Musar do Wyjścia 26:43

We have here an allusion to the fact that the cause is fond of the effect, i.e. the hidden longs for the revealed. Our sages (Pesachim 112a) articulated this thought when they said that more than the calf desires to suckle on the teats of its mother, the cow is anxious to nurse its calf. In פרשת ויקהל 36,1 the Torah writes: אשר נתן ה' חכמה ותבונה בהמה, "whom G–d had given wisdom and insight." Shemot Rabbah 48,3 states that the word beheimah in the above verse is to teach us that it was not only man whom G–d imbued with wisdom but also the animals. Betzalel was the only one who was privy to the wisdom possessed by the animals. Perhaps the Torah wants to hint at the proverb we quoted earlier that the mother cow is more anxious to nurse its calf than the calf is anxious to be nursed. It is all an allusion to the close connection between cause and effect. We are taught a lesson in reciprocal attachment and unity, i.e. that nothing exists outside of G–d Himself, that He is inextricably involved with all that He has created. It is this lesson the Rabbis wanted to teach us when they said that מקדש and משכן can be used interchangeably; the exterior, visible part, is called משכן, whereas the interior, invisible part, is called מקדש. We have a further clear allusion to this relationship between cause and effect, the visible and the invisible, when the Torah describes the way the קרשים, planks of the Tabernacle, were joined together. The Torah (Exodus 26,24) uses the term "תאמם, twins," when describing the manner in which these planks were joined to each other. When ??? they are described as תמים, perfect. We have here a description of the essence of the Tabernacle, i.e. that it was a microcosm.

Rabbenu Bachyah comments on the repeated use of the word משכן in 38,21, that this is a hint that the Tabernacle in our world stood "opposite" the Sanctuary in the Celestial Regions. We know this also from Exodus 15,17: מכון לשבתך פעלת ה', "You have made a place for You to dwell in." The word מכון should be read as מכוון, "corresponding" to the Sanctuary in Heaven. This places the importance of the Tabernacle on earth on a par with the creation of the universe. In connection with the universe, Isaiah 40,22, speaks about G–d "who spread out the skies like gauze, stretched them out like a tent to dwell in," whereas in connection with the Tabernacle on earth the Torah says: "You shall make cloths of goats' hair for a tent over the Tabernacle." In connection with the creation of the universe the Psalmist (Psalms 104,2) speaks about נוטה שמים כיריעה, "He stretches the heavens like a tent-doth." During the process of creation we read (Genesis 1,9) "Let the waters concentrate in one place," whereas in connection with the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah instructs the making of a copper basin to contain all the water used in the Tabernacle by the priests. During the creation the Torah speaks about the creation of luminaries, whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the making of a candlestick is commanded. The winged creatures mentioned during the process of creation are matched in the Tabernacle by the cherubs spreading their wings over the Holy Ark. Whereas the creation of Adam represented the highlight of the act of creation, the highlight of the construction of the Tabernacle was reached when G–d told Moses to appoint Aaron as High Priest (Exodus 28,1). The completion of the work of creation was announced by the words: ויכלו השמים והארץ, whereas the completion of the work on the Tabernacle was described by the Torah as ותכל כל עבודת משכן (39,32). Whereas the Torah reported that G–d blessed the seventh day (Genesis 2,3), Moses blessed the Tabernacle and sanctified it and all its utensils (39,43). The Torah reported G–d as resting on the seventh day, (Genesis 2,3), whereas in connection with the Tabernacle the Torah stated: "You shall perform your work during six days and the seventh day shall be holy" (35,2). After all this the Torah said: "Take from yourselves a donation" Thus far the comment of Rabbenu Bachyah.

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.

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.

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.

