Thread by @GREENESJ333

Roger Froikin wrote, "A Holy Nation - A Holy Nation. (I had help with this one)

The days between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are a time when we should think about how to become better, both individually and collectively.
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Our wise men used to call us, the Jewish people, Am Kedusha, which roughly translates as “a holy nation.” But what does that actually mean?

We also call places "holy" but what makes them "holy"?
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This question may seem frivolous. But that's because the Torah teaches us to understand that believing in something, someone, place, or event is endowed with a special spiritual status is idolatry.
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So how can we call something sacred if it's idolatry? Or how can we call a person a “saint” if Moses clearly told us that every person is equal, regardless of who they are, regardless of status, wealth, or role in life?
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Perhaps we misunderstood the term "saint." Holiness is not an inseparable quality. It is not something that the Almighty puts into something. It is not something that exists on its own, as color, size or shape.
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Perhaps this is the quality we attribute to a behavior, a place or a thing. This is no different from using the word “special,” “separate,” or the phrase “consecrated by us.”
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In short, in Hebrew (as well as Arabic and native Semitic) the concept is not just “holy” but the idea of a place, time, and events that we allocate and give special meaning to us. This is not idolatry.
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It is not what we should fear or what we should strive for, but what we, as a people, as a culture, give special importance. We sanctify, make her special, make her holy and make ourselves a holy nation by our actions, our behavior and our choices.
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And it's not a matter of faith, not a matter of beliefs. It's a matter of behavior.

Today Jews gather at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, making it special. Yes, that's all about right.
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"Making it special" because the Wailing Wall is just a retaining wall, first installed by Solomon 3,000 years ago and has been added since, and another 3,000 years ago. If someone called the Wailing Wall, a "saint," he would be laughed at.
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People knew what this was. We make it special today because those who did not respect our culture and beliefs have left us with no other choice. Even Jerusalem, the Holy City, was not considered such until David captured it and turned it into a capital,
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deeming it a neutral and defensible place amongst the tribes, like Washington, DC, among the United States of America or Brazil in Brazil. Before that, Mount Griezim, Beit-El and Hebron were places of greater importance.
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So, we attribute "speciality" to places, things and events for our purposes. Not as magic, not as a good luck charm, not as something special, favoring the Almighty.
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And not because of idolatry, but because we decide what a place, what an event, what a practice is important to us (for whatever the reason).

And what about the fact that we are Am Kedusha (Ам Ам)?
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We can become who we are when we understand the purpose of Torah, appreciate it, and allow it to guide us into the culture we are called to be - humane, understanding, ethical, future-oriented, self-disciplined, and caring for each of us.
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Honestly, we haven't reached there yet. Am Kedusha has no room for malice, attempts to put one another down, and the narcissism that we see so often. The time for change is now. This is the revolution we must make, following Torah as our cultural guide.
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And the revolution must continue. We are the real revolution. And the revolution is ongoing.

Israel will never be silent.

We can become Am Kedusha when we start behaving like this.
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The time for change is now. This is the revolution we need to make using Torah as our cultural guide.

And the revolution must continue. We are the real revolution. And the revolution is ongoing.

Israel will never be silent.
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We can become Am Kedusha when we start behaving like this."
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