Shabbat Parashat Devarim 5778

Ein Ayah: Two Finger Breadths of Spiritual Light

Gemara: The tzitz (one of the vestments of the kohen gadol) was a sort of plate of gold, which had a width of the width of two fingers, and it would encompass the forehead from one ear to the other ear [and had written on it, “Holy to Hashem”].

Ein Ayah: The highest level spiritual riches, when they begin to be revealed from the inner sanctums of an elevated soul, based on the light of the divine desire to provide the best, is revealed on the forehead of the holiest man. Its light expands to a physical object that occupies the smallest size measure that the Torah recognizes (a finger width). This is because the physical world cannot contain a large measure of lofty matters, when that which is hidden in the light of the soul becomes revealed.    

There are two ways for this hidden light to be revealed. One is hazracha (shining forth): the inner light comes when the most delicate survey of the soul appears in the physical world. This enables the person to have his characteristics and actions run based on the highest possible values. This spiritual richness can only be compared to refined gold. The second manner is noga (glowing): the highest spiritual light accepts inspiration from practical spirituality and all the related emotions, and expands its upper limits.   

These two forms of expression of spirituality enable the internal listening to the higher levels from one side to the other side of the essence of a person’s mind. There is a listening of the right side, which makes it possible to “hear” from a distance all the light, the kindness and the delicateness of the highest level of thought. The revelation of the soul’s desire is given to the side of the soul that is able to act in the practical world based on the essence of the spiritual world.

[The process exists in the other direction as well.] The listening that comes from the “distant land” of actions acquires for itself a special content that is not found in the “kingdom of the spirit” alone. In this way, the two worlds are parallel to each other, and each one impacts on the other.

It takes a uniquely elevated person, who is imbued with the loftiest and purest level that a man can reach, to be complete enough to be able to serve as a bridge from one side to the other, and each with its tremendous depth and content. He is able to create great unity of lights in a complete way.

The holy tzitz, which the kohen gadol wears as a crown, was worn on Aharon’s head as a plate of gold. This represents how there can be a bridging of the gap between the internal riches of spirituality and the external representation of riches through gold.  It is two finger-breadths wide and extends from ear to ear to prepare the internal “hearing” from one side of a person’s being to the other, in a special form of unity. It enabled the greatest of men to include within his persona a full world with all its expansions, and made him lofty to the highest levels, until he was able to find “good will before Hashem.”

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