Jacob Chanikuzhy

In Greek mythology, Cronus was the son of the god Uranus and goddess Gaia. At his mother’s request Cronus chopped off the genitals of his father and threw them into the sea. A psychotic, he then imprisoned his brothers and married his own sister. As his mother predicted that one of his children would overthrow him, he began to eat his children as soon as they were born. This incestuous paranoid cannibal was later adopted in the Roman mythology as the god Saturn ! Cheating, kidnapping, torture, murder, adultery, stealing, incest, bestiality, cannibalism – you name it, we have got Greek/Roman gods engaging in it.

In stark contrast to these licentious mythical gods of the ancient, the God of the Bible gradually unfolds himself as perfectly ethical. A singular self-assertion he makes is, “I, the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19,2). Consequently, one thing he demands from his worshippers is, “You shall be holy” (Leviticus 19,2). 19th chapter of the Book of Leviticus illustrates what all constitute true holiness. Although most of the rules and rituals of the Book of Leviticus do not bind us any more, the concept of holiness enshrined in Leviticus 19 is still mind boggling. Scholars call Leviticus 19, “Torah in brief.”

After giving the solemn instruction to be holy, the first thing God wants the people to do is to “revere your mother and father” (Lev 19,3). The priority given to the mother is noteworthy. The duty towards the parents is mentioned even before the duties towards God. The simple reason behind it may be that it is the parents, or specially the mother, who introduce God to the child. Unless one respects and obeys the parents one may not accept God and his precepts. Thus, honouring one’s parents is at the root of growing in holiness.

Taking care of the poor is also a matter of holiness. Immediately after mentioning the right way of making peace offering, God gives directions about caring for the poor: “You shall not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings” (Lev 19,9). According to the Jewish scholars, an Israelite should not reap 6% of his cornfield. This system enables the poor to collect what is needed without losing his self-esteem as this system allows him to freely collect grain without begging for the benevolence of the owner of the field.

Holiness is also determined by how one pays the wages: “You shall not keep for yourself the wages of a labourer until morning” (Lev 19, 13). By denying the wages at the appropriate time, you are denying him a human living and making his life more miserable and making him more and more dependent on your mercy. Such kind of exploitation is against the will of the holy God.

How do you deal with the differently abled is yet another indicator of one’s holiness: “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind” (Lev 19, 14). Deaf people include also those who are absent when you talk about or curse them. Normally no one would be so cruel to put a stumbling block before a blind man. So the Jewish rabbis explain it as leading the simple and naïve people astray by our cunningness or tricks.

The highlight of Leviticus 19 is the command of neighbourly love: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19,18). Jesus himself summarizes the commandments quoting from Lev 19,18. We love ourselves and forgive our own mistakes umpteen times and keep perennial hope in our becoming better and go on loving ourselves. Leviticus admonishes us to do the same with our neighbours without defining our neighbour in terms of religion, rite, rituals, social status, gender, power or whatever.

Leviticus 19 is part of the holiness code of the Old Testament. It teaches in unambiguous terms that holiness does not simply consist in offering prayers and sacrifices in the perfect manner, rather holiness is closely connected with ethical and righteous living and social commitment. It is not confined within the walls of the sanctuary, rather it should be evident in our everyday living in the family, fields, streets, transactions, social behaviour, commitments, attitudes, goals etc. Holiness is in imitating the merciful God who is concerned about and caring for the poor, vulnerable and the differently abled. One is holy when one does what the ethical God does and not his perverted counterfeits.