Musar su Abacuc 2:78

And they said in Baba Batra 98a, "He who is arrogant — even the people of his own household will not accept him," as it is said: "The haughty man abideth not…" (Hab. 2:5) which can be translated, "The man who is haughty abideth not even in his own abode."

The third level is the negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment: Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 141a) [that] we do not give lashes for a negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment - for example (Deuteronomy 22:6), “you shall not take the mother from over the young,” is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 22:7), “You shall surely send away.” But even though they would not give lashes through the court [in such a case], there were some with weighty punishments, such that it would reach the heavens and their judgement would be raised to the clouds. For example theft - as it is stated (Leviticus 19:13), “you shall not rob” (Leviticus 5:23) - is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated “and returned what he robbed.” Yet they said (Sanhedrin 108a), “The final judgement of the generation of the Flood was sealed only because of robbery, as it is stated (Genesis 6:13), ‘The end of all flesh has come in front of Me, for the earth is filled with extortion.’” And even though sexual immorality is weightier than robbery, it is the characteristic of the punishment of robbery to bring close its day and to quicken the future [consequences] to it. And they [also] said (Vayikra Rabbah 33:2), “[If you have] a seah full of iniquities, there is no prosecutor among all of them like robbery.” And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said about treasures [acquired] from dishonesty and fraud (Proverbs 21:6), “Treasures acquired by a lying tongue are like driven vapor, heading for death.” The explanation is [that] treasuries [acquired from] dishonesty and fraud are vanishing vapor, for their end is destruction. And while they are still in his possession, they are his enemies and seek the life of their master and cause his death - like the matter that is stated, (Habakkuk 2:9-11) “Ah, you who have acquired gains to the detriment of your own house, etc. For a stone shall cry out from the wall.” And in [the case of] robbing the poor, one is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens on account of it, as it is stated (Proverbs 22:22-23), “Do not rob the indigent for he is indigent; and do not crush the poor man in the gate. For the Lord will take up their cause and despoil those who despoil them of life.” Its explanation is, “do not rob from the indigent” because “he is indigent” and has no one to help him; “and do not crush the poor man in the gate,” with shame and disgrace. And “in the gate,” is to say, in public. And it is like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 3:15), “How dare you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” “For the Lord will take up their cause,” since they have no support, or someone to argue and take up their cause. “And despoil those who despoil them of life” - since the cry of the indigent has been brought to Him, He will not take money from you in place of the loot that you robbed, but rather God will remove your soul. And it is stated (Job 27:8), “For what hope has the impious man when he is cut down, when God takes away his life?” And it is also stated (Proverbs 1:19), “Such is the fate of all who pursue unjust gain; It takes the life of its possessor.” And one who torments and pains a widow or an orphan - whether with robbery, or fraud or shame or any type of pain - is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens. And likewise the judges who are able to rescue someone robbed from him who defrauded him, and do not judge [the case of an] orphan, have a death sentence upon them - as it is stated (Exodus 22:21-23), “You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do oppress them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me. And My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.” Its explanation is, “and your wives shall become widows,” corresponding to the oppression of the widow; “and your children orphans,” corresponding to the oppression of the orphan - measure for measure. And even though these punishments are not written [about the following], one who pains any Israelite transgresses a negative commandment - as it is stated (Leviticus 25:17), “A man shall not oppress (tonu) his kinsman.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 58b) the verse is speaking about verbal oppression. And that is from the contents of pain and torment, like the usage “(Isaiah 49:26), “I will make your oppressors (monayich) eat their own flesh.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, [also] said (Bava Metzia 59a), “All the gates [of prayer] have been closed, except for the gates of [one who is praying as a result of his] oppression.” And where Scripture was speaking about financial oppression, it mentioned buying and selling, as it is stated (Leviticus 25:14), “When you sell property to your kinsman.” And they said (Bava Metzia 58b) [that] verbal oppression is greater than financial oppression, for this is upon his body and that is upon his money - and about [the former] it stated (Leviticus 25:17), “but you shall fear your God,” but about [the latter (25:14)], “but you shall fear,” is not stated.

