Chasidut zu Jechezkiel 24:17
הֵאָנֵ֣ק ׀ דֹּ֗ם מֵתִים֙ אֵ֣בֶל לֹֽא־תַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה פְאֵֽרְךָ֙ חֲב֣וֹשׁ עָלֶ֔יךָ וּנְעָלֶ֖יךָ תָּשִׂ֣ים בְּרַגְלֶ֑יךָ וְלֹ֤א תַעְטֶה֙ עַל־שָׂפָ֔ם וְלֶ֥חֶם אֲנָשִׁ֖ים לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽל׃
Seufzend schweigend; trauere nicht um die Toten, binde deinen Kopf an dich und ziehe deine Schuhe an deine Füße und bedecke nicht deine Oberlippe und iss nicht das Brot der Menschen.'
Kedushat Levi
Yet another interpretation of the opening verse in our portion. We need to consider this verse in conjunction with Exodus 40,18 ויקם משה את המשכן וגו', “Moses, (personally) erected the Tabernacle, etc.;”
We have a rule expressed in the Zohar that the Tabernacle represented this lower world, as well as the world beyond earth as well as the Torah, in miniature. [Possibly a reference to Zohar Pekudey, 220 where the author of the Zohar uses the word אלה here and in Genesis 2,4 אלה תולדות השמים והארץ, as a basis for this comparison. Ed.]
Nachmanides quotes Genesis 18,19 כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו....ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, where he explains the expression דרך ה' to mean the “attributes that G’d has revealed of Himself.” The Torah credits Avraham in that verse as emulating G’d’s attributes of שלום וחסד, “peace and loving kindness, etc.” These attributes are also reflected in the legislation we read in the Torah, as we find commandments that clearly reflect the need for us to be kind even to the undeserving, such as helping one’s enemy to load or unload his donkey, whereas some of the commandments clearly reflect the attribute of Justice, such as to ensure that people convicted of deliberate wrongdoing be punished in accordance with the law. Similarly, other attributes that reflect G’d’s attributes are represented in different parts of Torah legislation. The requirement to wear phylacteries is understood as reflecting the fact that G’d represents תפארת, “glory,” and that is why we recite a benediction when putting on phylacteries which describes G’d as having distinguished us with glory, i.e. עוטר ישראל בתפארה.
We have a rule expressed in the Zohar that the Tabernacle represented this lower world, as well as the world beyond earth as well as the Torah, in miniature. [Possibly a reference to Zohar Pekudey, 220 where the author of the Zohar uses the word אלה here and in Genesis 2,4 אלה תולדות השמים והארץ, as a basis for this comparison. Ed.]
Nachmanides quotes Genesis 18,19 כי ידעתיו למען אשר יצוה את בניו....ושמרו דרך ה' לעשות צדקה ומשפט, where he explains the expression דרך ה' to mean the “attributes that G’d has revealed of Himself.” The Torah credits Avraham in that verse as emulating G’d’s attributes of שלום וחסד, “peace and loving kindness, etc.” These attributes are also reflected in the legislation we read in the Torah, as we find commandments that clearly reflect the need for us to be kind even to the undeserving, such as helping one’s enemy to load or unload his donkey, whereas some of the commandments clearly reflect the attribute of Justice, such as to ensure that people convicted of deliberate wrongdoing be punished in accordance with the law. Similarly, other attributes that reflect G’d’s attributes are represented in different parts of Torah legislation. The requirement to wear phylacteries is understood as reflecting the fact that G’d represents תפארת, “glory,” and that is why we recite a benediction when putting on phylacteries which describes G’d as having distinguished us with glory, i.e. עוטר ישראל בתפארה.
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