ספר ויקרא

Another approach to the words ‎קדושים תהיו‎ and what it ‎means, seeing it is an abstract virtue and cannot be demonstrated ‎by deeds. In order to understand this we need to explain why this ‎line is followed by ‎איש אמו ואביו תיראו‎, the commandment to ‎‎“fear” one’s mother and father. This too will be better understood ‎after we appreciate the saying in Avot 3,1 where Akavya ‎ben Mahallel exhorts us to keep the following three concepts in ‎mind at all times, as they are a great help in preventing us from ‎committing transgressions. He asks us to remember of our lowly ‎origin, i.e. a putrid drop of sperm, where we are headed for, i.e. ‎dust, and to whom we will have to render an accounting, i.e. the ‎Highest Judge in the universe.Reading the words of such a ‎model of humility as Akavya ben Mahallel, probably the most ‎humble person of his generation, telling us about his fear of ‎facing the heavenly tribunal after his death, brings home to us ‎what true humility is all about, as he does not even credit himself ‎with possessing the lowest level of fear of the Lord, the level ‎based on ‎יראת העונש‎, fear of punishment. Another remarkable ‎feature of his Mishnah is its somewhat cumbersome and ‎lengthy wording. Why did Akavya not simply say: “know that ‎you originate from a putrid drop of sperm, etc;?” This would have ‎saved more than half the words he used.‎