Jewish man prays at Chabad center in St. Petersburg (file)
Jewish man prays at Chabad center in St. Petersburg (file)Isaac Harari/Flash 90

Famous question with many different answers. Let's focus on one of those answers, the one we presented on the Sedra Summary.

The one that jumps at you when you look at the mitzva-content of Parshat K'doshim. Fifty-one mitzvot of the Torah's 613 are counted from K'doshim. K'doshim is a small sedra. Only 64 p'sukim. Only five sedras have fewer p'sukim, words, letters, than K'doshim. And only 5 sedras are written on fewer lines in a Sefer Torah. In addition to its own 51 mitzvot, there are quite a few more mitzvot in the sedra that are counted elsewhere. K'doshim is PACKED with mitzvot.

So it isn't at all difficult to answer the question - How are we to become holy? by saying, With Mitzvot.

But what does that mean? Keep mitzvot and thereby become holy? Avoid violating prohibitions and thereby become holy? Maybe, but it isn't enough. How one does mitzvot is a major factor in one's journey to K'DOSHIM TIHYU.

KAVANA, attitude, enthusiasm are all significant to mitzvot being the correct and proper vehicle to becoming holy. And we're not talking about a quest for holiness. It doesn't work that way. (At least in this Lead Tidbit's presentation.) We are talking about a person who is in love with doing mitzvot. A person who actually rises in the morning as lion, leopard, deer, and eagle - with their particular traits. Let's take a look at a few examples. Birkat HaMazon. Benching. A requirement. A Mitzvat Asei. A positive command.

Let's not discuss (at this moment) people who don't always bench. Think of people - hopefully, yourself - who bench 'religiously' (pardon the term). Good, right? Yes, but there is more. Picture a Jew who finishes a meal and with a smile on his face and in his heart, eagerly takes bencher in hand and is acutely aware that he is about to speak to G-d and to thank Him for the food and Torah and Eretz Yisrael and Mitzvot - and with that in mind, this person draws closer and closer to HKB"H. That is the path to K'DOSHIM TIHYU.

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