153 Torah Book & Portion, Book of Leviticus, Shemini (Leviticus 9:1–11:47), Source Book Keys, AMEMEI LEVITICUS | 11:45 holy — LEV126 Judaism raises the act of eating to someth... LEV126 Judaism raises the act of eating to something holy by selecting only those foods permitted by God and by acknowledging God each time a food is eaten in the form of a blessing. Of all the subjects Maimonides could have selected for his Book of Holiness (one of the fourteen books of Jewish law in his Mishneh Torah), he selected only two topics: the laws of permitted and forbidden sexual activity and the laws of permitted and forbidden food. Thus, Maimonides, too, is saying that one becomes holy by satisfying the physical for a spiritual purpose. Nowhere is this concept more apparent than in the Shabbat. Holiness is first mentioned in the Torah with regard to Shabbat (Gen. 2:3). Besides the Kiddush, there are specific actions that man must take to make the Sabbath holy. All of these things have one thing in common: they are fulfillment of physical desires performed for making Shabbat holy. In addition to the wine, man makes Shabbat holy by preparing and eating the best food of the week and by dressing up in the finest clothes of the week. The Talmud (Shabbat 25b) says that it is a mitzvah to wash one's body in preparation for Shabbat. This clearly shows that the Shabbat is made holy through actions that satisfy bodily needs for spiritual purpose. In the portion of Leviticus called Kedoshim, named for the commandment "Be Holy" that begins the portion, the rest of the commandments that follow are, by and large, everyday activities, which take place in the marketplace. These include "Love your neighbor", "Do not steal," "Do not withhold gifts to the poor," and so forth. According to one opinion (Bava Kamma 30a), a person achieves piety by learning the laws relating to the marketplace and damages. Thus, holiness, once again, seems to be achieved in the physical world, by making the physical activities spiritual, and not the other way around. This entire approach is encapsulated in one phrase from the Talmud (Yevamot 20a): "Make yourself holy through that which is permitted to you." Share Print Source KeyAMEMEIVerse11:45Keyword(s)holySource Page(s)100 Switch article LEVITICUS | 11:44 sanctify — LEV125 It may well be that another reason for the... Previous Article LEVITICUS | 11:45 holy — LEV127 See [[LEV285]] Leviticus 19:2 holy SPERO 4... Next Article