ממלכת כוהנים וגוי קדוש
Parashat Yitro tells the story of מעמד הר סיני – Hashem’s revelation to Beneh Yisrael, when He presented them the Torah.
Prior to this event, Hashem delivered a message to the people through Moshe Rabbenu, explaining to them the purpose of מעמד הר סיני, and, in essence, their mission as a nation. He declared that if they observe the commands of the Torah, then והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים – “You shall be a treasure for Me, from among all the other nations” (Shemot 19:5).
He then added: ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כוהנים וגוי קדוש – “And you shall be for Me a kingdom of kohanim, and a sacred nation” (19:6).
We need to understand the precise meaning of these three pronouncements – that we will be a סגולה, a ממלכת כוהנים, and a גוי קדוש.
The Ketav Sofer explains that the first is a promise, and the next two are our mission.
Hashem promises us that once we accept the Torah, if we make a sincere commitment to follow its laws, then forever more, we are a סגולה, His “treasure.” Even if we at times fail to comply, we are nevertheless His beloved nation. No matter how far we fall, we are guaranteed to be His סגולה, and thus capable of performing teshuvah and coming close to Him again.
The next pasuk informs us of our two obligations as His nation. The first is to be a ממלכת כוהנים – to live elevated lives, lives of prayer, Torah study, Shabbat observance, and so on, dressing and conducting ourselves in a “regal” manner.
The second obligation is to be a גוי קדוש – a “sacred nation.” The term קדושה is commonly associated with פרישות – “separation,” withdrawing from excessive indulgence, and avoiding inappropriate behaviors. Being a גוי קדוש means having the discipline to refrain from improper conduct, and the courage to act differently than people from other nations.
I would posit that in our time, living as a ממלכת כוהנים is easier than it ever was, whereas living as a גוי קדוש is more difficult than it ever was.
It is easier than ever to learn Torah, to become close to Rabbis, to observe Shabbat, to dress religiously, to pray in shul, to watch videos about emunah, and to generally “be religious.” But it is more difficult than ever to be קדוש, to be “separate,” to refrain from inappropriate behavior, to have the discipline and self-restraint to avoid doing things that we aren’t supposed to do.
The Gemara in Masechet Nedarim (81a) makes a very famous – and startling – comment about the destruction of the Bet Ha’mikdash. It states that the reason why Hashem brought the hurban (destruction) is because the people did not recite the berachah before learning Torah. They made time to learn Torah – but they did not recite the berachah before learning, and for this reason, Yerushalayim was destroyed.
Many Rabbis addressed the question of how this could be. Why would this be the reason for the destruction and the exile?
Maybe we can offer an answer by looking at the text of the berachah recited before learning Torah. In this berachah we thank Hashem אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו – “who chose us from among all the nations, and gave us the Torah.” This berachah speaks about our being different, our having been selected from among all the other nations.
Learning Torah is, of course, wonderful, and important. But it isn’t enough just to learn. Learning is part of the obligation of ממלכת כוהנים, but we cannot neglect the requirement to be a גוי קדוש, which means remembering that בחר בנו מכל העמים – that we must be different. We cannot learn the Torah which Hashem chose us to receive, study and observe, while still doing the same things that the nations around us do. We cannot learn Torah and talk the way other people talk, eat the way other people eat, watch what other people watch, and waste our time the way other people waste theirs. In order to live religious lives, we need to separate ourselves. We cannot continue doing what the people around us do.
Living a Torah life, and growing in religion, is sometimes difficult. It requires making difficult decisions, and pulling away from things that we want. But I guarantee you that it is so worth it. There is no greater feeling than living as a ממלכת כוהנים וגוי קדוש, living a life of holiness, knowing that we are connected to Hashem. Let us strive to live a complete Torah life, fully committed to all its laws, values and guidelines, and we will then experience the unparalleled joy and satisfaction of kedushah and spiritual greatness.