"You shall be holy"

1. "And Hashem spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to all the congregation of the children of Yisrael, and say to them: You shall be holy: for I Hashem your Elohim am Holy" (Vayikra 19:1-2). Rabbi Elazar commenced the discussion: "Be not like the horse, or the mule, which have no understanding ..." (Tehilim 32:9). How many times did the Torah attest to people, how many times did she raise her voice in every direction to awaken them, but all lay sleeping, unaware of their sins. They do not look or pay attention to the time when they will rise up to face the day of heavenly Judgment. At this time, the Heavenly King will exact from them the shame of the Torah that cried out against them, and yet they did not even turn their face to her. All are found totally defective since they do not know of the Faith of the Heavenly King. Woe to them, and woe to their souls.

2. For the Torah attests to him and says, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here: as for he that lacks understanding, she says to him..." (Mishlei 9:4). Who is meant by, "he that lacks understanding?" THIS MEANS one who has no Faith, and is defective in every respect. HE QUESTIONS: Why is it written, "she says to him," when it should read, 'I say to him,' as the verse says, "I will say to El my rock..." (Tehilim 42:10). So why does it say here, "she says?" HE ANSWERS: It wishes to include and add the supernal Torah, which also calls him, "he that lacks understanding," MEANING defective in Faith.

3. We have learned this: it is forbidden to approach all who fail to toil in Torah, and it is forbidden to be partners with him or do business with him, and one must surely not travel with him on the way, since he lacks Faith. We learned that one who walks along the road without mentioning words of Torah endangers his life. This is all the more the case for he who befriends on the road someone who lacks Faith, BECAUSE he himself does not properly honor his Master, nor even his own, as he shows a lack of concern for his own life.

4. Rabbi Yehuda said: How will he who shows no concern for his own life, NAMELY, BY ASSOCIATING WITH ONE LACKING FAITH, draw a proper soul to his son? Rabbi Elazar said: I wonder about this generation, and this matter was discussed. About this it is written: "Be not like the horse, or the mule, which have no understanding" (Tehilim 32:9). Happy are the righteous who strive in the Torah and know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and sanctify themselves with the sanctity of the King. They are in a total state of holiness. For this reason they attract a spirit of Holiness from above. Their children are truly righteous and are called 'the children of the King,' 'holy children.'

5. Woe be to evildoers who are brazen and act with insolence AT TIMES OF INTERCOURSE. For this reason, their offspring acquire a brazen soul from the Side of Defilement, as it is written, "that you should be defiled by them" (Vayikra 11:43). He who seeks to become unclean is made unclean. "Be not like the horse, or the mule," as these animals are very loose in morality, more than all other CREATURES. "...which have no understanding...," for people of this sort do not try TO UNDERSTAND this way. It is written, "which have no understanding," and in another place, "Yea, the dogs are greedy [in soul], they never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand" (Yeshayah 56:11). This means that JUST AS THEY ARE GREEDY IN THEIR SOUL, ALSO HERE it reveals that they will prepare for themselves CHILDREN who will be called 'greedy in their souls.' For what reason? Because they "cannot understand."

6. "And they are shepherds." HE QUESTIONS: Who are these shepherds? AND HE ANSWERS: These are those who guide and lead people to Gehenom. "They never have enough," JUST AS the verse that says: "The leech," NAMELY GEHENOM, "has two daughters, crying, 'Give, give'" (Mishlei 30:15). Because they SAY "Give, give," then, "they never have enough;" "they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter" (Yeshayah 56:11), since they seek out Gehenom. What caused all this? It is because they did not sanctify themselves at mating as much as they should have. Therefore, it is written: "You shall be holy: for I Hashem your Elohim am Holy." The Holy One, blessed be He, says, 'From all nations I wanted only Yisrael to cling to Me,' as it is written: "But you that did cleave of Hashem" (Devarim 4:4); you, not the other nations. For this reason, "You shall be holy," indeed.