Sources for Bigdei Kehuna Class

Bigdei Kehuna and Game of Clothing

(א) וְאַתָּה הַקְרֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וְאֶת בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ מִתּוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אֶלְעָזָר וְאִיתָמָר בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן:

(ב) וְעָשִׂיתָ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ לְכָבוֹד וּלְתִפְאָרֶת:

(ג) וְאַתָּה תְּדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל חַכְמֵי לֵב אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּאתִיו רוּחַ חָכְמָה וְעָשׂוּ אֶת בִּגְדֵי אַהֲרֹן לְקַדְּשׁוֹ לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי:

(ד) וְאֵלֶּה הַבְּגָדִים אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשׂוּ חשֶׁן וְאֵפוֹד וּמְעִיל וּכְתֹנֶת תַּשְׁבֵּץ מִצְנֶפֶת וְאַבְנֵט וְעָשׂוּ בִגְדֵי קֹדֶשׁ לְאַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ וּלְבָנָיו לְכַהֲנוֹ לִי:

(ה) וְהֵם יִקְחוּ אֶת הַזָּהָב וְאֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת וְאֶת הָאַרְגָּמָן וְאֶת תּוֹלַעַת הַשָּׁנִי וְאֶת הַשֵּׁשׁ:

(ו) וְעָשׂוּ אֶת הָאֵפֹד זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן תּוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר מַעֲשֵׂה חשֵׁב:

(ז) שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפֹת חֹבְרֹת יִהְיֶה לּוֹ אֶל שְׁנֵי קְצוֹתָיו וְחֻבָּר:

(ח) וְחֵשֶׁב אֲפֻדָּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ מִמֶּנּוּ יִהְיֶה זָהָב תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי וְשֵׁשׁ מָשְׁזָר:

(ט) וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי אַבְנֵי שֹׁהַם וּפִתַּחְתָּ עֲלֵיהֶם שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל:

(י) שִׁשָּׁה מִשְּׁמֹתָם עַל הָאֶבֶן הָאֶחָת וְאֶת שְׁמוֹת הַשִּׁשָּׁה הַנּוֹתָרִים עַל הָאֶבֶן הַשֵּׁנִית כְּתוֹלְדֹתָם:

(יא) מַעֲשֵׂה חָרַשׁ אֶבֶן פִּתּוּחֵי חֹתָם תְּפַתַּח אֶת שְׁתֵּי הָאֲבָנִים עַל שְׁמֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֻסַבֹּת מִשְׁבְּצוֹת זָהָב תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם:

(יב) וְשַׂמְתָּ אֶת שְׁתֵּי הָאֲבָנִים עַל כִּתְפֹת הָאֵפֹד אַבְנֵי זִכָּרֹן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנָשָׂא אַהֲרֹן אֶת שְׁמוֹתָם לִפְנֵי יְדֹוָד עַל שְׁתֵּי כְתֵפָיו לְזִכָּרֹן:

[Separate] your brother Aaron and his sons from among the Israelites, [and] bring them close to you so that Aaron, and his sons, Nadav, Avihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, can become priests to Me. 28:2 Make sacred vestments that are both dignified and beautiful for your brother Aaron. 28:3 Speak to everyone who is naturally talented, to whom I have granted a spirit of wisdom, and let them make Aaron's vestments. These [vestments] will then be used to consecrate him and make him a priest to Me. 28:4 These are the vestments that they shall make: a breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a knitted tunic, a turban, and a sash. Make them as sacred vestments for Aaron and his sons so that they will be able to be priests to Me. 28:5 [The skilled workers] shall take the gold, the sky-blue, dark red and crimsons wool, and the linen.
The Ephod
28:6 [These workers] shall make the ephod out of gold [thread], sky-blue, dark red and crimson wool, together with twined linen, in a patterned brocade. 28:7 It shall have two attached shoulder pieces at its two corners, and [these] shall be sewn [to it]. 28:8 The ephod's belt which is made in the same manner [as the ephod itself] shall be [woven] together with it out of gold [thread], sky-blue, dark red, and crimson wool, and twined linen. 28:9 Take two sardonyx stones, and engrave on them the names of Israel's sons. 28:10 There shall be six names on one stone, and the remaining six names on the second stone [inscribed] in the order of their birth. 28:11 The names of Israel's sons shall be engraved by a skilled jeweler, [and it shall appear] like the engraving on a signet ring.

