Men of Holiness Shall You Be to Me

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 351:8

"And men of holiness shall you be to Me (Exodus 22:30)." Rabbi Ishmael says: When you are holy, you are Mine. Issi ben Akiva says: When the Omnipresent renews a commandment for Israel, He adds holiness to them. Issi ben Guryon says: Holiness is stated here and holiness is stated elsewhere; just as the holiness stated elsewhere is forbidden to be eaten, so too the holiness stated here shall be forbidden to be eaten.

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