Musar su Salmi 45:78

We need to clarify that the significance of מקום, place, is something that pertains to all matters pertaining to קדושות, sacred matters. Here, in the instance of the holiness of the Sabbath, limitations have been put in place as to the transfer both of objects to a different domain regardless of distance and of the human being to a different domain beyond certain boundaries. The views of the different Rabbis on the subject are all דברי אלוקים חיים, reflect genuine Torah viewpoints. When we observe the holiness of the Temple, a distinction has been made between service that is performed inside the Sanctuary and service performed on the copper altar outside the Sanctuary itself. [the majority of all service. Ed.] The Torah (Leviticus 21,12) says of the High Priest: ומן המקדש אל יצא, "he must not leave the Sanctuary." When discussing the sanctity of the place where one studies Torah, our sages say that whoever has reserved a specific place for himself for the study of Torah will overcome his enemies (Berachot 7). The same applies to someone who prays in the same place regularly. The sites in which holy tasks are performed are surrounded by קליפות, wicked people or influences. These influences form a barrier between our sins and our ability to approach G–d. Reserving specific places, seats, etc., is a method adopted by G–d's holy people, Israel, to internalise holiness so that it is not perceived externally. We know that the real "honour" of the king's daughter is פנימה, within the confines of her house (Psalms 45,14).

We have stated earlier that G–d's name appears in connection with the Sanctuary both as the Ineffable four-lettered Name, and in the form of the name א-ד-נ-י. Perhaps this concept is also reflected in the fact that there were four garments made of gold, and four garments made of white linen. The white garments symbolised the Ineffable Name, the mystical dimension of the attribute of Mercy, whereas the four golden garments represented the mystical dimension of the name א-ד-נ-י. We find the expression ממשבצות זהב לבושה, "her dress embroidered with golden mountings" in Psalms 45,14. The Psalmist uses the name א-ד-נ-י for the name of G–d in that chapter.

As we find with the sons of Korach, that because they were not drawn after their father, even though this caused him great shame, they escaped his fate. As we find in Yalkut Parshath Korach: "This is as Scripture writes (Psalms 1:1): 'Happy is the man' — the sons of Korach; 'who did not walk in the counsel of the wicked' — who did not walk in the counsel of their father, as it is written (Numbers 16:26): 'Depart now from the tents of these wicked men'; 'and in the way of sinners they did not stand,' as it is written (Numbers 17:3): 'the censers of these sinners.'" And, in Yalkut: "What merit was there 'in the hands' of the sons of Korach that they were rescued [from his punishment]? When they were sitting with Korach, their father, they saw Moses and lowered their faces to the ground, saying: "If we stand up for Moses our teacher, we will be spurning our father, whom we have been commanded to honor. And if we do not stand, it is written (Vayikra 19:32): 'Before the hoary head shall you rise' — Better that we stand before Moses our teacher, even though we are thereby spurning our father.'" At that time, they moved their hearts to repentance. About them David said (Psalms 45:2): 'My heart has stirred with a good thing.'" From this we learn that if one is not drawn after his father's counsel in his machloketh, he will not be ensnared in his net.

I have already given a reason for the importance and nature of the incense offering earlier. Rekanati comments on this as follows: "Incense is an allusion to the attribute of Justice, as we know from Deut. 33,10: ישימו קטורה באפיך וכליל על מזבחך, 'They place incense (on the Golden Altar) when You are angry, and total offferings on Your (copper) Altar.' Aaron did this and succeeded in arresting the plague that was consuming the lives of the Israelites (Numbers 17,12-14). We know from Psalms 45,14 that Aaron offered that incense on the Golden Altar: ממשבצות זהב לבושה. To assure the effectiveness of such an offering of incense he had to concentrate on the Ineffable Name while doing so, wishing the incense to become ריח ניחוח, a fragrance pleasing to G–d. We also have a tradition based on Proverbs 27,9: "Oil and incense gladdens the heart." This is because the incense offering as a rule, does not represent an effort to achieve forgiveness for some sin committed, but is an expression of man trying to place a crown on the head of its rightful owner, G–d in this instance. It is an attempt to insure that G–d relates to us in a constantly happy frame of mind. The emanation מלכות is regarded as the heart, לב, of heaven. The Torah writes in Exodus 30,8: "When Aaron lights up the lamps he shall burn it, an incense offering before the Lord." It is interesting that the offering up of the incense offering is made dependent on the performance of the lighting-up ceremony of the candlestick. This is in order to achieve the mystical union with the emanations representing the בנין. We have pointed out in our commentary on פרשת תרומה that the candlestick with its seven lamps symbolised the process of creation, or בנין. At the same time it symbolised the original light which illuminated the universe during the first seven days of its existence, as I demonstrated when I described how everything in connection with the construction of the Tabernacle was a re-enactment of the work of creation. Aaron was the rehabilitation of Adam. All existence is bound up with this תקון, rehabilitation. The incense offering is the clearest indication that the rehabilitation has indeed been completed. The lighting of the candlestick symbolises that the rehabilitation will endure, i.e. that the universe will endure, that the seven days of creation have been found justified.