[These stones] shall then be placed in gold settings.

28:12 Place the two stones on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod as remembrance stones for Israel's sons.

Rambam

(יא) בגדי כהונה מותר ליהנות בהן לפיכך לובשם ביום עבודתו ואפילו שלא בשעת עבודה חוץ מן האבנט מפני שהוא שעטנז:

(ז) ומפתח על האבנים שמות השבטים כתולדותם ונמצא כותב על האודם ראובן ועל ישפה בנימין וכותב בתחלה למעלה מראובן אברהם יצחק ויעקב וכותב למטה מבנימין שבטי יה כדי שיהיו כל האותיות מצויות שם:

(ד) מצות עשה לעשות בגדים אלו ולהיות הכהן עובד בהן שנאמר ועשית בגדי קדש ואת בניו תקריב והלבשתם כתנות וכהן גדול ששימש בפחות משמנה בגדים אלו או כהן הדיוט ששימש בפחות מארבעה בגדים אלו הוא הנקרא מחוסר בגדים ועבודתו פסולה וחייב מיתה בידי שמים כזר ששימש שנאמר וחגרת אותם אבנט והיתה להם כהונה בזמן שבגדיהם עליהן כהונתן עליהן אין בגדיהן עליהן אין כהונתם עליהן אלא הרי הם כזרים ונאמר והזר הקרב יומת:

(ה) כשם שהמחוסר בגדים חייב מיתה ופוסל העבודה כך היתר בגדים כגון שלבש שתי כתנות או שני אבנטים או כהן הדיוט שלבש בגדי כהן גדול ועבד ה"ז מחלל העבודה וחייב מיתה בידי שמים:

(ו) נאמר בבגדי כהונה על בשרו ולבשם מלמד שלא יהיה דבר חוצץ בין בשרו לבגדים אפילו נימא אחת או עפר או כינה מתה אם היתה בין בשר לבגד הרי זו חציצה ועבודתו פסולה לפיכך אין הכהן יכול לעבוד בתפילין של יד שהרי חוצצת אבל של ראש אינה חוצצת ואם רצה להניחם בשעת העבודה מניח:

(ז) וצריך להזהר בשעה שלובש שלא יהיה אבק בין בגדו לבשרו ולא כינה אע"פ שהיא בחיים ושלא תכנס הרוח בשעת העבודה בין בשרו לבגדו עד שיתרחק הבגד מעליו ולא יכניס ידו תחת חלוקו לחיק ולא יצא שערו מן הבגד ולא יהיה בבגד נימא מדולדלת ואם היה שם אחד מכל אלו עבודתו כשירה:

Halacha 4

It is a positive commandment to make these garments and for the priests to serve in them,13 as [Exodus 28:2] states: "And you shall make holy garments,"14 and [ibid. 29:8] states: "And drew near his sons and dress them in tunics."15

When a High Priest serves with less than these eight garments or an ordinary priest serves with less than these four garments, he is called lacking garments. His service is invalid and he is liable for death at the hand of Heaven, like a non-priest who serves. [This is indicated by ibid.:9 which states:] "And you shall gird them with a sash... and their priesthood shall be for them...." [Implied is that] when their garments are upon them, their priesthood is upon them. [Conversely,] if their garments are not upon them, they are like non-priests, concerning whom [Numbers 1:51] states: "A non-priest who draws close [to the service of the Sanctuary] shall die."16

Halacha 5

Just like a priest who is lacking garments is liable to die and invalidates the service he performs, so too, one who wears extra garments17 - e.g., he wears two tunics, two sashes, or an ordinary priest who wears the garments of the High Priest and performs service - profanes his service and is liable for death at the hand of Heaven.18