All our sages agree that the Tabernacle was a microcosm of the macrocosm, that it reflected to the extent possible, structures and concepts and their development prevalent in the Celestial Regions, though those "structures" and concepts are, of course, abstract. Midrash Rabbah Terumah 33,4 commenting on Chronicles I 29,11: "Yours, O Lord are greatness, might, splendour, triumph, and majesty-- yes all that is in Heaven and earth," quotes Rabbi Berechyah; he sees this as proof that G–d transferred His residence to the Tabernacle. There is also a Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Pekudey which quotes Psalms 26,8: "O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory," as proof that the residence of G–d on earth corresponds to the one He has in the Celestial Regions. Its construction was also a repetition of the process of creation. This is derived from the text of the Bible in Genesis 1,1: "At the beginning G–d created the heaven and the earth," whereas we read in Psalms 104,2: "You spread the heavens like a tent cloth." The Tabernacle was also covered by tent cloth as per Exodus 26,1: "You shall make the Tabernacle from ten strips of tent cloth." When describing what happened on the second day of creation, the Torah speaks about a firmament which is to separate the "upper" waters from the "lower" waters (Genesis 1,6), whereas when giving the instructions for building the Tabernacle the Torah directs that the "curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26,33). The Torah, relating the work G–d performed on the third day of creation, mentions that the waters are to be gathered into one area (Genesis 1,9), whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah commands the construction of a copper basin into which all the water is to be poured (Exodus 30,18). On the fourth day of creation the Torah reports the construction of the great luminaries (Genesis 1,14), whereas the Torah commands the construction of a lampstand as part of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25,31). On the fifth day of creation G–d created the birds, etc. (Genesis 1,20), whereas in the Tabernacle the Torah commands that the cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark be equipped with wings, bird-like (Exodus 25,20). Sacrifices of birds are also prescribed to be offered up in the Tabernacle. On the sixth day of creation G–d created man in His own image to reflect the glory of his Creator (Genesis 1,27), whereas in the Tabernacle a human being, the High Priest, was to be anointed and consecrated to parallel in this microcosm the function of man in the macrocosm in this microcosm. On the seventh day of creation, the universe is described as having been completed (Genesis 2,1); we find a similar expression when the Torah describes the construction of the Tabernacle as having been completed (Exodus 39,32). When the universe was completed G–d blessed it (Genesis 1,28-2,3), whereas when the Tabernacle was completed Moses blessed it (Exodus 39,43). When the universe was completed the Torah uses the term ויכל to describe the completion (Genesis 2,2); when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah uses the same expression (Exodus 40,33 and Numbers 7,1). When the universe was completed G–d sanctified it (Genesis 2,3); when the construction of the Tabernacle was completed the Torah also relates that Moses anointed and sanctified it (Numbers 7,1).

All our sages agree that the Tabernacle was a microcosm of the macrocosm, that it reflected to the extent possible, structures and concepts and their development prevalent in the Celestial Regions, though those "structures" and concepts are, of course, abstract. Midrash Rabbah Terumah 33,4 commenting on Chronicles I 29,11: "Yours, O Lord are greatness, might, splendour, triumph, and majesty-- yes all that is in Heaven and earth," quotes Rabbi Berechyah; he sees this as proof that G–d transferred His residence to the Tabernacle. There is also a Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Pekudey which quotes Psalms 26,8: "O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory," as proof that the residence of G–d on earth corresponds to the one He has in the Celestial Regions. Its construction was also a repetition of the process of creation. This is derived from the text of the Bible in Genesis 1,1: "At the beginning G–d created the heaven and the earth," whereas we read in Psalms 104,2: "You spread the heavens like a tent cloth." The Tabernacle was also covered by tent cloth as per Exodus 26,1: "You shall make the Tabernacle from ten strips of tent cloth." When describing what happened on the second day of creation, the Torah speaks about a firmament which is to separate the "upper" waters from the "lower" waters (Genesis 1,6), whereas when giving the instructions for building the Tabernacle the Torah directs that the "curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26,33). The Torah, relating the work G–d performed on the third day of creation, mentions that the waters are to be gathered into one area (Genesis 1,9), whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah commands the construction of a copper basin into which all the water is to be poured (Exodus 30,18). On the fourth day of creation the Torah reports the construction of the great luminaries (Genesis 1,14), whereas the Torah commands the construction of a lampstand as part of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25,31). On the fifth day of creation G–d created the birds, etc. (Genesis 1,20), whereas in the Tabernacle the Torah commands that the cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark be equipped with wings, bird-like (Exodus 25,20). Sacrifices of birds are also prescribed to be offered up in the Tabernacle. On the sixth day of creation G–d created man in His own image to reflect the glory of his Creator (Genesis 1,27), whereas in the Tabernacle a human being, the High Priest, was to be anointed and consecrated to parallel in this microcosm the function of man in the macrocosm in this microcosm. On the seventh day of creation, the universe is described as having been completed (Genesis 2,1); we find a similar expression when the Torah describes the construction of the Tabernacle as having been completed (Exodus 39,32). When the universe was completed G–d blessed it (Genesis 1,28-2,3), whereas when the Tabernacle was completed Moses blessed it (Exodus 39,43). When the universe was completed the Torah uses the term ויכל to describe the completion (Genesis 2,2); when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah uses the same expression (Exodus 40,33 and Numbers 7,1). When the universe was completed G–d sanctified it (Genesis 2,3); when the construction of the Tabernacle was completed the Torah also relates that Moses anointed and sanctified it (Numbers 7,1).

