Kedoshim Text Study

Parashat Kedoshim teaches us to preserve our natural resources.

Leviticus 19:1-20:27

God tells Moses to give the people a series of ethical and ritual laws instructing them in how to be holy.

We achieve nobility and holiness through practicing self-restraint.

The commandment to be holy permeates every other commandment, fills in gaps between commandments, and infuses every human action.

The commandment to rebuke one another teaches the importance of mutual responsibility.

The prohibition against interbreeding animals and plants raises questions about the kashrut of genetically modified foods.

Only through the combination of ritual and ethics can Judaism fully express itself.

The commandment to be holy raises questions about our responsibilities towards community and our relationships with God.

The commandment to leave behind some of the harvest for the poor challenges our assumptions about to whom the food belongs in the first place.