Halacha 6

It is said with regard to the priestly garments:19 "on his flesh and he shall wear them." [Implied is that] nothing should intervene between his flesh and the garments. Even if there is one thread, earth, or a dead louse between his flesh and the [priestly] garment, it is considered an intervening substance and his service is invalid. Therefore a priest cannot serve [in the Temple wearing] his arm tefillin, because they intervene. The head tefillin, by contrast, do not intervene20 and if he desires to wear them at the time of his Temple service, he may.21

Halacha 7

[A priest] must be careful at the time that he puts on [the priestly garments] that there be no dust, nor a louse - even if it is alive - between his flesh and the garment. Nor should air enter between his flesh and his garment during the time of service so that the garment will become distant from his flesh. He should not place his hand in his bosom under his tunic. He should not remove his hair from the garment, nor should there be a strand hanging loose from the garment. [Although] one these factors occurs, his service is acceptable.22

:

(י) עשו בבית שני אורים ותומים כדי להשלים שמנה בגדים ואע"פ שלא היו נשאלין בהן ומפני מה לא היו שואלין בהן מפני שלא היתה שם רוח הקודש וכל כהן שאינו מדבר ברוח הקודש ואין שכינה שורה עליו אין נשאלין בו:

(יא) וכיצד שואלין עומד הכהן ופניו לפני הארון והשואל מאחריו פניו לאחרי הכהן ואומר השואל אעלה או לא אעלה ואינו שואל בקול רם ולא מהרהר בלבו אלא בקול נמוך כמי שמתפלל בינו לבין עצמו ומיד רוח הקדש לובש את הכהן ומביט בחושן ורואה בו במראה הנבואה עלה או לא תעלה באותיות שבולטות מן החושן כנגד פניו והכהן משיבו ואומר לו עלה או לא תעלה:

(יב) ואין שואלין על שני דברים כאחד ואם שאל משיבין על הראשון בלבד ואין נשאלין בהן להדיוט אלא או למלך או לבית דין או למי שצורך הציבור בו שנאמר ולפני אלעזר הכהן יעמוד וגו' הוא זה המלך וכל בני ישראל זה הוא משוח מלחמה או מי שצורך הציבור בשאילתו וכל העדה אלו ב"ד הגדול:

(יג) זה שאתה מוצא בדבר נביאים שהכהנים היו חוגרין אפוד בד לא היו כהנים גדולים שאין האפוד של כ"ג אפוד בד ואף הלוים היו חוגרין אותו שהרי שמואל הנביא לוי היה ונאמר בו נער חגור אפוד בד אלא אפוד זה היו חוגרים אותו בני הנביאים ומי שהוא ראוי שתשרה עליו רוח הקדש להודיע כי הגיע זה למעלת כהן גדול שמדבר על פי האפוד והחשן ברוח הקדש

In the Second Temple,29 they made the Urim and the Tumim30 to complete the eight garments [of the High Priest]31 even though inquiry was not made of them. Why was inquiry not made of them? Because the Holy Spirit32 was not vested there.33 And whenever a priest does not speak with the Holy Spirit and the Divine Presence does not rest there, inquiry is not made.

Halacha 11

How was inquiry made?34 The [High] priest would stand facing the Ark. The person making inquiry was behind him, facing the [High] Priest's back. The inquirer would ask: "Should I go up [to war] or not?" He would not ask in a loud voice, nor would he merely think about the matter in his heart. Instead, [he would speak] in a low voice, like someone praying to himself.35 Immediately, the Holy Spirit will enclothe the [High] Priest. He will look at the breastplate and with the spirit of prophecy see "Go up" or "Do not go up" written in letters emerging from the breastplate toward his face. The [High] Priest would then answer [the inquirer], telling him: "Go up" or "Do not go up."

Halacha 12

Two matters should not be asked about at once. If they are, one replies only to the first. Inquiry should not be made [of the Urim and Tumim] by an ordinary person, only by a king, the court, or one who the community at large requires. [This is derived from Numbers 27:21:] "Before Elazar the priest shall he stand... [he and all the children of Israel with him, and the entire congregation]." "He" refers to the king;36 "all the children of Israel" to the priest anointed to lead the people in war,37 or someone whom the people need to make inquiry for them; and "all the congregation" refers to the High Court.