There is a Midrash Chazit on Song of Songs 3, 21 in which Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai asks Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yossi whether he had heard any comment about the crown his mother had made for him. Rabbi Eliezer replied in the affirmative. When asked what that comment was, he replied that it was a parable describing a king who had only one daughter whom he loved excessively and whom he called בתי, "my daughter." In the course of time he took to calling her אחותי, "my sister." Still later he started calling her אמי, "my mother." This describes the developing relationship of love between G–d and Israel. It is reflected in Psalms 45,11 where G–d is described as addressing Israel as "listen daughter, and incline your ear." In Song of Songs 5,2 Israel is addressed as "open your heart to Me My sister;" in Isaiah 51,4 Israel is addressed as עמי ולאומי, and the latter word is spelled Immi, "my mother." Upon hearing this Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai stood up and kissed Rabbi Eliezer on his head and said: "if I had only come to hear this word from you it would already have been worthwhile."

When G–d told him: לך לך, "Go forth for yourself," this meant that he was to embark on a mission that would lead him to still higher spiritual awareness and perfection. Bereshit Rabbah 39,1 describes this command in the following parable quoted by Rabbi Yitzchak. We read in Psalms 45,12: שמעי בת וראי, והטי אזנך ושכחי עמך ובית אביך, "Take heed, lass, and note, incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house." Rabbi Yitzchak says that the verse can be understood as addressing itself to a person who wanders from town to town until he comes to a town that is ablaze. He exclaims that people will say that city surely has no leader. Thereupon the owner of that town takes a look at the wanderer and identifies himself. Before G–d addressed him, Abraham believed the earth [as distinct from heaven Ed.] to be without a supervisor. This is why G–d appeared to him in order to teach him that the earth is supervised. The quotation from Psalms 45,11 continues with the words: ויתאו המלך יפיך כי הוא אדוניך והשתחוי לו, "and let the king be aroused by your beauty; since he is your lord, bow down to him." Thus far the parable quoted by Rabbi Yitzchak.

When G–d told him: לך לך, "Go forth for yourself," this meant that he was to embark on a mission that would lead him to still higher spiritual awareness and perfection. Bereshit Rabbah 39,1 describes this command in the following parable quoted by Rabbi Yitzchak. We read in Psalms 45,12: שמעי בת וראי, והטי אזנך ושכחי עמך ובית אביך, "Take heed, lass, and note, incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house." Rabbi Yitzchak says that the verse can be understood as addressing itself to a person who wanders from town to town until he comes to a town that is ablaze. He exclaims that people will say that city surely has no leader. Thereupon the owner of that town takes a look at the wanderer and identifies himself. Before G–d addressed him, Abraham believed the earth [as distinct from heaven Ed.] to be without a supervisor. This is why G–d appeared to him in order to teach him that the earth is supervised. The quotation from Psalms 45,11 continues with the words: ויתאו המלך יפיך כי הוא אדוניך והשתחוי לו, "and let the king be aroused by your beauty; since he is your lord, bow down to him." Thus far the parable quoted by Rabbi Yitzchak.

