Holiness is Where You Find It

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According to Shulweis, the most important part of prayer is not so much about praising the transcendent nature of God, but about emphasizing for ourselves which godly behaviors are spiritual and holy. Prayer is a lesson in how to live in a godly way, not just at rare moments, but as we live our day-to-day normal lives, even when we write a check to the plumber or auto mechanic.

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The Torah spells out this philosophy in Deuteronomy 30:11-14: "The commandments I command this day are not extraordinary, not far away, they are not in the heavens.... Not across the sea, rather the instruction is very near, in your mouth and in your heart."

This week's Torah portion, Kedoshim, is the how-to handbook for the religious concepts of imitatio dei and predicate theology. It teaches that we mere human beings are holy because God is holy, and that we find our holiness through performing godly acts. But the godly acts described in Kedoshim aren't superhuman. Holiness consists of ordinary everyday godly acts, such as taking care of our families or looking after the rights of the poor and strangers. Choosing honesty and truth--that's godly. Paying workers, treating disabled people with respect, refraining from malicious gossip--that's holy. Honoring elders, taking time for study and reflection, forgiveness--that's sacred.

In our society, we imagine that only other people are holy. They live in faraway places and are fundamentally different from us. In this way, we distance ourselves from both the responsibilities and the joys of the sacred. We distance ourselves from our own identification with God. But the Torah teaches that you don't have to be Pope John Paul II or the Dalai Lama to be holy. God--or at least the experience of Godlike holiness--is available to all of us in the most mundane of acts.

Holiness is a spiritual discipline but one that is available to us at any moment. It is more a matter of mindfulness than dramatic behavioral change. So next time you take a walk on Saturday instead of doing errands, remind yourself that you are doing something sacred. When you say something good about another person, or even just greet a stranger at a meeting or party, appreciate your spiritual feelings. And next time you have a leaky faucet fixed, as you pay the plumber, take a moment to appreciate that you are both holy.