Halacha 13

The statements found in the words of the prophets38 that the priests would wear an ephod of linen does not mean that they were High Priests. For the High Priest's ephod was not of linen [alone].39 For the Levites would also wear such a garment, for the prophet Samuel was a Levite, and [I Samuel 2:18] describes him as "a youth, girded with a linen ephod." Instead, this ephod was worn by the students of the prophets40 and those who were fit to have the Holy Spirit rest upon them to make it known that such a person reached a rung equivalent to that of the High Priest who speaks with the Holy Spirit via the medium of the ephod and the breastplate.

Megaleh Amukos R Nosson Shapira of Krakow - Toldos
ענין מכירת בכורה של עשו כשבא מן השדה שהי' לבוש בגדים של אדה"ר שלקח מנמרוד שהי' צד בו כל בהמה וחיה כי אותו לבוש הי' בגדי כה"ג לכן במסורה ב"פ וילבישם כתנות עור וילבשם כתנות פ' צו ובזוהר רזא דתפילין ד' בתים של עור שהם לקבל ד' אתוון של אדני ביד וד' אתון של אהי"ה בראש והם ג"כ סוד בגדי לבן וד' בגדי אדום ועשו ביקש מיעקב הלעיטני נא מן האדום הזה שהי' מתכוון רק ללבוש בגדי אדום לכן א' ב"פ אדום כי גם בגדי לבן רצה להפוך אל אדום כי הוא אדמוני לכן אמר לשון הלעטה מלשון מלעיטין את הגמל שהי' סמא"ל רוכב על הנחש בדמות גמלים ואותן הגמלים הבריך עבד אברהם שהוא מיטטרון בי' הכי הוי בחושבנא וכשמסלקין י' מן מטטרון אשתייר מטטרון יבשה עיין בתיקונים דף כ"ד וכשיצא יצחק לשוח בשדה (בראשית כ"ו) בגי' מטטרון והנה גמלים באים לכן אמר יעקב לעשו מכרה לי בכורתך שאם אתה רוצה ללבוש אדום ללבושיך צריך אתה לחלץ בגדי כהונה מעליך שהיתה עבודה בבכורות ואז ויבז עשו את הבכורה ולכן אמר לקמן את בכורתי לקח וזכה לבגדי כהונה ומזה זכה אח"כ ליקח את ברכתי כי מכח לבוש של אדה"ר ששכח עשו בבית שלקחה רבקה בגדי החמודות אשר לו כל הקללות של אדה"ר נהפכו עתה בלבוש יעקב הבגדים לברכה כ"ש בזוהר י' ברכאן אלו של ויתן לך לקבל י' לווטין של אדה"ר כי עתה שופרי דיעקב מעין שופרי דאדה"ר שלבש בגדי כהן גדול ומאחר שיעקב נעשה עתה כה"ג למטה נזדעזע כורסי' לעילא ונחית מיכאל כה"ג שלמעלה ובא עם יעקב לקבל הברכות של ויתן לך כו' את ברכת אברהם ומה היא הברכה שבירך הקב"ה להוצי' כהונה משם בן נח ונתן לאברהם את ארץ כי שם מקום הקרבנות בברית בין הבתרים את ארץ מגוריך אשר נתן ה' לאברהם כי באותו הפרק נאמר לו כי גר יהי' זרעך אז אמר לו קח לך עגל שהראו לו סוד הקרבנות שזכה את הברכה שברכו שם וז"ש לך נא אל הצאן וקח לי משם שני גדיי עזים טובים לך טובים לבניך טובים לך שתקבל הברכות

Tehilim 104
(א) בָּרְכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת יְדֹוָד יְדֹוָד אֱלֹהַי גָּדַלְתָּ מְּאֹד הוֹד וְהָדָר לָבָשְׁתָּ:

(ב) עֹטֶה אוֹר כַּשַֹּלְמָה נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה:

(יח) וּשְׁמוּאֵל מְשָׁרֵת אֶת פְּנֵי יְדֹוָד נַעַר חָגוּר אֵפוֹד בָּד

Ester
(א) וַיְהִי בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הוּא אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד כּוּשׁ שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה מְדִינָה:

