February 2018
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4 Reads
A study of holiness in time and space illumines the phenomenon of holiness in ways that an abstract conceptual study would not. Holiness is not only about separation and restraint but also yearning and longing. It entails more than the combination of mysterium and fascination, awe and wonder. Although in part an affective state; holiness also presupposes the reality of a deity. Holiness draws humans to respond actively and to come close despite the awe of God. Holiness as attached to the world, to time and space, has ramifications for human action. It has both theological and legal dimensions. These two are often in tension, but, especially in the Torah, are never separated. The legal is in effect based on the theological; the theological dimension is expressed by the norms and rules of law. These two dimensions are found in the theology and laws of the land of Israel as expressed in the Torah.