Torah from Rabbi Saunders

Parshas Kedoshim begins with a bold call:
“You shall be holy, for I, Hashem , am holy.” (Vayikra 19:2)

At first glance, the commandment to “be holy” seems lofty, almost abstract. But the parsha quickly brings that holiness down to earth, listing dozens of mitzvos — respecting parents, giving tzedakah, honest business dealings, avoiding gossip, loving your neighbor, and so on. Holiness, then, is not about escaping the world — it’s about elevating it.

But how does simcha, joy,(our Shul motto) fit into this vision of holiness?

The Baal Shem Tov teaches that serving Hashem with joy is not just an enhancement to our service of Hashem — it’s essential. A mitzvah done with a heavy heart may check a box, but a mitzvah done with simcha brings light into the world. When we act with joy, we reflect the tzelem Elokim inside us — the divine image that celebrates life, gives with an open heart, and transforms routine into relationship.

In Parshas Kedoshim, one of the centerpieces is the famous mitzvah:
 “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Vayikra 19:18).
Rashi famously calls this “klal gadol baTorah” — a great principle of the Torah.

But loving others — truly seeing their worth and caring for them — requires us to be in a state of inner joy. A person who is bitter or burdened by spiritual heaviness often finds it hard to be generous or patient. But when we serve Hashem with joy, it becomes natural to spread love, to forgive, to give, and to see the good.

Kedusha, then, is not asceticism — it’s a joyful uplift of the everyday. The joy of greeting someone warmly, the joy of giving a little more tzedakah, the joy of making Kiddush on Shabbos not as an obligation but as a celebration. Kedoshim teaches us that holiness is not about withdrawing — it's about engaging the world with purpose and joy.

So when we say "Ivdu es Hashem b’simcha" — serve Hashem with joy — we’re not only talking about emotional uplift. We’re expressing the very way kedusha becomes real in our lives. Joy turns mitzvos into more than commandments — it turns them into connections. And that is the deepest form of holiness.