Be Holy – The Holy Order of the Six-Pointed Star – comments on Torah Portion Kedoshim

I’d like to introduce you to the Holy Order of the United Israelite Fellowship of the Six-Pointed Star (grateful nod to Leonard Cohen, who would have liked this idea).

First, what is Holy? Let’s think of a person committed to holiness, as our Torah portion calls on us “to become holy.” A holy person acts differently from people not committed to holiness. A holy person might end up separated a bit from people who don’t think about the sacred. A holy person is committed to sacred knowledge-  and ends up knowing things that one who does not study it, does not know.

A holy person observes practices derived from this sacred knowledge and ends up knowing the world differently from a person who does not study or practice. A holy person is connected to something far beyond this mundane level. A holy person might seem at times to be connected to that unseen realm even more than they are connected to this ordinary realm.

When God said to the Israelites in our portion, Kedoshim Tihiyu, “Be holy,” the people of Israel were called into being to form a new holy order, the United Israelite Fellowship of the Six-Pointed Star.

Anyone could join this Holy Order, as long as they accepted the yoke of study and practice of holiness, to each one’s ability. As members of this order, we are given a moral behavioral code, a code of honor, and a spiritual code, to establish a relationship with the Source of Holiness. We work to be kind to each other, to help each other, to strengthen each other.

A few of the rules of the Holy Order are given in our Torah portion and in other Torah portions:  Revere your parents, don’t worship idols, leave harvest gleanings to the poor and strangers, don’t steal, don’t deny the truth, don’t swear falsely by the Divine name, don’t cheat others, don’t rob, pay your workers on time, don’t curse the deaf, or put stumbling blocks before the blind – you shall revere God. No perversion in justice: don’t favor the poor or honor the great, but judge with righteousness. Don’t gossip, don’t stand idly by in the blood of your neighbor, don’t hate others in your heart.  Make sure to hold others accountable, otherwise you share in their wrongdoing. Don’t take revenge or bear a grudge against the others in the Holy Order, or people in general, for that matter. Love each other as yourself.

When you sign up for this United Israelite Fellowship of the Six-Pointed Star, you get your own set of tassels, made of pure white strands of cotton, attached to a shawl. These tassels are tied into special symbolic knots. The knots we will explain to you. You’ll wear this shawl and tassel (called a tallit) every day, even if just for a few moments.

You will attach a little container, with some holy words written inside, to your doorposts and your gates. We’ll show you.

You’ll eat a certain way, and mark time a certain way. You’ll engage in daily rituals, uniting head and heart, uniting thinking and feeling, uniting intellectual and physical power, dedicating it all to the Holy God who has called you into holiness.

You’ll be told the sacred stories, and you should know them well.  We will set times for gatherings (even online nowadays) – you should study and attend.

You’ll rest once a week, connect (even online) with other members of the Holy Order, discuss and teach the nature of this order, understand its rules and stories, and contemplate together the Divine Source of Holiness.

Not every practice of mind, soul, or spirit will mean as much to you as another, but you’ll try out a variety of the practices and find the ones that sing directly to your soul. You’ll work this path with all your heart, soul and might. Take it seriously. A lot of effort has been put into forging this path and keeping it alive. The dedication of prior generations is both astounding and heart wrenching. It is yours now. Honor it. Earn it.

And you will learn that part of the founding self-understanding of this Holy Order is a story of liberation from slavery and a story of the revelation of the rules of the Holy Order. You will study the connection between the liberation and the revelation.

Here is the warning:  You will encounter a force within you that does not want to measure up to the demands of this Holy Order. This force will call you to become cynical of the beliefs and ornery to each other. In fact, one reason this order was established was to expose that hidden force of resistance to what is good and true and bring that force out into the foreground. That hidden force plots and plans in places deep in the inner chambers of human beings. That hidden force ruins lives and can ruin everything. We are dedicated to taming that destructive force.

That hidden force is terrified of this Holy Order. We are in constant battle with that destructive force. You’ll discover that we are a Holy Order of spiritual warriors. We’ll teach you how to fight the hidden force of resistance to all that is true and good, but you’ll have to train. In fact, much of what we do is train. You’ll see.

We have alliances with many other holy orders, dedicated both to paths of peace, as well as to spiritually fighting resistance to what is right, true and beautiful. We offer what we know to anyone, including any other Holy Order.

What do you get out of it?  A life of holiness with other seekers and spiritual warriors of the Holy. If you think you measure up, contact a member of the order and they’ll sign you up and walk you through it.

You only will have to promise to be “always faithful” to the teaching of the Holy Order.