Dear Friends,
We find within our tradition the following holistic concept: Both our soul and our body yearn for Our Creator.
An example of this
concept is found in the
following verse from the
Book of Psalms:
“O God, You are my God;
at early dawn will I
seek You. My soul
thirsts for You; my
flesh longs for You, in
a dry and weary land
without water.” (Psalm
63:2)
“My Soul Yearns for You”
– Regarding the creation
of the soul, Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch
writes in his commentary
on the Siddur (Prayer
Book):
“God, the One, pure and holy Being, is the soul’s Creator, and He has breathed that soul into us as part of His own Divine essence.” (Commentary on the morning prayer, “The soul that You gave me is pure”)
It is understandable
that the soul which is
connected to the Divine
essence should yearn for
God; however, the above
verse also states, “My
flesh longs for you.”
Why does the “flesh” –
the physical body – long
for God? The beginning
of an answer can be
found in the following
verse where Hashem
proclaims to Moshe, our
teacher:
“They shall make a
Sanctuary for Me, so
that I may dwell within
them.” (Exodus 25:8)
The Sanctuary which our
people built in the
wilderness was also
known as the “Mishkan” –
Tabernacle. In this
letter, we shall discuss
two commentaries on the
above verse which have
the following
observation: Hashem does
not say, “I will dwell
within it” – the
Sanctuary, but “I will
dwell within them” – the
people. According to
these commentaries, the
verse is expressing this
uplifting idea:
Through the sacred service of the Sanctuary, the Shechinah – the Divine Presence – is to dwell within each member of the nation of Israel.
Our physical bodies therefore have the potential to become a sanctuary for the Shechinah! Our study of this teaching will begin with the commentary of Rabbi Chayim of Volozhin, a leading sage who was a close disciple of the Vilna Gaon:
“They shall make a
Sanctuary for Me, So
that I may dwell within
them” (Exodus 25:8). –
Rabbi Chayim points out
that this verse does not
refer to the Shechinah
dwelling in the
Sanctuary, but within
the people – “within
each and every one of
them” (Nefesh HaChayim
1:4). With this
statement, explains
Rabbi Chayim, Hashem is
saying:
“Do not think that My
ultimate intention is
the construction of the
Sanctuary edifice;
rather the entire
purpose in desiring the
Mishkan and its vessels
is merely so that you
should infer from it how
to mold yourselves;
namely that through your
deeds you should be as
desirable as the Mishkan
and its vessels – all of
you holy, fitting, and
prepared to be
receptacles for My
Shechinah in a literal
sense.” (Ibid)
A similar insight is
discussed in the
biblical commentary,
Maor V'Shemesh, written
by a leading sage and
Chassidic Rebbe, Rabbi
Klonimus Kalman Epstein.
In his explanation of
the above verse, he
cites the ancient
teaching of our sages
that the Shechinah is to
dwell on this earth
(Genesis Rabbah 19:7).
This includes the human
body, states Rabbi
Epstein; thus, the words
“I will dwell within
them” reveal that each
of us can be a “chariot
for the Shechinah.” And
he adds, “Each and every
member of Israel should
view himself as if
holiness is dwelling
within his inner
physical organs.” This
awareness, explains
Rabbi Kalman, should
inspire us to keep our
bodies pure and holy
through dedicating all
of our limbs and organs
to the service of Hashem;
moreover, it should also
inspire us to refrain
from any activity which
weakens this state of
purity and holiness.
If the human body was
created to be a
sanctuary for the
Shechinah, then we can
understand why we pray,
“My flesh longs for
You.” The body is
longing for the
Shechinah; it yearns to
fulfill the purpose of
its creation.
The Sanctuary in
Jerusalem was known as
the “Beis HaMikdash” –
the Holy Temple. The
Syrian-Greeks, in their
desire to destroy
Judaism, defiled the
Temple, and on Chanukah,
we celebrate the
cleansing and
rededication of the
Temple. As the above
teachings indicate, the
purpose of the Holy
Temple is to enable each
of us to become a holy
temple – a place where
the Shechinah can dwell.
Our personal temple,
however, can also become
defiled; thus, in a
deeper sense, Chanukah
celebrates our ability
to cleanse and
rededicate the holy
temple of our bodies.
As we discussed in the
previous letter, the
Syrian-Greeks and their
assimilated Jewish
allies tried to force
our people to adopt a
Hellenistic culture
which worshiped physical
beauty and which
glorified the selfish
gratification of
physical desires. The
Syrian-Greeks even
organized sexual orgies
in Jerusalem's Holy
Temple. The Maccabees
refused to accept the
hedonistic values of
this pagan culture, and
they led a rebellion
against the oppressors.