(ב) בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם כְּשֶׁבֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ עַל כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה:

(ג) בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְמָלְכוֹ עָשָׂה מִשְׁתֶּה לְכָל שָׂרָיו וַעֲבָדָיו חֵיל פָּרַס וּמָדַי הַפַּרְתְּמִים וְשָׂרֵי הַמְּדִינוֹת לְפָנָיו:
(ג) בִּשְׁנַת שָׁלוֹשׁ לְמָלְכוֹ עָשָׂה מִשְׁתֶּה לְכָל שָׂרָיו וַעֲבָדָיו חֵיל פָּרַס וּמָדַי הַפַּרְתְּמִים וְשָׂרֵי הַמְּדִינוֹת לְפָנָיו:

(ד) בְּהַרְאֹתוֹ אֶת עשֶׁר כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ וְאֶת יְקָר תִּפְאֶרֶת גְּדוֹלָּתוֹ יָמִים רַבִּים שְׁמוֹנִים וּמְאַת יוֹם:

(ה) וּבִמְלוֹאת הַיָּמִים הָאֵלֶּה עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ לְכָל הָעָם הַנִּמְצְאִים בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה לְמִגָּדוֹל וְעַד קָטָן מִשְׁתֶּה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּחֲצַר גִּנַּת בִּיתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ:

(ו) חוּר כַּרְפַּס וּתְכֵלֶת אָחוּז בְּחַבְלֵי בוּץ וְאַרְגָּמָן עַל גְּלִילֵי כֶסֶף וְעַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ מִטּוֹת זָהָב וָכֶסֶף עַל רִצְפַת בַּהַט וָשֵׁשׁ וְדַר וְסֹחָרֶת:

Likutei Halachos
ה) כִּי מְבֹאָר בְּסוֹף הַתּוֹרָה הַנַּ"ל עַל פָּסוּק, "לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ". שֶׁכָּל הַתָּאֳרִים וְהַשְּׁבָחִים שֶׁאָנוּ מְשַׁבְּחִין וּמְפָאֲרִין אוֹתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הֵם בִּבְחִינַת הַמְדַמֶּה, כִּי בִּפְנִימִיּוּת הַשֵֹּכֶל הוּא יִתְבָּרַךְ מְרוֹמָם וְנַעֲלָה מִכָּל הַתָּאֳרִים וְהַשְּׁבָחִים וְעִקַּר כָּל הַשְּׁבָחִים וְהַתָּאֳרִים הֵם רַק בִּבְחִינַת הַמְדַמֶּה וְכוּ', עַיֵּן שָׁם וְכָל הַתָּאֳרִים וְהַשְּׁבָחִים שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת הַמְדַמֶּה, כֻּלָּם הֵם בִּבְחִינַת לְבוּשִׁין דְּמַלְכָּא, בְּחִינַת (תהלים קד) הוֹד וְהָדָר לָבָשְׁתָּ,

The Shofar in Three Dimensions

“Three books are opened on Rosh Hashana. One of the righteous, one of the wicked and one of the medium people. The righteous are immediately assigned to life, the wicked immediately to death and the medium people are pending and waiting until the day of atonement.”

(Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashana.)

What is the meaning of this judgment, ask the early commentators, have evil people never lived past Rosh Hashana? Some suggest that this judgement is not played out in this physical world rather there is a judgment about the person's place in the world to come. This option is also difficult to understand. Why should there be an annual discussion about what will happen to a guy after he dies? Why not give the verdict post-mortem?

Moreover what does this description of the the judgement teach us about how to experience Rosh Hashana? How does the knowledge of the divine court translate into our relationship with G-d?

Perhaps these three groups of people are not out there in the world, rather the righteous, wicked and medium all reside in the individual soul. We each have at least a little bit of clarity of mind or a little bit of unwavering conscience. When that part of us is manifest we feel no struggle, we are with the Master of the world and that is it. We also each have a place inside where our ego is tenacious or even tyrannical, and place is seemingly selfish and God-less. And obviously we have that inner place of struggle where the different voices vie for control.

