Using your unique gifts#parashatkedoshim#devartorah#parashathshavua

 Decades ago, I went to a rabbinic retreat where everyone was talking about a personality test. “I’m an ISTJ!” one said. “I’m an ENFP,” another chirped. I was mystified. “I’m an ABCXYZ,” I joked.  

Since then, I’ve learned a lot about that test (the Myers-Briggs) and others such as the DiSC assessment. I find them fascinating because they can help us understand ourselves and others in helpful, revealing ways—shedding light on our preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. Provided we don’t overuse them, they can be a useful tool to help us grow.

Although our classical texts don’t offer us personality tests, they do affirm each person’s uniqueness in God’s eyes. The following Mishna is just one example how unique and important each human being is. “(In the beginning God created Adam) And this serves to tell of the greatness of the Holy One, Blessed be He, as when a person stamps several coins with one seal, they are all similar to each other. But the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, Blessed be He, stamped all people with the seal of Adam the first man, as all of them are his offspring, and not one of them is similar to another. Therefore, since all humanity descends from one person, each and every person is obligated to say: The world was created for me, as one person can be the source of all humanity, and recognize the significance of his actions.” (Sanhedrin 4:5,Sefaria.org translation)

This week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim,  begins with the commandment to be holy. “You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)  To be holy means to be separate, pure, unadulterated, and whole according to the anthropologist Mary Douglas. “It should also be noted that the mitzvot of Leviticus 19, the laws of holiness, cut across all categories of life. They deal with ritual, with business ethics, with proper behavior toward the poor and the afflicted, and with family relations. The modern distinction between  ‘religious’ and ‘secular’ is unknown to the Torah. Everything we do has the potential being holy.” (Etz Hayim commentary below the line, page  693)

God equips all of us with a unique personality and unique gifts to serve Him and our fellow human beings. Helping others isn't a chore; it is one of the greatest gifts there is.