All our sages agree that the Tabernacle was a microcosm of the macrocosm, that it reflected to the extent possible, structures and concepts and their development prevalent in the Celestial Regions, though those "structures" and concepts are, of course, abstract. Midrash Rabbah Terumah 33,4 commenting on Chronicles I 29,11: "Yours, O Lord are greatness, might, splendour, triumph, and majesty-- yes all that is in Heaven and earth," quotes Rabbi Berechyah; he sees this as proof that G–d transferred His residence to the Tabernacle. There is also a Midrash Tanchuma on Parshat Pekudey which quotes Psalms 26,8: "O Lord, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory," as proof that the residence of G–d on earth corresponds to the one He has in the Celestial Regions. Its construction was also a repetition of the process of creation. This is derived from the text of the Bible in Genesis 1,1: "At the beginning G–d created the heaven and the earth," whereas we read in Psalms 104,2: "You spread the heavens like a tent cloth." The Tabernacle was also covered by tent cloth as per Exodus 26,1: "You shall make the Tabernacle from ten strips of tent cloth." When describing what happened on the second day of creation, the Torah speaks about a firmament which is to separate the "upper" waters from the "lower" waters (Genesis 1,6), whereas when giving the instructions for building the Tabernacle the Torah directs that the "curtain shall divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies" (Exodus 26,33). The Torah, relating the work G–d performed on the third day of creation, mentions that the waters are to be gathered into one area (Genesis 1,9), whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah commands the construction of a copper basin into which all the water is to be poured (Exodus 30,18). On the fourth day of creation the Torah reports the construction of the great luminaries (Genesis 1,14), whereas the Torah commands the construction of a lampstand as part of the furnishings of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25,31). On the fifth day of creation G–d created the birds, etc. (Genesis 1,20), whereas in the Tabernacle the Torah commands that the cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark be equipped with wings, bird-like (Exodus 25,20). Sacrifices of birds are also prescribed to be offered up in the Tabernacle. On the sixth day of creation G–d created man in His own image to reflect the glory of his Creator (Genesis 1,27), whereas in the Tabernacle a human being, the High Priest, was to be anointed and consecrated to parallel in this microcosm the function of man in the macrocosm in this microcosm. On the seventh day of creation, the universe is described as having been completed (Genesis 2,1); we find a similar expression when the Torah describes the construction of the Tabernacle as having been completed (Exodus 39,32). When the universe was completed G–d blessed it (Genesis 1,28-2,3), whereas when the Tabernacle was completed Moses blessed it (Exodus 39,43). When the universe was completed the Torah uses the term ויכל to describe the completion (Genesis 2,2); when the Tabernacle was completed the Torah uses the same expression (Exodus 40,33 and Numbers 7,1). When the universe was completed G–d sanctified it (Genesis 2,3); when the construction of the Tabernacle was completed the Torah also relates that Moses anointed and sanctified it (Numbers 7,1).

המנורה. I have earlier described how the shape of the candlestick had much in common with the shape of man. It had to be of a single piece, not joined together. This alludes to the need that man's heart should be Heaven-oriented. At the same time a Jew's heart should also be oriented towards his people. The additional words in (25,31) "its base, its stem, etc,” all point out the lesson that a Jew must feel at one with all parts of his people, be they rich or poor, well learned or not. This same thought is also alluded to in the Torah's description of how the boards forming the walls of the Tabernacle are to be joined. The Torah speaks about ויהיו תואמים מלמטה, "they shall be joined at the bottom;" when this is the case there will also occur יחדיו יהיו תמים למעלה, that the Jewish people, i.e. the concept of כנסת ישראל in the Heavenly Regions will be whole.

והבריח התיכון מבריח מן הקצה אל הקצה, "The central bolt will extend from one end to the other end" This is an allusion to what Maimonides in his booklet שמונה פרקים, an introduction to Avot, has described in the fourth chapter under the heading of "good deeds." Good deeds are those which do not bear a characteristic of being extreme, fanatical, intolerant. They are what we call the "golden mean." Maimonides also explains there that if a person tends to extremity in one direction and wishes to compensate for this error he should not adopt a centrist position but rather make up for the former error by exaggerating the direction he had previously spurned. After a suitable period he must then adopt a middle-of-the-road path.

