One could argue Winnie the Pooh was a philosopher. Yes, that Winnie the Pooh – the one one that always gets himself into sticky situations but gets out with the help of his friends. Written by A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh is often thought to be the origin of the phrase “Sometimes I sits and thinks…and sometimes, I just sits.” While funny and grammatically off, this quote is much deeper than we give ol’ Pooh Bear credit for. Sometimes we just sit, comfortable in our status and place in life, and sometimes we sit and think about the ideal world we can create from where we are.

In this week’s Torah portion, Achreimot-Kedoshim, the Israelites are told “You shall be holy for I the Eternal, your God, am holy.” Because they have taken God to be their God and entered into a covenantal relationship with the Creator, they are deemed holy. If they are already holy because God says so, what is the purpose of the ethical and ritual obligations the Israelites agree to after they are already deemed holy?

The prophet Amos, in the accompanying haftarah portion, answers this question. He speaks to the Israelite people, revealing his vision where God says:

“To Me, O Israelites, you are

Just like the Cushites

—declares God.

True, I brought Israel up

From the land of Egypt,

But also the Philistines from Caphtor

And the Arameans from Kir.” (Amos 9:7)

Amos is warning that although the Israelites were chosen as the people to be brought out of Egypt, accept the Torah, and enter into a covenantal relationship with God, that the people should not sit thinking their “chosenness” is enough to warrant reward or special treatment. Quite the opposite! Other nations have also had a relationship with God and their own histories. To Amos, the Israelites aren’t inherently special. They still must work toward holy lives. It is not enough to “just sits.” We, as a people, must be empowered by the ethics and rituals set forth in our tradition and actively work toward bringing more holiness to our everyday lives.

The Torah portion lays out the framework for an ideal world of holiness, rooted in ethics and peace. Amos reminds us that if we choose to reject ethics and goodness, then our holy status won’t save us from chaos, but that our relationship to the Divine always allows us to try again in working toward a better world.

Pooh Bear wasn’t far off. Sitting comfortably in our status isn’t enough to usher in holiness and peace. We must think about how we can actively work toward it.

May we all find holiness in the mundane and usher in peace.

With blessings from my family to yours this Shabbat,

Ranata Shlobin (soon-to-be Rabbi in 10 days!)