אַתָּה קָדושׁ–Ata Kadosh-You are holy

אַתָּה קָדושׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ וּקְדושִׁים בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ סֶּלָה, בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הָאֵל הַקָּדושׁ

אַתָּה קָדושׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ – You are Holy, and Your Name is holy.

The word קָדושׁ is always translate as “holy”. But what is “holy”?

The concept of קָדושׁה, of holiness, is one of separation, uniqueness, and it distinguishes between different things. This is what הקדש, donations to the Beis HaMikdash are. They are קָדושׁ – they are set aside from your other possessions.

We describe Hashem as קָדושׁ. It is clear why – he is infinitely separate from us and our existences. He is distinctly beyond anything we can understand or imagine. He is different. This is אַתָּה קָדושׁ.

But we also say וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ – Your Name is holy. A Hebrew name describes the inner being of a person or thing. When parents are naming a child, they get the briefest hint of ruach hakodesh to decide their child’s name. This is also what the pasuk means when it describes Adam naming all the animals. He did not formulate sounds and noises that were different – anyone could have done that. He had an extra ability – he could see the inner being in an animal, and decide that the word that fit was ari if it were lion, etc.

It follows that if a name describes the inner being, since Hashem is beyond our understanding, we would not understand his name. And we don’t really – it too is separate from us. This is וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ.

Hashem is different from us for reasons beyond the fact we don’t understand His being. We are created beings, and we exist within the sphere of creation. But Hashem is the Creator – He is outside of our experience.

וּקְדושִׁים – and holy ones

There are different degrees of קָדושׁה, and therefore, different קְדושִׁים. The basic level is Yisrael – the Jewish nation are קָדושׁ because we are the am hanivchar – the chosen people. The act of choice separates us from other nations. As Jews, we have the ability to connect with Hashem.

וּקְדושִׁים also means tzaddikim. They have an influence on how things on Earth result from things decided in Heaven. The קְדושִׁים are the ones who see Hashem in everything, good and bad.

בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ סֶּלָה – praise You every day

A מסלה is a path. סלו are the people who walk the path. This is סֶּלָה – it is the process of how to praise Hashem. To be קָדושׁ, our service to Hashem must be a journey. The קְדושִׁים are the ones who discover new things every day as they advance along the path. This is why people are judged subjectively – there is no specific milestone on the path where one can say they have become something; rather, every person is travelling their own path.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הָאֵל הַקָּדושׁ – Blessed are You, the God Who is holy.

הָאֵל הַקָּדושׁ is a fascinating phrase. הָאֵל is an expression of רחמים, of mercy, and yet at the same time, Hashem is קָדושׁ, separate. This is because however separate Hashem is from us at any time, He will still interact with us. What makes a great person great is that they make other people feel great too, and not make them feel small to make the distinction. Hashem loves and cares for each of us. In spite of being entirely קָדושׁ, Hashem is הָאֵל, He is merciful.