Although all the patriarchs have been described as the מרכבה, they are all included when Abraham is mentioned; he, being the "father" of them all, represents them also. This is the reason that the first benediction in the daily עמידה prayer concludes with the signature מגן אברהם, "shield of Abraham." The term "shield" is used to describe those who support the מרכבה, namely חסד, גבורה, תפארת. This too is the deeper meaning of the words (15, 1) אנכי מגן לך שכרך הרבה מאד, "I am your shield, your reward is very great." Malki Tzedek, king of Shalem, alludes to something similar in Bereshit (14, 19-20): ויברכהו, ויאמר: ברוך אברם לא-ל עליון קונה שמים וארץ וברוך א-ל עליון אשר מגן צריך בידך. "He blessed him saying: Blessed be Abraham of G–d Most High, Owner of Heaven and Earth. And blessed be G–d Most High, who has delivered your foes into your hand." The Zohar on that verse understands this as a reference to the daily עמידה prayer when we say very similar sounding words in the first benediction. If one examines the composition of that benediction closely one can view the words אלוקי אברהם, אלוקי יצחק, אלוקי יעקב as corresponding to the words ברוך אברהם. The words א-ל עליון גומל חסדים טובים correspond to the words וברוך א-ל עליון. The words קונה הכל corresponds to Malki Tzedek's words קונה שמים וארץ. We find similar wording in the repetition of the Friday night עמידה. Finally, the signature of that first benediction of the daily עמידה is מגן אברהם, corresponding to the last words in Malki Tzedek's blessing אשר מגן צריך בידך. It is true that we also encounter the formula in מגן דוד, "shield of David." The difference is that whereas מגן אברהם includes the other carriers of the מרכבה as we have explained, David is the recipient of the foregoing including the parts of the מרכבה that Abraham comprises, seeing that he, David, personifies מלכות. As such David provides the "fourth leg" of that four- cornered מרכבה that we have described as the מרכבה ארג"מן. At any rate, the significance of the promise to Abraham in 12,2 והיה ברכה, "be a blessing," is that בך חותמים, "they will conclude the benediction using your name," is clear. We shall come back later to the meaning of מגן דוד.

The "seven pillars that she has hewn" refers to seven categories of righteous people (Sifri Devarim 1,10). These groups occupy different levels in גן עדן, one above the other. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai comments on Psalms 16:11: שבע שמחות, "full of joys," [i.e. satisfied, from Sova] that the word should be read as שבע, "seven." It would then refer to the seven facets of the various righteous people who would be similar to the moon, the sun, the firmament, the stars, lightning, שושנים, [a reference to the righteous as per Psalms 45,1, see my translation of the Alshich's commentary page 315. Ed.], and the candlestick in the Temple.

For this reason I must issue an admonishment regarding the trait of humility itself. It is written, “Mount and ride on behalf of truth and righteous humility” (Tehillim 45:5). As this verse indicates, humility must be righteous and not a deception to make an impression on others. This is a matter that God will examine, for the God of all spirits will bring to judgment anyone who fails to conduct himself with integrity and humility. But concerning the one who does behave with integrity and humility it is written, “And those who love Him will be like the sun going forth in its strength” (Shoftim 5:31). Amein.

Nonetheless it is difficult to see how the terms אמון, and פדגוג can be equated. The word that should have been used by the Midrash is אומן, the same word used by the Torah in Numbers 11,12. Posssibly the word אמון means tutor in the sense that the tutor is faithfully carrying out the master's instructions, much as Esther is described as maintaining her loyalty to Mordechai's instructions even when she was in the king's palace by the words כאשר באמנה אתו, "just as when she had still been in the house of Mordechai" (Esther 2,20). We would have to regard the letter ב in the word באמנה as something that could have been dispensed with just as it has been dispensed with in Psalms 45,8 משחך אלוקים שמן ששון, "the Lord anointed you with oil of gladness" (the letter ב in front of the word שמן being conspicuously absent, though implied). Alternatively, we can accept the view of Ibn Ezra that the word is a noun. Ibn Ezra explains that G–d had been Esther's tutor, that the word אתו refers to Him, that Esther's loyalty was to G–d. According to this view we deal with an allusion to the tremendous power of Torah and its exalted position in G–d's scheme of things. [I believe this is a printer's error as I have not found such an Ibn Ezra, and it is not his style at all. Perhaps the author means the קו ונקי, whose text I have not seen. Ed.]