With the blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashana we receive help for each of these inner places.

What is the sound of the shofar? Is it shouting? Crying? Rejoicing? Why do we just listen to the sound and not blow the shofar ourselves?

The verses we say together with the mitzva of shofar begin to reveal meaning of the blasts. We recite verses of Kingship, of Remembrance and of Shofar, and there is a special blessing said following each set. One of the great kabalists writes that the verses of kingship correspond to the medium people, Remembrance to the righteous and shofar to wicked. We will attempt to clarify his words.

1) The Shofar affect the 'wicked' part of ourselves most directly. It awakens and shocks us out of our sad slumber of despair. There is a magic in waking up from a deep sleep, we can allow the sleeping beauty awake while keeping all the ogres asleep.

Besides for being a wake up bugle, the shofar is also a kind of desperate scream or wail. It that wordless primal energy directed towards the most high, using the horn of an animal. We scream so hard that something inside breaks; that obstinate piece of wickedness. We come to the knowledge that its just a parasite steal our mind and body. So then we do not want it anymore and it dissolves like smoke. That what our sages meant that in the judgement of Rosh Hashana the wicked are judged immediately to death. Perhaps it should be better termed euthanasia.

2) For that middle place in us where experience struggle and choice our main focus is the divine kingship. If we feel both sides of a choice with equal intensity, then how can we choose? The answer is that the commitment to the relationship with G-d is what gives us the power. In this context the blowing of the shofar is act of joyous celebration as we declare him our loving king.

['The medium people are pending until the day of atonement.' It is particularly the middle part in us, the part that chooses that requires time. Choice is real when developed and maintained over time. During the Ten days of Return we tell God that we are serious about the relationship.]

3) Then there is the totally righteous part inside. That part connects with the Remembrances. The Remembrances speak of God forever remembering us. It is about the covenant that is unaffected by choice. The mystical soul is not thinking in terms of duality; am I good or am I bad? Rather it is thinking about the Oneness; about us being in Him and Him being in us.

The Shofar of remembrance is not about crying and its not about celebrating, rather it's about listening deeply. We listen to the hidden unity of G-d until we actually see it, just like the Children of Israel's vision of the sounds at the foot of the fiery Mount Sinai.

The shofar transforms our whole person, speaking to the body, mind and spirit, each in its own language. On Rosh Hashana, the day of man's creation, the whole self is elevated, and more broadly the entire community; the holy, the wicked, and the normal.

heroism vs. feeling

The way of Yosef is the bring the full blooming of the Godliness of man. It is the way of heroism, not letting temporary situations overcome the inner spirit. When Yosef was in the most miserable place, in the Egyptian jail, he innocently asks his cell-mates, “Why is your face look sad today?”

Yet there is another way, a more feminine, the way of David. David did not ignore the troubles that he encountered. He deeply felt the pain and cried out to God, as we can see in the book of Tehilim. Feeling the pain allowed him to open up depths of the soul that would otherwise be totally hidden.

These two paths reveal the two types of greatness in man. The independence, dignity and strength on one hand, and and the complete dependence and trust in God on the other.

Adapted from Divrei Tora Bein Hametzarim, pp. 108-112, by R' Mottel Zilber shlit"a

Meah Shearim, Nachlaot, and Mashiach.

This past Rosh Hashana my wife and I davened at two different shuls. Upon reflecting together on our experiences I realized that the two shuls represented two perennial archetypes in Jewish life. I davvened in a chassidic Yerushalmi minyan and my wife davened in a colorful Carlebach influenced congregation.

The yerushalmi shul was very family centered, with lots of children running around, all feeling part of what was going on , yet the adults were surprisingly calm, not getting too worked up about the awesomeness of the day. The enjoyed singing together the traditional songs and humming at key places in the tefila. The other minyan on the other hand was fully of fresh energy of people wanting to pray deeply and be transformed.

