Kedoshim - 2024

Chevre, this week’s parsha is Kedoshim (קְדֹשִׁים). To start, this is the first time that I can remember receiving a request to talk about a specific topic or pasuk.

אֵ֥יפַת צֶ֛דֶק וְהִ֥ין צֶ֖דֶק יִהְיֶ֣ה לָכֶ֑ם “an honest Efah (measure of volume, equal to 6.1 gallons today or 23 liters), an honest Hin (measure of liquid, equal to 1.5 gallons or 5.7 liters today) you will have.”

Becky Weiss, who asked me to talk about this, has worked for various Amazon Service Teams for over 10 years. And is famous in my circles when she announced that AWS IAM receives 1 Billion API calls per second. https://youtu.be/_piUB5FrYVE?si=fWxe0p2qx8eTssv5&t=1334

And as we know, AWS services each need to meter their usage and bill appropriately. Great efforts are made to ensure that the measurements are true and accurate. And AWS’es customers rely on AWS to uphold this principle.

The parsha actually starts with “You will be Holy (Kedoshim - 2024) because I (HaShem speaking) am holy”. And the parsha lists a number of rules throughout the parsha that we need to follow to be holy (including honest weights and measures). And then at the end of the parsha, there is a warning, if we do not uphold being holy, then the land will vomit us out. We have seen several times throughout Jewish history in the land, that we have been thrown out of the land by the Babylonians and the Romans. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to be strong in our faith in HaShem, in each other and continue to love this land and do the necessary things to uphold our holiness.

Next week we will encounter Yom Zikaron (Memorial Day) followed immediately by Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). These two come together so that throughout the happiness of our BBQs rejoicing our independence, the cost is always front and center. Especially this year. May we continue to merit staying in the land. We pray for the day when Isaiah’s prophecy can be fullfilled “And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks: Nation shall not take up sword against nation; they shall never again know war.” But until then, the IDF will protect the people and land of Israel. Shabbat Shalom