Holiness

My brother is a buddhist. He’s opposed to the idea that any place or thing can be holier than anything else. In Buddhism, unity underlies all creation and there are no “illusory distinctions” between things.

With that said, Judaism defines holiness as “separateness.” Some places or things can be less holy than others while others can be considered very holy.

On the surface, my brother’s position is convincing. It’s egalitarian and conforms to accepted theories in physics (e.g., the cosmogonical principle which proposes that there are no “special” locations in space-time). With that said, some evidence is emerging that the Earth occupies a “special” position in the universe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_evil_(cosmology))).

But regardless of physics (I think using science is a horrible way to support spiritual arguments — they should stand on their own), how does Judaism argue that certain places (and times) are holier than others? Reading suggestions would be appreciated.