Sanctifying oneself by holy behavior is to be considered as if a sanctification of Hashem. If we profane ourselves when in Israel the land becomes profaned and sends us away. If we succeed if sanctifying ourselves and also return to the land, this returns the Shechinah to the land - which is the meaning of redemption.
This week we read both Parshat Acharei-Mot and Parshat Kedoshim. According to many interpretations the beginning of the second relates directly to the ending of the first. Parshat Acharei-Mot ends with an explanation of the centrality and importance of the laws creating restrictions on forbidden sexual relations. We are told that if we make ourselves impure, or contaminate ourselves, with these various acts, it will cause the land to become impure, resulting in the land sending us away (Vayikra 18:24-5). We are even informed that this was the reason for the previous inhabitants' loss of the land (Vayikra 18:28-9), and we are told not to do as they did - not to make ourselves impure (Vayikra 18: 30). The very next verse begins Parshat Kedoshim. We are commanded to be holy - for the Lord our God is holy (Vayikra 19: 1-2). Rashi quotes the midrash which understands that this holiness relates to abstention from the forbidden sexual relationships. Ramban disagrees and understands that it relates to a positive attempt to abstain beyond the command, however, he does not disagree with the understanding that holiness relates to abstention, and so even according to Rambanthese verses seem to be a direct continuation of the previous chapter.
Chazal learn from the formulation of the command to be holy that if we sanctify ourselves God considers it as if we had sanctified Him. "'For I am holy' that is to say that if you sanctify yourselves I consider it as if you had sanctified Me" (ToratKohanim). We therefore see an interesting relationship of our actions to the world. If we let ourselves become impure we make the land impure (resulting in its exiling us), however, if we sanctify ourselves (by abstention from those very actions which would make us impure) we are considered to have sanctified Hashem! Perhaps this is because one cannot affect God in any negative way. Therefore profaning ourselves does not result in a profanation of God; instead the land is made impure. If so we must ask ourselves if sanctifying oneself results also in the sanctification of the land, and also what that would mean.
Rish Lakish says in the Gemara (Yoman 9b) that the reason why the Shechinah (God's glory and "presence") did not return to Eretz Yisrael and the Beit Hamikdash during the period of the Second Temple is because the people of Israel did not return to Israelfrom the Diaspora (see Rashi). This means that God's "presence" depends upon our willingness to return to the land even at a time of redemption!
The Nodah Biyehudah (in Drashot Hatzlach, drash 31) argues that the redemption is to be understood as the returning of the Shechinah to the Jewish people in Israel. He explains that while the Shechinah never leaves us even in exile, its revelation is completely different in Eretz Yisrael. Hashem's redeeming us means that He Himself returns - with us. The Nodah Biyehudah explains that during the period of the Second Temple the Shechinah did not return - it therefore was not a redemption. I think that this idea helps us appreciate Rish Lakish's claim that the reason why the Shechinah did not return to the Second Temple is because the Jews did not return to Israel from the Diaspora.
Perhaps this idea can help us in our discussion of this week's Parshiyot. Sanctifying oneself by holy behavior is to be considered as if a sanctification of Hashem. If we profane ourselves when in Israel the land becomes profaned and sends us away. If we succeed if sanctifying ourselves and also return to the land this returns the Shechinah to the land which is the meaning of redemption - the opposite of exile, which results from impure behavior when in the land of Israel.
Holy behavior is a sanctification of God. When one also returns to the land of Israel the result is the reinstatement of the Shechinah in the land of Israel - which is the opposite of the idea of exile, and the meaning of redemption.
Courtesy of the Virtual Veit Medrash of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il