LEV907 Finally, when greedy Jewish people are finally exposed for what they truly are, then they are often guilty of probably the greatest sin in the Torah--desecrating God's name [this verse]. If the greedy person is identified as an observant Jew, the desecration of God's name is even greater, because when someone thinks less of God because of this Jew's actions, this sin has been perpetrated (Yoma 86a). The entire purpose of Judaism and one's life as a Jew is to sanctify God's name in the world (Midrash, Tana Debei Eliyahu 26:2). The greedy person who gets caught doing illegal activities does just the opposite. The Torah commands each Jew to love God (Deuteronomy 6:5). Part of that love is to make God beloved to others through one's actions and one's words (Yoma 86a). Thus, a greedy Jew who causes others to despise God has also violated this commandment. Pele Yo'etz calls this the worst sin in the Torah and the most difficult one from which to repent. He says that sanctifying or desecrating God's name often occurs in the realm of business and how people act around money. In our days, when every observant Jew is considered God's "representative" in the sense that he affects how God is perceived by most others, it is especially crucial that all actions by a Jew who supposedly keeps the commandments should uphold God's image. Therefore, for an observant Jew today, there are additional reasons not to engage in any activity even slightly resembling greed (Pele Yo'etz on "Chilul Hashem").

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LEV911 See [[LEV901]] Leviticus 22:32 hallowed CCCBM 17-19

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LEV908 See [[LEV87]] Leviticus 10:3 holy COHON 135-6

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LEV909 See [[LEV243]] Leviticus 18:21 profane LOC 20-21

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LEV904 "You shall not profane My Holy Name". We are warned not to cause chilul Hashem. There are a number of aspects to this prohibition (see Rambam, Sefer Hamitzvos 63). If a person commits a transgression without deriving physical pleasure from it, it is considered a revolt against Hashem Yisborach and a chilul Hashem. Speaking loshon hora is in this category. Another aspect of chilul Hashem involved in loshon hora is the laxity shown towards this mitzvah. If someone was accidentally eating pork and a friend would point this out to him, he would immediately spit it out. When someone is censored for speaking loshon hora, however, he has a thousand rationalizations and excuses. He will argue that what he is saying is not considered loshon hora and that the person he is speaking about is in a category that gives one license to speak against him. Not only will he not heed the rebuke, but he may be spurred on to increase his loshon hora. This total regard for one of God's mitzvos is a chilul Hashem. Yet another aspect of chilul Hashem is when a distinguished person transgresses and others follow his example. Therefore, one who studies Torah has an even greater obligation than others to guard his speech.

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LEV906 A Torah scholar's behavior must be beyond reproach. The Rambam writes: "There are other things that are a profanation of God's name. When a pious Torah scholar does things which cause people to talk against him, even if the acts are not transgressions, he profanes God's name. Examples of this are when such a person buys something and does not pay promptly when he is able to pay and the seller asks him for payment, or when he does not speak pleasantly to others and does not receive them with a pleasant facial expression, but is quarrelsome and easy to anger. The greater the man, the more careful he must be with his behavior. Such a person should go beyond the letter of the law in his dealings with others." If a Torah scholar will be careful about his behavior, will speak pleasantly to people, act friendly toward them, receive him with a pleasant facial expression, will refrain from retorting when he is insulted, will honor those who treat him with disdain, will be honest in his business dealings, will constantly devote himself to Torah study, will always go beyond the letter of the law, and will avoid extremes and exaggerations, then he will be praised and beloved and others will desire to emulate him. This man has sanctified God. About him it is written, 'And He said to me, "You are my servant, O Israel, in whom I shall be glorified."' (Yeshayahu 49:3)." (Hilchos Yesodai Hatorah 5:11)

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LEV905 A president guilty of sexual abuse; a prime minister indicted on charges of corruption and bribery; rabbis in several countries accused of financial impropriety, sexual harassment, and child abuse. That such things happen testifies to a profound malaise in contemporary Jewish life. More is at stake than simple morality. Morality is universal. Bribery, corruption, and the misuse of power are wrong, equally, whoever is guilty of them. When, though, the guilty are leaders, something more is involved--the principles introduced in Parashat Emor of kiddush Hashem and hillul Hashem: "Do not profane My holy name, that I may be sanctified in the midst of the Israelites, I the Lord who sanctify you" [this verse]. The concepts of kiddush and hillul Hashem have a history. Though they are timeless and eternal, their unfolding occurred through the course of time. In this parasha, according to Ibn Ezra, the verse has a narrow and localized sense. The chapter in which it occurs has been speaking about the special duties of the priesthood and the extreme care they must take in serving God within the Sanctuary. All Israel is holy, but the priest are a holy elite within the nation. It is their task to preserve the purity and glory of the Sanctuary as God's symbolic home in the mist of the nation. So the commands are a special charge to the priest to take exemplary care as guardians of the holy.

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LEV913 When others think better of God because of the actions that we ourselves do, God is honored. This is known in Jewish terms as Kiddush Hashem, and it is an important mitzvah. Based on the Torah verse commanding Jews that God should become holy through the Jewish people [this verse], Maimonides (Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 5:1-3) defines how a Jew's actions can either sanctify God's name or desecrate God's name. The Midrash (Midrash Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah 26:2) states that the entire purpose of the giving of the Torah was to sanctify God's name. The Talmud (Yoma 86a) explains that the commandment to love God (Deut. 6:5) actually means to cause others to love God (or to think greater of Him) because of things that you do.

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LEV912 See [[LEV225]] Leviticus 18:5 live GATES 305

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LEV914 Sanctify the Name of Heaven. That is, we shall give up our lives for the sake of His mitzvos. Our Sages delineated regarding which mitzvos and in which situations that command applies [Rambam (Fifth Chapter of Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah, Law 2) and the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 127:1).] Key concepts: We are created only to serve our Creator, so he who will not give up his life for the sake of his Creator’s commands is not a good servant. After all, we see that men who are servants of flesh and blood sacrifice their lives for their masters, so all the more so must one do so for the Master of the Universe. We find in the Sifra, “I took you out of Egypt on conditioned that you would sanctify My Name in public.”

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