G‑d began to instruct Moses regarding the code of conduct the Jewish people are called upon to follow in order to be holy. While some of these rules do go beyond what most people would consider normally required behavior, many (such as honoring parents, not stealing or robbing, etc.) do not fall into this category.
What it Means to be Holy
קְדֹשִׁים תִּהְיוּ כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם: (ויקרא יט:ב)
[G‑d instructed Moses to tell the Jewish people,] “You must be holy, for I – G‑d, your G‑d – am holy.” Leviticus 19:2

The Hebrew word for “holy” (kadosh) means “separate,” “removed,” and “beyond.” G‑d is absolutely and infinitely holy, for inasmuch as He created the world, He is beyond it, unlimited by time, space, or any other of its attributes. Thus, by being told that we are to be holy because G‑d is holy, we are being told that we are able to partake of G‑d’s otherness, that the heights of holiness we can reach are infinite, just as G‑d is infinite.

This means that as Jews, we are intended to live with the awareness that the laws of nature pose no contradiction to Divinity. There is no aspect of life that is beyond our capacity to elevate, so long as we are connected to G‑d and act in accordance with His will. Therefore, we can “sanctify” all aspects of our lives, even the most self-understood and commonplace. We should consider everything that we do to be part of our Divine mission, a way of bringing G‑d into the world and making it into His home.1