A little bit of both
Judaism offers both legal and ethical guidelines to followers. We have laws that are similar to country-level ("national") laws, like laws regulating property and laws outlawing criminal behavior. Yet we also have laws that fall into the ethical realm, such as the obligation to help orphans and widows and the prohibition against putting yourself in danger. In addition, Jewish law requires its people to live an ethical life and make honorable choices, even when there is no direct law governing our actions – i.e. where US law would be okay if someone drove by the scene of a car crash without stopping to help, Judaism takes the opposite view. There is a biblical imperative to always strive to do the right thing, even without the threat of punishment.
Let's take a closer look at this biblical imperative.
Leviticus 19 calls commands Bnei Yisrael "to be Holy"
ב. דַּבֵּר אֶל-כָּל-עֲדַת בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם--קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ: כִּי קָדוֹשׁ, אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם |
2. Speak to the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy. |
What does it mean to be "holy?" This is a very general statement. What do you imagine the text is asking? Is this a law or an ethical command?
Let's return to our dictionary for help. Dictionary.com defines a holy life as:
Saintly; Godly; Pious; Devout |
This is still pretty vague. What characterizes things like "saintly" and "pious?"
What are some words you would use to explain the concept of holy? Here are some ideas: special, apart, higher, different. Take five minutes to think of some examples of your own.