Sanctifying Hashem's Name/1/en
Sanctification of Hashem's Name
Introduction
What is the source?
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,1 and sometimes more generally,2 no parallel exists by sanctification. Hashem speaks repeatedly about His consecrating the nation,3 but it is unclear whether it is man, or only God, who can sanctify Hashem Himself.4 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:
(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,
