As a psychologist there is a part of me, the so-called “scientist,” that strives for empiricism.  The scientist demands precise answers, control and operational definitions that specify not only what things are but how they are to be measured.  Perhaps understandably, the “scientist” within me is uncomfortable with terms such as “holiness.”  The scientist within me was intimidated by the “holy assignment,” (as it has come to be called in my mind) but I began the quest nonetheless.  No longer able to locate a real dictionary in my home, I resorted to the most scientific method I could think of – “googling.”  I discovered in googleland that “holy” technically refers to “that which is set apart and separate, designated for the worship of God.”  While at face value this was certainly applicable to the “high holy days” – a time during which we set aside much of our normal lives to reflect, pray, atone & renew, but I wondered if that was really what the Torah means when it describes Moses’ message from God telling the Israelites that they “shall be holy.”   God may have wanted us to designate time for worship and prayer, but I cannot imagine the intention ended there.

            So the scientist within me kept on searching.  I went on to read some interesting perspectives related to how we can actually make things holy with intention – that both personally and as a community we can create holiness.  I liked this idea because it suggested that holiness is not merely found in temples, artifacts and far-away lands, but that it could be created in our world today.  We could, to borrow and paraphrase a quote from Gandhi, “be the change that we wish to see in the world.”   The Holiness Code implies that holiness is a quality inherent in G-d and a potential within humankind. That is, living a holy life is something for which we should all strive.  Of course I would assume that God wanted and wants for all people to be good, kind, righteous, just and respectful…but perhaps in the Holiness Code He was asking, or commanding, that the Israelites should exceed the standard prescription.

            As a psychologist, there is another part of me, the “practitioner,” which often abandons the scientific method to rely instead on instincts, “Aha” moments and gut feelings.   This part of me was left dissatisfied with the definitions I had uncovered for holiness.   A few evenings later, while lecturing on Jungian personality theory I was struck by another idea, as I often am when I relax the myopic scientific standards and allow myself to be open to less tangible and rational thinking.  I wrote the word “wholeness” on the board and it occurred to me that for me, the experience of “wholeness” was akin to “holiness.”  I then went back to the web and found support for the idea – the words whole and holy are in fact related, and holiness can refer to “that which must be kept whole.”  More than just a play on words, I feel as if the idea of being whole – a state wherein we are completely alive, alert, awake, conscious and fully present in the here-and-now moment feels like “holiness.”  This state includes (and I realize here we are treading on very non-scientific ground) the popular idea of mindfulness but also involves the lesser-known concepts of heartfulness and soulfulness, when there is an absolute willingness  and determination to refrain from pulling back, intellectually, emotionally, or otherwise from what it is we are experiencing.  These ideas are difficult for the scientist within me to grasp or accept but they hold tremendous appeal to me as a practitioner and as a person. 

Yes, being holy involves worship and prayer; yes, being holy also implies living righteously; but I think that the holiness code also directs us to appreciate the holiness in the here-and-now, in the mundane.  Coincidentally (or not) I just finished a book club selection in which one of the characters, a priest, who, when confronted with the near-end of his life, feels  disappointed that for years he preached waiting to be rewarded in the holy afterlife.  As he faces his own death, he comes to the realization that there was nothing more holy than the everyday. He thinks, “How wrongheaded it was to think that thrill of heartbeat and breath were just a stepping stone to something greater.  What could be greater than the armchair, the window, the snow?  Life itself had been holy.”  The author goes on to describe,  “It was a final, joyful realization of all he had been given…What a shame it would have been to miss God while waiting for Him.” 

            The Holiness Code is about God’s agenda for the Jewish people.  First, He wants us to observe and worship.  He wishes that we mark those holy occasions and allow them to be sacred.  He also wants us to lead a “holy” life by being kind, loving, respectful and just.   He wants us to cultivate those same qualities, where we can in others by teaching, modeling and setting an example.  And God also wants us to appreciate the holiness in everyday life.  So the command requires that we be honest, genuine, accountable, respectable, aware, conscientious and appreciative.  The directive is not an easy one to fulfill, and in fact the goal may be unrealistic on a moment-to-moment basis.  It may prove to be impossible to be “holy, act “holy” and appreciate & cultivate “holy” all the time, but perhaps to recognize that our potential to do so is indeed ever-present is what the Holiness Code is really about.    

            I will end with a wish for everyone and myself:  May we be blessed in this new year and more importantly may each of us be a blessing.  May we be attuned to holiness but also create it for ourselves and cultivate it in others.  May we discover holy moments where we are always sure to find them (in the Rabbi’s sermon or the Cantor’s song)…But may we also experience holiness or wholeness where we least expect to – squeezed in during our lunch break, or while carpooling, checking homework, answering the phone, cooking dinner or even sitting in traffic.  After all, what a shame it would be to miss God while waiting for Him.