Q&A: What Is Holiness
What Is Holiness
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I wanted to ask what holiness is. For example, what is there in the Temple, given that it is clear to us that the Holy One, blessed be He, is not present there in the literal sense? Is it only our attitude toward the place by force of the commandment, or is it an existing reality? And likewise regarding a Torah scroll and so on. If it is an objective reality—what exactly is it?
Thank you,
Answer
Hello Y.,
First, I prefer questions through the website. It is much more convenient for me.
As for your question, I do not have a good answer. Holiness is a law applying to the object itself (see the beginning of Tractate Nedarim), and it is commonly understood that this means it is something in reality itself and not merely in our relation to it.
However, some of the later authorities (Acharonim) offered other interpretations of the concept of a law applying to the object itself, and according to their view there is no reality here. See also Meshekh Chokhmah on the breaking of the tablets in the portion of Ki Tisa (which Isaiah Leibowitz was very fond of).
I recall an article by David Henshke that deals with Maimonides’ approach to this. I assume you can find a reference online.
I do not know how to explain the meaning of this, except to say that there is something real here, metaphysical.