QUESTION:

Kedoshim t'hiyou ki kodosh ani Hashem, what's the meaning of kedusha and how can we compare our kedusha to Hakadosh Baruch Hu's kedusha?

ANSWER:

Kedusha means… sh'leimus; perfection the way Hashem is perfect. All good midos, all chochmos, and all maasim tovim, that's kedusha. And how should you gain kedusha? Most of the kedusha depends on your mind. However, you can train yourself in many good things. If you're a kodosh; let's say, that you don't talk too much, that's a kedusha. If you're a kodosh that you learned not to waste time, whenever you have time you look in a sefer, or do something else that's good, that's kedusha.

There are various kinds of kedusha. But all together, kedusha means, you should be perfect. Hakadosh Baruch Hu, when He commanded Avrohom Avinu, He said his'haleich l'fonai, walk before Me, veh'yei tomim, and be perfect. What does it mean, walk before Me? It means that when you walk, wherever you go, whatever you do, think about Me, that's kedusha. Think as much as possible about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. You have a store and customers are coming in, you say "Baruch Hashem, a customer! Help me make a good sale to him," that's kedusha. Whatever you do should be kedusha.

You sit down to eat, do what the Shulchan Aruch says; say, "I'm eating l'havros es haguf... la'avod es Hashem, I'm eating to make my body healthy I should be able to serve Hashem, that's kedusha. Of course if you really mean it, it's even more kedusha, but even saying it is the beginning of kedusha.

When you put on your shoes, Ahh, baruch Hashem sheoso li kol tzorki; shoes are expensive. How did shoes come into being? Shoes are nothing but grass! An animal eats grass and it turns into leather, it's a nes! You're wearing grass shoes.

Everything that you put on is a miracle, malbish arumim. And so a person who thinks these thoughts, he should know he's becoming a kodosh. Kodosh doesn't mean he has to be a nazir, doesn't mean he has to fast. The Kuzari says, when you eat a seuda on Shabbos you gain more kedusha than when you fast. Fasting on a weekday does not give you as much kedusha as eating on Shabbos. Of course you have to eat in the right way.

So there are ways of getting kedusha, and we have to utilize all of them.

Good Shabbos To All