One does not have to be
a sociologist to realize
that there are aspects
of modern western
culture which glorify
the selfish
gratification of
physical desires. For
example, we are
surrounded by unholy
advertising and programs
which encourage us to
view other human beings
as objects created for
our sexual
gratification. The
challenge facing our
generation is whether we
can become modern
“Maccabees” who will
engage in a spiritual
rebellion against the
current hedonistic
onslaught that attempts
to defile the holy
sanctuary within every
human being.
Unfortunately, the most
decadent aspects of
modern western culture
can also be found in the
State of Israel, and
about ten years ago,
there was a protest
against one aspect of
this culture which
caused quite a stir in
the media. One of the
protestors was Shulamit
Aloni, a leading
activist within the
leftist Meretz party and
an activist in feminist
groups. She was then a
member of the “Knesset”
– the legislature of the
State of Israel. She
evoked the rage of some
of her leftist male
colleagues when she
joined forces with
Zevulun Orlev, a member
of the
National-Religious party
who also headed the
Knesset Education
Committee, in order to
oppose the introduction
of pornographic channels
on Israeli television.
These male colleagues
mocked her, and they
accused her of adopting
a “Chareidi” outlook,
for it is known that the
Chareidim strongly
oppose pornographic
advertising and
programs. Aloni's
opponents were
especially incensed when
she and Orlev petitioned
the State’s Supreme
Court to prevent the
introduction of these
pornographic channels.
They viewed the alliance
between Aloni and Orlev
on this issue as a
dangerous sign of
religious influence.
The Hellenistic “high
priests” of the State’s
secular culture,
including judges and
journalists, arose to
defend their society
from the rebellion of
Aloni and Orlev. For
example, the Israeli
Supreme Court rejected
their petition, and the
Editors of the Jerusalem
Post wrote an editorial
denouncing the petition
(Aug. 20, 2000). In one
paragraph, they stated:
“By referring to the
petition as ‘an issue of
human rights and the
dignity of human
beings,’ Aloni makes
clear she considers
pornographic productions
in themselves a crime
against women that must
not be perpetuated and
encouraged. While no one
disputes the fact that
pornography objectifies
women to satisfy the
masturbatory fantasies
of an overwhelming male
audience, the performers
are all adults who
participate willingly.”
According to the editors of the Jerusalem Post, it is okay to promote pornography which views other human beings as objects which exist for sexual gratification, as long this objectification is done willingly! This unholy editorial was a reminder of the increasing degradation of human beings who are created in the Divine image. It was also a reminder that the Chanukah struggle against the hedonistic aspects of Hellenism is a struggle which is continuing in our day.
I once came across a
teaching which can serve
as a response to the
editorial of the
Jerusalem Post, and it
is a teaching of the
late Slonimer Rebbe,
Rabbi Sholom Noach
Berezovsky, who lived in
Jerusalem. He reminds us
that within the Holy
Temple was the inner
chamber known as “the
Holy of Holies.” The
human being is also a
holy temple, states the
Rebbe, and the “holy of
holies” within this
temple is the human mind
(Nesivos Shalom). The
cleansing and
rededication of the
human temple to the
service of Hashem must
therefore begin in the
human mind – the holy of
holies within each of
us.
One cannot have a holy
temple if the holy of
holies is defiled. In
this spirit, we chant
the following words of
prayer during Chanukah:
“Your children came to
the Holy of Holies of
Your House, cleansed
Your Temple, purified
the site of Your
holiness, and kindled
lights in the courtyards
of Your Sanctuary; and
they established these
eight days of Chanukah
to express thanks and
praise to Your great
Name.” (Al Ha-Nissim)
As we discussed in this
series, there are some
hopeful signs of
spiritual renewal in the
Land of Israel, and I
therefore feel that more
of our people will
regain the spirit of the
Maccabees. They will
remember that we are to
be a holy people, and
that this land is to be
a holy land. Most
important of all, they
will begin to cleanse
and purify their own
“holy of holies” – the
human mind.
On that great and joyous day, our entire society will become a Sanctuary for the Shechinah, and we will experience the fulfillment of the following Divine promise that we chant on the Shabbos of Chanukah:
“Sing and rejoice O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell within you, spoke Hashem.” (Zechariah 2:14)
“I will dwell within you” – I will place My Shechinah within you. (Targum – the ancient Aramaic translation and commentary)
Our society will then begin to serve as a universal model which can bring the nations closer to Hashem; thus, the Prophet Zechariah adds the next part of the Divine promise: “Many nations will join themselves to Hashem on that day” (2:15).
May we experience the
light, holiness, and joy
of Chanukah.
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen
(See below)
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