I
The Ramban, in his introduction to Sefer Vayikra, refers to it as Toras Kohanim, the term found in the Mishnah (Megillah 30b): on Pesach, we read the parshah of the festivals of Toras Kohanim. The laws of Shabbos and the festivals, which apply to all of Am Yisrael, are included in Vayikra because of the korbanos brought on these days. These special sacrifices, a major reason for the moadei Hashem (23:37), are offered by the Kohanim.
Rav S. R. Hirsch (23:1) suggests a conceptual connection between festivals and korbanos: "That which the Temple is in space, is what the festivals are in time. Both have our union with Hashem as their aim." The Bais Hamikdash sets Hashem's Torah as the center-point of our lives. The term "mishkan ha'edus" (Shemos 38:21) means the mishkan which was made for the luchos ha'edus (Ramban). Hashem's Torah, symbolized by the luchos which Hashem gave us at Sinai, is placed in the Kodesh haKodoshim. The luchos, found in the holiest part of the Mishkan, are the source of its sanctity (Rav Soloveitchik, cited in Eretz HaTzvi 12:5, p. 91).
To this day, we focus on Hashem daily when davening by facing the Bais Hamikdash and the Kodesh haKodoshim (Brachos 30a). Hashem's sanctuary in space, like space itself, is unchanging and inspires our eternal relationship with the eternal Torah. Time, on the other hand, is the changing succession of one event after another. The festivals are the holiest point in time, when Hashem's presence is most clearly felt. Just as we face the holiness of the Bais Hamikdash daily, so do we remember that every day leads to holiness of Shabbos (Ramban, Shemos 20:5).
II
Rav Hirsch adds that the immediately preceding section (22:26-33) includes laws of "temporal relationships within the framework of the spatial sanctuary", namely that a sacrifice may be brought only after an animal is with its mother for seven days (27), that one may not slaughter an animal and its young on the same day (28), and that the korban must be eaten on the day it is offered and slaughtered with that intention (29, 30). Rav Hirsch suggests that "the temporal character of these offering laws connects them with laws of the festivals, which also last for a period of one day or seven days."
This idea can explain why the aforementioned parshah of the festivals of Toras Kohanim begins with these seemingly unrelated laws of "shor oh kesev." The logical connection of Rav Hirsch between space and time and the common significance of the numbers one and seven led Chazal to add these introductory pesukim.
The Netziv (Ha'mek Davar, 27) alternatively explains that the laws of these pesukim relate to Pesach and Sukkos, when they are read, on a practical level. Aside from the specifics of the korbanos, the Torah warns against chilul Hashem (32). Generally, holidays can lead to levity and even sin (Kiddushin 81a). We are warned to avoid this, and to sanctify Hashem by communal prayer, ideally in Yerushalayim (see Ramban 23:2).
III
The Ramban's introduction notes that the laws of prohibited foods and relations apply to all of Am Yisrael as well. They are found in Toras Kohanim because they can lead to ritual impurity and an obligatory korban, both of which relate to the Bais Hamikdash.
The avoidance of prohibited foods and relations and overindulgence in permissible pleasures is the very essence of human sanctity (Ramban 19:1). When one experiences physical pleasure with appropriate restraint, his actions are sanctified and "redeemed" (Rav Soloveitchik, And From There You Shall Seek, p. 110ff.).
Human sanctity complements the aforementioned sanctities of space and time (olam, shanah, nefesh; see Ramban, Sha'ar Hagemul, Chavel ed., p. 296). As we face the Bais Hamikdash from afar and remember Shabbos all week and yom tov all year, so, too, must we be mindful of Hashem when we engage in physical activities.
While the ratio of totally spiritual activities to spiritually minded physical activities varies from person to person, the following pasuk may provide a model for all to follow regardless of their own proper balance. The Kohen Gadol sprinkles the blood in the Kodesh haKodoshim once upward and seven times downward (16:14). Everyone should devote at least one unit to spiritual pursuits for every seven spent on worldly matters. The Maharal (Ner Mitzvah; see Chanukah: Conflict of Cultures Then and Now) implies this ratio as well. He views Sukkos as a seven-day holiday representing nature, and Shmini Atzeres, day eight, when we celebrate the heavenly Torah, as representing the supernatural.
IV
The critical link between the mundane and the Divine is emphasized in the ways these sprinklings are numbered. While the Gemara (Yoma 55a) provides a technical or scriptural reason and the Kabbalists provide an esoteric one (Avodas Hakodesh, 16:14), one can suggest a conceptual explanation as well, which perhaps underlies the scriptural source.
Each of the seven downward sprinklings, counted one to seven, is preceded by "one," referring to the upward one. This remarkable method of counting, which the chazzan and kahal recite responsively and repeatedly on Yom Kippur, teaches that one may not be involved in earthly matters without the pervasive influence of heavenly ideals. [The Ba'al HaTurim refers to tachtonim and elyonim, low and high realms, but interprets the ratio differently.]
The ideal of sanctity is strongly linked to separation from sexual immorality (Rashi, 19:1). Unfortunately, even in this critical area, and even among otherwise observant Jews, we have seen the fulfillment of the Psalmist's description: "They mingled with the nations and learned their deeds" (106:35).
Overlooking such immoral acts in the spirit of today's non-judgmentalism threatens the very core of a holy Jewish society, especially if the acts are publicly known, and even more so if they are publicly flaunted. While the preventative measures found in the Rambam (Hilchos Yom Tov, 6:21), based on the aforementioned Gemara in Kiddushin (see Maggid Mishneh), may be impracticable, acquiescence to and acceptance of what was unacceptable even in secular society in the recent past by the Torah community is itself a chilul Hashem, as the Netziv noted, and likened to placing an idol in the Sanctuary (Akedas Yitzchak, Parashas Vayera).
We are duty-bound to sanctify all our time by our connecting it to the holy times of Shabbos and festivals, Torah and mitzvos. We must sanctify our homes by focusing on the holy space of the Bais Hamikdash and its successor, the Bais Haknesses. We must fulfill kedoshim tihyu by refraining from the prohibited, exercising restraint, and thereby sublimating the permissible. By doing so, we will merit the practical reinstatement of Toras Kohanim in the Bais Hamikdash.