A superficial assessment would be that in the Yerushalaimer shul they were content and not really excited about Judaism as opposed to the baal tshuva shul where a fire burned in their hearts. Yet I feel that it is deeper than that . The yershalmim give the feeling that their calmness is not a result of laziness or lack of interest rather it reflects the essential spiritual nature. They are connected to the holiness of sameness and rootedness. That is one of the ways that God is revealed to us - the Eternal unchanging Lord. In order to manifest that aspect of the divine we need to find in our personal selves and in our society a point that doesn't change. A point of consciousness within that reflects the awesome reality of “You are God before the creation of the world and you are the same God after the creation of the world.” (One is reminded of the kabbalistic teaching that Shabbos is the the center with all the days of the week circling around her.) People who focus on this revelation tend rank the stillness of the soul over enthusiasm. The momentary enthusiasm contradicts the eternal chill. Also they focus a lot of energy on continuity, that their children should look and feel like their grandparents. Here too they seek to manifest the unchanging Eternal. This is not the conservatism that says the new is untested and dangerous, rather it is a denial of the whole concept of “new”. There is no newness in eternity.

The people of this camp can be seen fighting, both literally and figuratively, for Judaism in a way that can be mistaken for fanatic enthusiasm but when you look carefully you reveal that it is not that. They are on the defensive. They are protecting their community from what they perceive as forces of change that undermine this calm principle of eternity. It has nothing to do with missionary zeal.

The eternal sameness is a but a sliver of the Truth. There is newness and growth which is also a revelation of the divine. The world was created in order to make room for the possibility of birth, of development, of growth. The reigning in of the infinite allows the entity called change to exist. So there are people who work to manifest this revelation with a focus on renewal and growth. They spurn things set in stone; old thoughts and habits that hinder the transformation towards God.

So we have two contradictory ways of walking with God. And this contradiction is part of the plan and the warring parties will come to peace. The Prophet tells us that in the end of days the tribes of Yosef and Yehuda will be united and the enmity between them will be gone. Yosef is called the Tzadik, a solid rock unmoved by temptation. He is also the revealer of the divine aspect of Yesod meaning foundation, which is also related to reproduction- continuity, the physical manifestation of eternity.

Yehuda and is grandson David have a different way, the way of the Master of Return. They both fell and got up showing us that change is possible. And that God desires a new song. That we with our small growth and movement can make the entire project of constriction of the divine and the creation of the world worth the cost.

Who will fix this world? We are told that it is Mashiach ben David. For he is the singer , the dancer, and the renewer of the cosmos. He will pull us out of despair of ever changing.

But that is jumping to the end of the story, before that comes Mashiach ben Yosef to prepare the way. In order to make a divine transformation we need to connect to the eternal Divine.

(The disciples of the Gaon of Vilna said he had the soul of Mashiach ben Yosef, and the disciples of the Baal Shem Tov said he had the soul of Mashiach ben David. This was told over by Reb Y.M. Morgenstern shlit”a. )

One time the Arizal was in the fields and he communed with the souls of Shmaya and Avtalyon and they told him the following secret. In the Shmona Esre prayer at the words “and the throne of your servant David please prepare” one should pray that Mashiach ben Yosef should not be killed. Shmaya and Avtalyon were gerim, they were clearly of the way of newness. But they were telling the holy Ari, “Please pray for the way of old, the way of eternity that it should part of the redemption.” We need to connect so deeply to the unmoving infinity that when the newness of redemption comes it does not make us feel that the ground is being pulled out from under us, but rather we will feel that in some mysterious divine way the new redemption fits with the divine eternity.

On Succos the festival of joy there was a holy dance. It was the dance of the Chasidim and the Baalei Teshuva. The chasidim would sing “How happy are we that we lived our whole lives with unchanging purity.” The Baalei teshuva would sing “How happy are we that grew, and changed from the way of our youth.” Both groups would then sing together, “Happy is he who did not sin, and he who sinned let him return to God, and He will accept him.”

This was a miraculous moment when Yosef and Yehuda would look at each other and recognize the Godliness of there respective ways. It only happened in the joy of Simchas Beis Hashoeva when the divine spirit drawn.

Reb Mottel Zilber shlit"a

Reb Mottel is the one in the middle.

His chassidim publish his Toras every week. The weekly Torah can be received via email from toldosyehuda@yeshivanet.com

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