for the poor, avoiding stealing and taking advantage of our fellow Jews, planting fruit trees in the holy land, and keeping the laws of the land. 

In Tune with the Natural Rhythm of Running and Returning 
Holiness, according to the Torah, is to live in perfect balance between the spiritual aspiration of running to cleave to G-d on the one hand and being grounded by returning to perform the mitzvot within the physical world on the other. Just as we need to both inhale and exhale, so too do our souls have an internal rhythm of ratzo v’shov – ‘running and returning’ or rushing up and settling down. We learn this Chassidic concept from the following prophetic statement: 

:ספר יחזקאל פרק א פסוק יד וְהַחַיּוֹת רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב כְּמַרְאֵה הַבָּזָק

“The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning” (Yechezkiel 1:14). ¬

Yechezkiel, the prophet, uttered this statement when he saw angels running and returning as part of his vision of the mystical מַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה/Ma’aseh Merkavah – ‘Workings of the Chariot.’ 

Beware of Running without Returning 
Returning to our question of what is so alluring about the path of Aharon’s sons, I know some people who seek spiritual enlightenment by uniting and cleaving in devekut to the Creator through klot hanefesh – allowing the soul to detach from the body in spiritual ecstasy. They often forget the importance of keeping the balance of returning to the body, settling down to do the job of elevating and rectifying this physical world. The Torah warns us that left unchecked, the desire for spiritual ecstasy, ratzo, can lead to the expiration of the soul. The Torah does not advocate expanding our consciousness to achieve spiritual enlightenment for its own sake. Rather, the main way of attaining holiness takes place by serving Hashem within the physical world, elevating this world, and transforming it to a dirah b’tachtonim – a dwelling place for Hashem below. Spiritual excitement is not a goal in itself, but a means to living a balanced life within the body. In order to attain true holy health, one must rectify the physical by taking care of our body through eating drinking and sleeping adequately, for the sake of having the strength to serve Hashem, as well as building and planting in the holy land, and using our G-d-given talents to provide services for the benefit of the world. The momentary ecstasy of the ratzo is meant only to inspire the soul to return to the body, shov – to complete its earthly tasks. Nadav and Avihu were seeking mystical union with Hashem for its own sake, neglecting their ultimate mission of serving G-d in the physical world. They were ratzo – running without shov - returning, leaving their body behind, never to return to the physical world (Inspired by Dr. Alexander Poltorak, Nadab and Abihu — Tragedy in Time. The legacy of Aharon’s sons is to teach us the lesson “not to come at all times into the Holy within the dividing curtain… so that we do not die.”