Devir Kahan cites Rashi, who interpreted the commandment to avoid illicit sexual relations and sinful thoughts. He asks, why does Rashi rely solely on texts related to the kohanim, and why this interpretation here when the Torah prohibits illicit sexual relations in so many other parts? The answer lies in an analysis of the “fences around the Torah”.
Professor Scheindlin comments on Chapter 19 of Leviticus, which comes with a temporary reprieve from the endless ritual instructions, and begins with the statement “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” He is concerned with the difference between the commandment to “be holy”, rather than “to be moral”. Furthermore, the Torah commands us to beware of the holy, as with Nadav and Avihu.
Rabbi Sacks observes that it is natural to feel aggrieved when someone has hurt us. How are we to fulfill the common “Do not hate your brother in your heart?” The Torah instructs us to interact; to speak, challenge, or remonstrate. The ultimate goal is to use the power of speech to sustain and mend relationships.