NOTES for Lev 19:1-37

We have already seen many definitions of holiness in the Book of Leviticus—holiness as dedication to God, as belonging to His people, and as religious and moral purity. Today’s chapter also begins with a call to holiness: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” Yet we would probably call most of this chapter’s commandments “standards of social conduct” or “marks of civil society.” They include commandments about mercy toward the needy, honesty in trade, peace with one’s neighbors, and care for one’s parents. It turns out that these are not merely “worldly concerns” unrelated to religion, but nothing less than a path of holiness. This path is distinctive because it cannot be traveled alone. It is the path of society as a single whole, a society that begins with our families and extends to an entire country and the global community. Those accustomed to thinking that holiness is each person’s private affair should remember that it can also be a work undertaken together—with the whole world.