Parashat Kedoshim 5768

In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Kedoshim, we are given the key to unlock the mystery of Leviticus, and maybe even the whole of Torah. Leviticus 19:2 reads, "You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy." As I explained to our TBS teenagers earlier this week while we stood in remembrance of the six million Jews murdered at the hands of Nazis: Holiness is what being Jewish is about. We are commanded to be holy, as God is holy, and it is our most sacred task to bring holiness to ourselves, to our community, and to our world.

The Jewish philosopher Martin Buber suggests that holiness is found in our relationships with one another. This week's parasha provides a textual backdrop for Buber's philosophy. Leviticus 19:9-10 reads, "When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I Adonai am your God." Torah teaches us to protect the powerless in our society.

Bringing holiness to our world means asking ourselves: What is today's field? What is today's vineyard? As I have listened to our local officials and community representatives in past weeks, the answer to this question has become clear to me: Our field is the California state budget.

This past week, our local representative from CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice), Wendy Tarr, asked local faith leaders to consider this question: How will Governor Schwarzenegger's proposal of 10% budget cuts hurt the poor and needy in Orange County? CLUE explains that among other areas, these cuts will affect healthcare for poor children, employment and temporary financial assistance to low-income families, financial and in home assistance for seniors and disabled persons, and increase class sizes and decrease preschool enrollment.

Our state budget is our field. It is our vineyard. And, we must ask ourselves: Will we leave the corners of our field for the needy or will we strip our vineyard bare? This week's parasha teaches us that our obligation to be holy means protecting the poor and powerless in our community. CLUE has begun to initiate conversations about how California faith groups can and should respond to these proposed cuts. I, along with other concerned people of faith, will be engaging in this dialogue. Do you wish to join in? Do you have beliefs that you would like us or members of the broader community to hear? If so, please write me.

K'doshim tihiyu, You shall be holy. Let it be so!