Pathways to holiness

I just completed the phone survey after a call with a rep from my bank. She had told me about a feature I wasn’t aware of that could save me some money and I was very grateful. Taking less than 2 minutes for the survey was an easy way to give something to a stranger and I felt good. I’ll probably be doing more surveys in the coming weeks (as long as they are very short!).

In the Jewish tradition, kedusha – holiness, can be found in the mundane as well as the sublime. As if to underscore this point, the Torah portion of “Kedoshim” that is studied this coming Sabbath, contains a myriad of seemingly disparate mitzvahs (best translated as “connections”). These mitzvahs include: honor your parents; don’t steal, lie, or curse; love your neighbor as yourself; and be mindful of what you wear and what you eat. 

One of these pathways to holiness is pe’ah, leaving a corner of the field’s crop for the poor. Instead of reaping and hoarding her entire harvest, the farmer leaves part of the field growing so others can anonymously take as needed. This mitzvah accrues to the farmer whether or not a poor person actually arrives to reap from the crop; the act of leaving a corner (leaving something on the supermarket shelf?) cultivates the trait of generosity, and reinforces our charitable side. I don’t know whether my bank rep will ever get the feedback, and I can’t see the look on the face of the delivery people when they leave a package outside our door and see the snacks we left for them, but hopefully the acts themselves help us cultivate kindness, kindle the Divine spark within, and connect us to others that are working so hard in such difficult times and conditions.    

Interestingly, the Jerusalem Talmud indicates that it is sinful not to accept tzedakah - charity (literally: justice) when needed.  When in distress, I have an opportunity to become a charitable recipient - a vehicle for holiness. When I accept the charity, love, care and concern that is extended to me, I - as much as the giver – am the one that enables kedusha - holiness - to be expressed in the world. There are times when we must find a small corner of ourselves that is open to setting aside our pride and receiving what others are offering us. May we be blessed to recognize that both offering help and being open to accepting the support of others are true pathways to holiness.