ועשית פרוכת והיה מבדיל בין הקודש ובין קודש הקדשים, "You shall make a curtain which will divide between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies." We have a lesson here on how man must proceed in order to advance towards higher levels of sanctity. When physical man on earth begins to sanctify himself, G–d will assist by helping him to perfect himself and contribute twice as much as man had already contributed towards this goal. One must never be satisfied and think that one has achieved as much as possible in this respect, but forever strive to advance towards still higher levels of sanctity.

We have now learned that the three parts of the Tabernacle correspond to the three parts of the universe concerning which King David said in Psalms 103,20: "Bless the Lord, O, His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding. Bless the Lord all His hosts, His servants who do His will; bless the Lord all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm." David's son Solomon also adopted his father's outlook when he alluded to this in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5,13-15. Three different parts of the human body form the subject of those verses, each one representing a different aspect of the universe and how man's composition reflects this division of the universe into three constituent parts. I (Rabbenu Bachyah) have explained this in detail when I discussed Jacob's dream of the ladder." Thus far the quotation from Rabbenu Bachyah.

Let us return to the concept of the basic equality of the concepts of משכן and שבת. It is logical therefore that all the forbidden work-activities on the Sabbath are derived from activities performed in constructing the Tabernacle. This is also why in order to be culpable for transgressing these prohibitions they must have been performed intentionally. The Torah states that the construction of the Tabernacle involved לחשוב מחשבות, thoughtful planning (35,32). This means that everything that was made for use in the Tabernacle was designated to perform its function already when it was merely being processed, long before it became an integral part of the Tabernacle. The various artisans involved had to be familiar with the true significance of the parts they were fashioning, possibly even their mystical aspects. The author proceeds to point out the significance in the wording of the opening משנה of the tractate שבת, (which describes different elements of the act of transferring property from one domain to another), as applicable to the comparison between work performed on the Sabbath and work performed for the construction of the משכן. The work is described as , שתים שהן ארבע בפנים, ושתים שהן ארבע בחוץ, "two categories which are really four, internally, and two categories which are really four, externally." The expression חוץ, outside, is a reference to the negative prohibitions whose purpose is to keep the קליפות, negative, Satan-inspired, influences outside. The expression פנים refers to the positive commandments and their function to bring additional sanctity into our personality. This is also the reason the sages refer to the two different "headlines" of the Sabbath, i.e. זכור ושמור, as having been said בדבור אחד, "in one word." They view the observance of the negative commandments of the Sabbath legislation as no more than the other side of the coin called Sabbath, the first side symbolising the positive commandment זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. [compare Exodus 20,8 and Deuteronomy 5,12 respectively.] Matters concerning the performance of positive commandments are two-fold, i.e. they involve body and soul respectively. Both body and soul consist of hidden as well as revealed aspects. Thus we see that there are a total of four categories. The revealed aspect of the soul is the Torah. Our sages phrased this by stating לא איברי שבתות אלא לגירסא, "The only reason the Sabbath days were created is to enable Torah study to be pursued on those days." The Zohar elaborates that upon its return to the Celestial Regions after the Sabbath, the נשמה יתירה is asked what new Torah insights it had gained during its stay on earth on the Sabbath. By coming up with such new insights the soul is considered as having created new heavens. This is why the Midrash we quoted earlier compared Isaiah 40,22 to the construction of the tent-cloths for the Tabernacle in Exodus 26,1. The message in both statements is that man is able to perform creative acts.

"תורת השם תמימה", "G–d's Torah is perfect," refers to the aspect of Torah we have previously called רשימו, a category of נשמה, actually "the soul of souls." This "soul" is absent in our lives, since we have explained that our souls are souls which have parted [temporarily] from the original all-embracing soul. Only in the future, will Torah be able to become manifest in that degree of perfection, תמימות. An example of the "perfection" that is lacking in Torah while we are here on earth is the תמימה aspect of the red heifer that the Torah prescribes, but that we cannot comply with because of the exalted and mystical nature of that legislation. Once that stage is reached, the משפטי ה' צדקו יחדו level, also the most profound aspects of the social legislation of Torah will become known, and we shall have attained that spiritual niveau. It sounds strange that Torah should have been presented in a sequence which requires much of it to be restudied as we reach higher intellectual and spiritual levels. When we examine Torah legislation there actually is no such thing as "earlier" and "later" in terms of time. We must not make the mistake of thinking that certain parts of Torah should have preceded other parts. In the highest realms, the hidden mystical domains, there is no such thing as "time," i.e. "before" and "after." Everything is צדקו יחדו.

