Sanctifying Hashem's Name/1/en

Sanctification of Hashem's Name

Introduction

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Must¹ Man Sanctify Hashem?

The concept of sanctifying Hashem's name, or "קידוש ה'‏", is considered by many to be one of the central precepts of Judaism. Perhaps surprisingly, however, no where in Torah is there an explicit command to do so. Though several verses warn against profaning Hashem's name, sometimes in connection with specific prohibitions,² and sometimes more generally,³ no parallel exists by sanctification.  Hashem speaks repeatedly about His consecrating the nation,⁴ but it is unclear whether it is man, or only God, who can sanctify Hashem Himself.⁵  After all, how can a human make Hashem holy?  What would it mean to sanctify His name?

"וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל"

The most well known source for the obligation is found in Vayikra 22:

EN/HEע/E

(לא) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם מִצְוֺתַי וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם אֲנִי י"י. (לב) וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קׇדְשִׁי וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי י"י מְקַדִּשְׁכֶם. (לג) הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים אֲנִי י"י.

(31) And ye shall keep My commandments, and do them: I am the Lord.
(32) And ye shall not profane My holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am the Lord who hallow you,
(33) that brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.

The choice, however, is difficult.  To begin with, the phrase "וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" is not formulated in the imperative, as expected of a command, but rather in the passive.  Moreover, the verse comes at the end of a unit dealing with priestly laws, suggesting that it is aimed at them specifically.  In fact, throughout the previous chapters, there are many parallel verses,⁶ all of which target specific priestly rituals and have nothing to do with the rest of the nation's actions. Nonetheless, this conclusion differs from its parallels in that it opens with the statement, "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם מִצְוֺתַי" and closes with the extra "הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם", perhaps allowing for a connection to both a broader audience and wider range of actions.

Martyrdom and Sanctification?

The sanctification of Hashem's name is most associated with the concept of forfeiting one's life for Hashem.  Where does this idea come from?⁷  In the Book of Daniel,⁸ he and his friends are willing to be killed rather than transgress Hashem's commandments, but the Torah never clearly states whether or not one is obligated to do so.  On one hand, Vayikra 18:5 teaches "וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת חֻקֹּתַי... וָחַי בָּהֶם", often understood to mean that life trumps keeping commandments. On the other hand, Devarim 6:5 states "...וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת י"י אֱלֹהֶיךָ בְּכׇל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכׇל נַפְשְׁךָ", perhaps suggesting that sometimes love of Hashem might come at the cost of life.⁹  Must one martyr one's self, and if so, under what circumstances and for which commandments?  How is the concept related to that of sanctification of Hashem's name?

¹ Both verses, however, can sustain multiple other interpretations.

² See Vayikra 19:12 with regards to swearing falsely, Vayikra 20:3 regarding worship of the Molekh and Vayikra 21:6 and Vayikra 22:2 regarding priestly conduct.  In the Prophets and Writings, mention of desecration of Hashem's name is also connected to prostitution (Amos 2:7), idolatry (Yechezkel 20:39), murder (Yechezkel 36:19-24) and defiling the Mikdash (Yechezkel 43:7-8 and Malakhi 1:11-12).

³ See Vayikra 22:32: וְלֹא תְחַלְּלוּ אֶת שֵׁם קׇדְשִׁי.

⁴ See, for instance, Vayikra 20:7-8, 21:25, 21:23, and 22:32.

⁵ See Yechezkel 36:23 where Hashem talks of the need to sanctify His own name, but see also Yeshayahu 29:22-23 which has people coming to sanctify His name. In Bemidbar 20:12 as well, Moshe and Aharon are chided for not sanctifying Hashem (though there is no mention of Hashem's name.)

⁶ Variations of "וְלֹא יְחַלֵּל.. כִּי אֲנִי י"י מְקַדְּשָׁם" appear in Vayikra 21:6, 21:15, 21:23, 22:2, and 22:15.

⁷ As noted above, the context of the verse "וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", understood by many to be the source for "קידוש ה'‏" has nothing to do with forfeiting one's life!

⁸ See Daniel 1, Daniel 3, and Daniel 6

⁹ Both verses, however, can sustain multiple other interpretations.