And the fifth section: A man whose words people trust, and everyone relies on his words; and he intends to boost one of the people or his redeeming relative, out of his love for him - and he says about him that he is wise, whereas he is not wise. And this will be [a cause] for faltering and a stone for stumbling; for they will rely upon his rulings: Every dispute will go according to his [decision], he will twist every case and he will destroy the world. And likewise, if he says about a man, that he is trustworthy, but he does not know whether he is trustworthy or someone who cannot be trusted. So perhaps a listener will hear and appoint him over his house and give him everything that he has into his hand (to watch); and he will deny it, saying, “I [never] saw you.” And the Rabbis said (Sanhedrin 7b), “Anyone who appoints a judge who is not fit over the community is as though he plants a tree-idol (ashera); and in a place where there are Torah scholars, it is as though he planted the tree next to the altar.” And in the early days, there was someone who appointed someone who was not fit to make rulings, as the head. And they read this verse about him (Habakkuk 2:19), “Ah, you who say, ‘Wake up’ to wood, ‘Awaken,’ to inert stone; can that give an oracle; why, it is encased in gold and silver, but there is no breath inside it.” And in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will repay the ones that appointed him, as it is stated (Habakkuk 2:20), “But the Lord is in His holy Sanctuary; let all the earth be silent before Him.”

Most of the commandments listed in this portion are of the עבודה, service, kind. The Torah therefore legislates that the place for such service must be fixed, i.e. the site G–d has chosen and called בית הבחירה. The Torah (12,5) therefore instructs us לשכנו תדרשו ובאת שמה, "seek out His Presence and come there." The word לשכנו alludes to the שכינה which resides in the Sanctuary as we know from וה' בהיכל קדשו, הס וגו' "And the Lord is in the Sanctuary of His holiness, be silent, etc.!" (Chababuk 2,20). The name of G–d is the reference to the שכינה, Presence; for it is where His glory and the strength of His תפארת, magnificence, unite. This is what the Torah (12,5) means with the words לשום שמו שם, "to place His name there." the Targum renders it as לאשראה שכנתה תמן. The wicked walk outside the holy place because they are the קליפה, the husk. This being so you must be careful not to offer your sacrifices outside the Holy Temple (12,13), lest it be perceived as if you offered them to these forces of impurity.

The concept of שלמות הבנין and the acquisition by Jacob of the merit of חסד של אמת converge into one overall concept. The word ארץ appears here three times, (verses 3-4-7) We also encounter the expression היכל השם three times in Jeremiah 7,4. The Sanctuary called היכל השם is situated in a sacred ארץ. In commenting on Isaiah 12,6: כי גדול בקרבך קדוש ישראל, "For The Holy One of Israel will be great in your midst," our sages state that G–d will not take up residence in the Jerusalem "above" until He has been able to do so in the Jerusalem "below." The plain meaning of that statement is that the Jerusalem "below" is the Sanctuary in the Holy Land, ארץ ישראל, the Temple whose speedy rebuilding we pine for every day. This Temple is on a site that corresponds to the Sanctuary in the Celestial Regions. The Sanctuary in the Celestial Regions in turn is the סוד, mystical dimension of the ארץ העליונה, the "Earth" of the upper regions, also known as ארץ חפץ. Chabakuk 2,20 says of that land: וה' בהיכל קדשו הס מפניו כל הארץ, "And the Lord is in His Sanctuary, be silent before Him all the earth!" The Sanctuary of G–d, היכל, discussed here is that of the attribute known as א-ד-נ-י, the numerical value of which equals 65, the same as the numerical value of the word היכל. These two words also have the same numerical value as the word הס in the verse from Chabakuk quoted. The היכל is the ארץ של ישראל סבא, the land of the founding father of the Jewish people, Israel, otherwise known as תפארת ישראל a mystical dimension of the Ineffable Name.

Therefore, all of the Torah is completely enclosed in faith, as it is written, "But the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4). And concerning Abraham, it is said : "And he believed in the Lord and He counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:6). And concerning all other good qualities such (a reward) is not written in Scripture.

We must try and understand why Rabbenu Bachyah was so selective in his comparison of the creation with the construction of the Tabernacle. He could have cited additional parallels. A look at a lengthy Midrash in Shemot Rabbah 33,4 quotes Rabbi Berechyah as presenting a long list of parallels between the Tabernacle and מעשה בראשית. The list includes many items found in the heavens such as ערפל, זבול, עצי שטים, כרובים, אופנים and many others. In each case Rabbi Berechyah demonstrates that the Tabernacle contained something parallel.

When such semen has been used in sleeping with a married woman (other than his wife), and a child is the result of such a union, it cannot become part of the Jewish nation, but is a Mamzer since it represents a denial of the father's covenant with G–d, and is the quintessence of impurity. The issue of such a union would certainly not be provided with a נפש originating in a region of purity.