Let us now return to the way the Tabernacle corresponded to the act of creation. We know from Avot 5,1 that G–d created the universe with 10 directives. The deeper meaning of the ten directives is well known. When the Tabernacle was constructed we also find the number 10 prominent both when describing part of the walls as well as when describing the coverings forming the ceiling of the Tabernacle. Exodus 26,1 commences with the instruction to make the Tabernacle of ten strips of cloth. Similarly each of the boards used for the walls was to be ten cubits high. The Holy Ark was ten handbreadths high, including one cubit for the thickness of its lid. This may be the reason that in the reference to the Holy Ark in Psalms 132,8: אתה וארון עוזיך the word עוזך is spelled with the extra letter י. [Our texts do not have the extra letter י, neither here nor in Chronicles II 6,41. Ed.] The Talmud Yuma 21 states that the site on which the Holy Ark stood was not included in the measurements of the Temple or Tabernacle. This too is an allusion to the concealed nature of the Ineffable Name of G–d which was present within the Holy of Holies between the wings of the cherubs on the lid of the altar. We allude to this in the קדושה prayer when we recite: ברוך ה' ממקומו, "Blessed the glory of the Lord from its abode." [its invisible site Ed.] The table was also 9 handbreadths high, above which was a golden frame 1 handbreadth high. So here too the number ten was prominent. The candlestick with its seven arms and a knob, cup, and flower on each arm again featured the number ten. Here too we find that the Torah refers to: תיעשה המנורה "the candlestick shall be constructed" (Exodus 26,31) the word תיעשה being unaccountably spelled with an extra letter י. The golden altar was twelve handbreadths high, corresponding to the twelve permutations in which the Ineffable Name can be spelled. The copper altar was square, five cubits long and five cubits deep. This corresponded to the number five mentioned in the ספר היצירה. Its height, however, was ten cubits.

Let us now return to the way the Tabernacle corresponded to the act of creation. We know from Avot 5,1 that G–d created the universe with 10 directives. The deeper meaning of the ten directives is well known. When the Tabernacle was constructed we also find the number 10 prominent both when describing part of the walls as well as when describing the coverings forming the ceiling of the Tabernacle. Exodus 26,1 commences with the instruction to make the Tabernacle of ten strips of cloth. Similarly each of the boards used for the walls was to be ten cubits high. The Holy Ark was ten handbreadths high, including one cubit for the thickness of its lid. This may be the reason that in the reference to the Holy Ark in Psalms 132,8: אתה וארון עוזיך the word עוזך is spelled with the extra letter י. [Our texts do not have the extra letter י, neither here nor in Chronicles II 6,41. Ed.] The Talmud Yuma 21 states that the site on which the Holy Ark stood was not included in the measurements of the Temple or Tabernacle. This too is an allusion to the concealed nature of the Ineffable Name of G–d which was present within the Holy of Holies between the wings of the cherubs on the lid of the altar. We allude to this in the קדושה prayer when we recite: ברוך ה' ממקומו, "Blessed the glory of the Lord from its abode." [its invisible site Ed.] The table was also 9 handbreadths high, above which was a golden frame 1 handbreadth high. So here too the number ten was prominent. The candlestick with its seven arms and a knob, cup, and flower on each arm again featured the number ten. Here too we find that the Torah refers to: תיעשה המנורה "the candlestick shall be constructed" (Exodus 26,31) the word תיעשה being unaccountably spelled with an extra letter י. The golden altar was twelve handbreadths high, corresponding to the twelve permutations in which the Ineffable Name can be spelled. The copper altar was square, five cubits long and five cubits deep. This corresponded to the number five mentioned in the ספר היצירה. Its height, however, was ten cubits.

