Torah

“You shall sound a broken blast on the shofar, in the seventh month, on the tenth of the month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound the shofar throughout your land.”

“And a man from the house of Israel, and from the converts who live with you, who shall consume any blood, I shall place My face against the soul of the one who consumed blood, and I shall cut it off from amongst your nation.”

VaYikra 17: 10

“And when you gather the cuttings of your land, do not cut the corner of your field when you harvest, and the fallings of your harvesting do not gather. For the poor man and the convert, you should leave them.”

– VaYikra 23:22

“When you enter the Land of Israel, you will enjoy prosperity and abundance. You will build beautiful homes. Your crops and livestock will increase. You will amass gold and silver. And all that you engage in will flourish… If you become arrogant and say, ‘My strength and the might of my hand made this wealth…’”

“You shall be holy, for holy am I, your G-d.”

– VaYikra 19:2

*****

In this one sweeping statement, the Torah assigns to us a mitzvah that seems well beyond our capacity – be holy. Even more perplexing, this isn’t relegated only to the elite, or to the most pious. Rather, every Jew is commanded to be sacred.

“On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.”

— Vayikra 12:3