Holiness in the Modern Age

Even within Jewish thought - some would say, especially in Jewish thought - there has long been a debate about the meaning of the word "holiness." Rashi and the Ramban famously debated the question, each taking what would seem to be starkly divergent approaches. On the face of it, Rashi says that it was vital to give over the laws and tenets applying to the breadth of human relations in a national forum, old and young, men and women all congregated together to hear about the nuances of behavior vital for the social fabric - and, in light of the above, Rashi then goes on to explain, "When Hashem says you should be holy, it applies to abstinence from forbidden sexual relationships, because the avoidance of these relationships is  always juxtaposed with the concept of hallowedness in the Torah." What Rashi does not say here is that holiness=sexual propriety, but rather that acting in a way that forebears sexual impropriety, such as a relationship between a father and daughter, and brother and sister, promotes and ensures holiness. 

The Ramban states in no uncertain terms what would seem to be a rather different definition: one can act in a wanton way with Torah license, in other words, one can follow the letter of the law but uproot it in a way so flagrant as to empty it of any meaning. One can fastidiously stick to rules, but sometimes bending them achieves a higher goal, more in keeping with the Torah's view of holiness, so the Ramban says, "Make yourself holy by understanding the deeper meaning of the law." 

They most certainly seem to be at odds with each other, but I'd like to aver that there is a common strain. As Rashi notes so poignantly, these laws had to be given to the whole congregation, because without them, the nation couldn't subsist. They were designed at preserving the national fabric, and how is that so? When the family unit is not sacred, a son is not a son, a daughter not a daughter and a father not a father, when a brother can marry his sister and a daugher her father, than the very essence of the perpetuation and transmission of the will of God falls by the wayside. The Ramban, a different personality, takes a different approach and shares that the approach is not just a detail-oriented one. Don't do this, don't do that. Yes, that is one facet of holiness, and helps cultivate holiness on the national level - again, Rashi does not write that holiness is tantamount to sexual propriety - but the Ramban would like to add to what his teacher has shared, and says, to achieve holiness, collectively, sometimes it requires thinking outside the box, meaning each and every individual has to posit and ponder what he or she thinks will best serve the good of not only himself, and his family, but the nation in its entirety.