When G–d said: "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me and I shall dwell within them," בתוכם, this referred also to the fact that much of the Tabernacle was due to the תוכם, the innermost feelings of the donors. The Tabernacle could not have been completed if the people donating all these materials had not been motivated by a spirit of generosity. The word בתוכם is therefore essentially not much different from the word בתוכו, which we would have expected the Torah to use. There is another dimension to the verse ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם. The word בתוכם, refers to the innermost part of the Tabernacle. It is there that the שכינה resided and merged with the people of Israel. This is the mystical dimension of Exodus 26,24: ויהיו תאמים מלמטה ויחדו יהיו תמים על ראשו אל הטבעת האחת, "They shall match at the bottom and be perfectly aligned at the top inside one ring." It is a reference to the uniqueness of G–d and the uniqueness of the Jewish people respectively. G–d will never abandon His people for the sake of His great Name; the uniqueness of each i.e. אחד=13, i.e. 26 when combined. This equals the numerical value of G–d's "great" Name י-ה-ו-ה =26. The verse is a reference to the mystical union between קודשא בריכיה and כנסת ישראל, between the well known concepts of the holiness of G–d and the spiritual unity of the Jewish people. This is the reason why we find the מקדש described as היכל ה' on occasion. The numerical value of the word היכל equals the numerical value of א-ד-נ-י, a term for G–d which includes the souls of the people of Israel, as in Psalms 68,27: במקהלות ברכו אלוקים, (י-ה-ו-ה) א-ד-נ-י ממקור ישראל. "In assemblies bless G–d, the Lord, O You who are the fountain of Israel." To signify this dual meaning, the name of G–d is spelled as the Ineffable Name but pronounced (read) as א-ד-נ-י. There were one hundred silver sockets (אדנים) for the boards forming the walls of the Tabernacle which are symbolised by our reciting one hundred benedictions daily, which all mention the name of G–d (א-ד-נ-י). The עמודים, columns, each one within a socket, אדני, were an allusion to the emanation תפארת, the Ineffable Name which is found within the name א-ד-נ-י. The ווי העמודים, hooks attached to the columns, allude to the number 6=ו, the sixth emanation, i.e. תפארת, which is the mystical dimension of the letter ו in the Ineffable Name. That letter also represents the mystical dimension of the word אחד as we know from Genesis 1,5: ויהי ערב ויהי בוקר יום אחד. We have explained earlier in this chapter how day and night are part of a single unit. Night has 12 hours, the first six of which until midnight are under the domain of the attribute of Justice, whereas the last 6 hours are under the domain of the attribute of Mercy. The day, too, is divided into these two periods of 6 hours each, the first six hours under the domain of the attribute of Mercy, the last six under the domain of the attribute of Justice. As long as the light intensifies, the attribute of Mercy is in the ascendancy; once it diminishes, the attribute of Justice comes into its own. Since they have both been created by the same Creator, they appear linked together in the story of creation. This is the deeper meaning then of "evening and morning being one day." When you spell the letter ו as a word, thus: ואו, you have an allusion to the respective 6 hour periods during which each attribute exercises its dominance; the letter אלף in the middle alludes to the One and Only Creator who has created both day and night, both the attribute of Justice and the attribute of Mercy. You will also observe that the numerical value of such spelling of the letter ואו=13, the same numerical value as that of the word אחד. When the Torah in 26,6 describes the Tabernacle as becoming אחד, one, this is merely a confirmation of how the various components all combined to create this unified microcosm.

These six pillars and four supports are already alluded to in the words of 18,13: תמים תהיה עם השם אלוקיך. The word תמים alludes to the six pillars. The first is תורה, (for Psalms 19,8 speaks of תורת ה' תמימה. The next pillar, עבודה, is alluded to because the Torah (Leviticus 22,19) speaks about תמים זכר. The pillar גמילות חסדים -by definition- appears in conjunction with the pillar אמת becomes a true חסד של אמת, something which does not look forward to something in return. This is the true meaning of תמים. Both the pillars אמת, שלום, and דין are associated with the word תמים as we know from Deut. 32,4: הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט א-ל אמונה ואין עול; we also know that שלום is equivalent to תמימות since the Torah tells us that when something is joined the result is תמים as in Exodus 26,24. The verse תמים תהיה עם ה' אלוקיך continues with the words עם ה' אלוקיך which is an allusion to the four "supports" of the throne. We have mentioned that the uniqueness of G–d is to be emulated by us by התבודדות, seclusion. The אשה נאה, whom we have described as one of the fundamentals of successful existence on this earth, is a simile for the נשמה, soul, which is part of G–d, His "wife," so to speak. This is why the Torah writes: עם ה' אלוקיך. The דירה נאה, beautiful dwelling we mentioned as another ingredient of successful life on earth is a metaphor for a good and dedicated heart, (seeing that the "dwelling" is something interior just as the heart). Whenever the Torah speaks of a commandment the fulfilment of which primarily depends on one's heart, we find an exhortation ויראת מאלקיך, "You shall fear the Lord your G–d." Rashi comments that this is because G–d looks into our hearts. Finally, the כלים נאים, nice clothes which we described as another fundamental for a successful existence in this life, are a metaphor for the various parts of the body with which we perform most of G–d's commandments, and which have been granted us by G–d for this purpose. Proof that we are beloved by G–d is the fact that we have been created in His image.