In Leviticus 19:2, the Lord says to Moses:

דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם–קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ:

כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

“Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’”

The portion called קְדֹשִׁים/Kedoshim/“Holy ones” is at the very heart of the Torah scroll; and much of the instruction given in this portion pertains to how we are to live life in the human community with the Lord in our midst. The prominent and influential rabbinic sage, Rashi, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhak, teaches that קָדוֹשׁ, holy, is separation from sin. It is not that sin is absent from our surroundings, but those sanctified by the Lord do not partake of the sin or respond in a sinful manner. Holiness is not lived in isolation, alone in a cave, but in everyday life.

The apostle Peter reminds us of Leviticus 19:2 when he teaches, “But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15-16). Because we are set apart to Him we will: consider the poor; we will not steal, lie or deceive one another; we will not withhold wages; curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind; we will use correct weights and measures; we will love our neighbor and the stranger because we were once strangers in Egypt; we will show respect, and we will guard what He has called holy; living the Messiah’s command found in the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12).

In Leviticus 19:14 the Torah records, “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.” Here, just before the command to love your neighbor, we find a rather unusual command regarding the deaf and the blind. Rabbinic commentary suggests that there is a broader principle at work here, as the deaf and the blind represent all people who may be targets of abuse in society. Added to this, we find in Exodus: “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Ex. 22:28). Together, we find that we are not to “curse” the ruler, quoted by Paul in Acts 23:5, or the “least of these My brethren” (Matt. 25:40), and in this the Ramban finds that the entire community is included, as Paul writes, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them” (Ro. 12:14).

While placing a stumbling block in the way of a blind person can potentially cause physical harm, cursing the deaf, a curse they would not be able to hear, focuses on disrespect evidencing a heart in need of repentance. Maimonides reaches this conclusion regarding cursing the deaf in his Mishneh Torah (Laws of the Sanhedrin 26:1): “You shall not curse the deaf.’ Why, then, does the Torah mention the deaf in particular? To teach that even though he does not hear the curse and is therefore not distressed by it, the one who curses is nevertheless punished.”

What is our disposition towards the defenseless in our society? Are the blind and the deaf mentioned in Leviticus 19:14 indicative of a broader category? Would the existence of this broad category of defending and not harming the defenseless open our eyes to them? Will they remain overlooked and invisible except in times of harassment? Or does the Torah remind us that they too are very much part of our community, and therefore worthy of respect and love? There is something deeper.

In Exodus 22:28, we are told not to “revile” the Lord. In Leviticus 19:14 we are told not to “curse” the deaf. The word translated as “revile” and “curse” is the Hebrew word קָלַל/qālal, meaning to make light, despise, insult, to be of little account. How are these two situations, reviling God and cursing the deaf, connected? Is not the deaf person created in the image and likeness of God? Would cursing the deaf person not be cursing or reviling the Lord Himself – the Imager? Our disposition toward all people who may be targets of abuse in society, the Torah teaches, is directly related to our disposition toward the Lord.

What is the opposite of קָלַל/qālal, revile, curse or lightly esteem? Simply, it is כָּבַד/kāḇaḏ, meaning respect, honor and glory. The opposite of revile, curse or lightly esteem is to treat others, especially those targeted for abuse, with respect, holding them in high regard and with great weight/esteem.

We so often make “holiness” or “holy” living something unreachable, even unattainable. Yet, in Messiah we are holy, set-apart from sin and unto Him (Heb. 10:10). Set-apart in Him, how then shall we live? At the heart of the Torah we find the centrality of consideration and compassion for the human other, which in itself is the hallmark of faithful living unto the Living God, in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus, enabled by the Holy Spirit. Let us, then, live the Gospel.

Be well. Shalom.