Sponsored in loving memory of Joseph and Shirley Goldwasser by Avraham and Joyce Litzman, their children and grandchildren.
Day Twenty
(ו) וראה כי כמו שהתשובה יש בה שרש כל הנמצאות בסוד היובל.
(6) And see, that Teshuvah (Repentance) contains within it the root of every Being by virtue of the “Secret of the Jubilee Year.”
The Root of Every Person
The Ramak tells us that every person has their root in the lofty realm of Binah (Divine Enlightenment). Consider a tree, comprised of trunk, branches, leaves and fruits. Disparate though these parts may be, they all derive from the same source, the root. Indeed, the tree that both grows forth from and receives nourishment through the root could not exist without it. The Rashbah (one of the Early Authorities) also expresses this idea, albeit more briefly (Chidushei HaRashbah, Brachos 7): “The branches of the tree derive solely from the power contained within the root!”
Similarly, the root of man’s holy soul bestows life upon him, as the verse states (Bereisheis 2:7), And He blew into his nostrils the soul of life, and Man became a living being. We can conclude that a person’s corporeal aspects resemble nothing more than the branches of a tree. Whereas his root – his holy soul – imbues him with life and establishes the true reality and essence of his being. Therefore, when a person intends to ascend to his holy root in Binah (Divine Enlightenment), he will assuredly be transformed to pure goodness.
The Holy Inner Sanctum Alludes to Man’s Soul
In his "Mishnas Rebbi Aaron," Rabbi Aaron Kotler, z”l, presents an idea that dovetails beautifully with this concept, based on the verse (Yechezkel 13:10): You, Son of Man, tell the Children of Israel about the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary). Rabbi Kotler notes that the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) is not only HaShem’s dwelling place on earth; it also serves as a microcosm of the Universe itself. As such, every component of the Sanctuary corresponds to a different element of Creation. For example, the Golden Menorah alludes to the Luminaries; the ever-present blue fabric alludes to the Heavens, etc. If so, what does the Kodesh HaKodashim – the Holy Inner Sanctum – represent? The answer is – Man’s soul!
This insight reveals that just as the Holy Inner Sanctum is the spiritual core of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) and is supremely holy, so too, Man’s soul is eminently sanctified. More, just as holiness radiated from the Kodesh HaKodashim (Holy Inner Sanctum) and permeated the entire Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary); so too, the holy soul serves as a wellspring to fill a person’s entire being with Sanctity! However, this blinding radiance is almost completely obscured by the nearly overwhelming nature of our base corporeal existence. The coarse thickness of our physicality effectively conceals our inner light, making us virtually oblivious to our innate holiness.
Therefore, HaShem commanded His Prophet, “Tell B’nei Yisrael about the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary)!” The spiritual impressions made in the Holy Sanctuary are deeply ingrained in our national psyche, and the sanctity of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) resonates eternally in the consciousness of Klal Yisrael (The Children of Israel). Even today, almost two thousand years after its physical destruction, the Sanctuary remains the focal point of our prayers. By meditating on the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) – by contemplating its structure, components, and the Divine service performed therein – we stimulate these impressions and recall the experience of being in the presence of the Shechinah (Divine Presence). An awareness of the powerful holiness of our souls is aroused within us, inspiring us to return to our Father in Heaven.
The Maharal From Prague
Indeed, one of the primary functions of the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) was to grant people a miraculous glimpse into their souls and to connect them with their own innate sanctity. The experience of communing with the Shechinah (Divine Presence) awakened new vistas of inspiration in the hearts of the Jewish people. As the Maharal M’Prague explains (Gevuros HaShem, Chapter 5), one of the epithets for the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) is “The Mount of Lebanon.”
This is because just as a mountain rises above its surroundings, so does the spiritual dimension manifest in the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Sanctuary) tower over every other facet of Creation. Only in that rarified atmosphere is the Shechinah (Divine Presence) revealed to the fullest extent possible in this world, and in an ongoing fashion. When Klal Yisrael -- the Jewish People -- entered that sacred domain, they were literally charged with holiness, rising above the strictures of nature and the bonds of physicality. They experienced a glimmering of their true essence and an inkling of the Almighty’s sanctity!