As there are 70 ways to explain the Torah, we are are permitted to approach these problems from a different angle. We will do so by referring to a different Midrash. Commenting on Song of Songs 4,8: תשורי מראש אמנה, Tanchuma Beshalach 10 states that the redemption of the Jews was triggered by G–d's knowledge that they would compose the song of gratitude and extol G–d's virtues as recorded in our portion. In turn the merit that enabled Israel to proclaim this song originally was Abraham's for he had expressed faith in G–d as reported in the Torah (Genesis 15,7) that he believed the promise that he would have children and that their children would inherit the land of Canaan.

The mystical dimension of true אמונה, faith, is the striving to re-unite (make whole) the Holy Name which embraces all aspects of the highest spiritual domain, אצילות. We have explained that G–d's Ineffable Name is spelled either as י-ה-ו-ה when written, or as א-ד-נ-י when read, and that it "resides" in His היכל קדשו הס מפניו כל הארץ, Holy Sanctuary, and that the whole Earth is ordered to be silent in His Presence (Habbakuk 2,20). The numerical value of this Sanctuary in the Heavens, היכל, is 65, the same as the numerical value of אדנ"י. We know that in our world we try to emulate what goes on in Heaven. It follows that the Tabernacle or Temple on earth is also the abode of G–d's Holy Name. This is the reason that no sword i.e. metal tool, instrument of potential death, was allowed to be used in its construction. The sword brings to mind Samael, the very concept that the Temple is designed to banish from earth. It is also clear why ערוה, nakedness, must not be displayed wholly or partially within the confines of the Holy Temple. The latter symbolises the אשה זונה, the harlot, whereas the Temple symbolises the אשת חיל the woman of valour as described by Solomon in Proverbs chapter 31. In the Temple the High Priest is therefore able to express our attachment to G–d by pronouncing His Ineffable Name in holiness and purity on the Day of Atonement. While it is true that the Torah (Exodus 20,21) has stated: בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך וברכתיך, "I shall come to you and bless you in any place that I allow My name to be mentioned," the meaning is not that we may mention His name in any place of our choosing. The Torah was careful not to write: "in any place where you choose to mention My name."

Jacob was the root of all these "crowns." His "crown," that of the "good name," surpasses all the others in value, it is an essential ingredient in making all the other "crowns" truly meaningful. When Jacob was already sick and his son Joseph visited him, Jacob bowed down to his son because he wore the most important "crown" of all, the crown of Torah. (cf. Genesis 47,31 according to Rashi, who stresses Joseph's righteousness under trying circumstances) [Rashi on 48,2, does not specifically refer to a crown of spiritual significance; the impression Rashi gives is that anyone wearing a temporal crown deserves respect. Ed.] Levi wears the crown of the Priesthood, Yehudah that of Royalty. The specific "power" associated with the "crown" of Priesthood is tied to the confines of the Holy Temple. We find that only kings of the Davidic dynasty were allowed to be seated within the confines of the Temple (Yuma 25a). This is due to David being considered a מרכבה carrier of G–d's שכינה. The Temple on earth is, after all, a מרכבה, for its counterpart in Heaven. We have scriptural proof for this in Habakuk 2, 20: וה' בהיכל קדשו, הס מפניו כל הארץ "And G–d resides in His holy Abode; be silent before Him all on the earth!" The sanctuary is the attribute of Royalty as expressed in the name א-ד-נ-י, whose numerical value -65- equals that of the word היכל. It is also the numerical value of the word הס; the sanctuary is perceived as the foundation of the equivalent of earth in the Celestial Regions.

We find a clear allusion to the fact that we will be spared that ultimate degradation in Leviticus 26,44 where the Torah discusses all the punishments that will be inflicted on the Jewish nation for rebellion against the laws of the Torah: "Yet, even then when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or spurn them so as to destroy them, annulling My covenant with them; for I the Lord am their G–d." The destruction G–d speaks of is the descent into the pit called "Gehinom." David refers to it by saying חייתני מיורדי בור, "You have preserved me from going down into the Pit" (verse 4). There is a further allusion here to Lamentations 3,53: צמתו בבור חיי, "They have ended my life in a pit." When David continues in verse 5: זמרו לה' חסידיו, "O you faithful sing to Him," he refers to the Ineffable Name by means of which many miracles have been performed, a "hidden" name, as G–d already told Moses when He said to him in Exodus 3,15: זה שמי לעלם וזה זכרי לדור דור, "This is My Name, the hidden one, (forever) and My appellation for all eternity." The reason that the word לעולם is spelled defective there is to alert us to the hidden aspects of G–d's name. The two references to זה, are: one to the Ineffable four-lettered Name, the other to the name א-ד-נ-י, which equals the numerical value of the word היכל, Sanctuary, i.e. 65. The mystique of G–d's name is its association with the Sanctuary.