וְחִבַּרְתָּ֞ אֶת־חֲמֵ֤שׁ הַיְרִיעֹת֙ לְבָ֔ד וְאֶת־שֵׁ֥שׁ הַיְרִיעֹ֖ת לְבָ֑ד וְכָפַלְתָּ֙ אֶת־הַיְרִיעָ֣ה הַשִּׁשִּׁ֔ית אֶל־מ֖וּל פְּנֵ֥י הָאֹֽהֶל׃
און זאָלסט באַהעפֿטן פֿינף פֿאָרהאַנגען באַזונדער, און זעקס פֿאָרהאַנגען באַזונדער; און דעם זעקסטן פֿאָרהאַנג זאָלסטו צונױפֿטאָפּלען אױף דער פֿאָדערזײַט פֿון געצעלט.
Kedushat Levi
The dividing curtain between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies separated an area of 10 by ten cubits, “the Holy of Holies,” the sanctuary being 20 by 10 cubits. The length of the Tabernacle (inside) thus was a total of 30 cubits. The number 30 equals 3 times י. These three י symbolize 1) “looking” in the direction of G’d with faith, אמונה, 2) looking in the direction of G’d with one’s intellect, 3) looking at G’d after divesting himself of all elements that connect one to one’s physical existence, to one’s body. The difference between these three levels of holiness has been explained in the introduction of the Raa’vad, רבי אברהם בר דויד to the Sefer Yetzirah. The י third therefore is considered on the highest level, or קדשי קדשים Holies of Holies. The יריעות, “carpet like coverings,” of the Tabernacle serving as part of its roofing, that were made of blue wool, תכלת, symbolize the original light of the eyn sof, the light of G’d’s essence, undiluted, this is the reason that its length was 28 cubits; (instead of 30 as the other carpets covering the Tabernacle, which “incorporated” the “toned down” original light that was too bright for the human eye to behold without the beholder’s eyes sustaining irreparable injury. They represented the two topmost levels of the 10 sefirot, i.e. כתר וחכמה, “crown and wisdom”. This has been explained in the book Eitz Chayim by Rabbi Chayim Vittal, (who recorded most of the Ari z’als wisdom in writing). In that volume, the יריעות made from goats’ hair (26,7) represent the peel or husk surrounding a fruit. Once a human being has been equipped with such a protective peel or skin, he is potentially capable of absorbing the most profound insights emanating from the eyn sof; this is symbolized by these coverings made of goats’ hair being 2 cubits longer than the ones made of blue wool, תכלת. This is also why there were 11 of these “carpets” joined together, as explained in the Zohar.
The Torah describes the extra length of these “carpets” (the sixth) as being folded over, וכפלת, (verse 9) [The Zohar Pekudey, page 233 explains how adding something, such as protective sheathing around the essence of G’d so that the brilliance of His light does not harm the creatures exposed to it, or in the case of the Tabernacle and its roofing, which after all was G’d’s residence on earth, is actually not to be understood as an addition (qualitatively), but as a diminution. Although the carpets made of goat’s hair were 30 cubits long as opposed to the 28 cubits long blue woolen carpets, there were 11 of them instead of 10 as was the case with the blue woolen carpets guarding the interior of the sanctuary and the holy of holies. These carpets made of goats’ hair represented the חצוניות, i.e. ”exterior” part of the Tabernacle, exterior in terms of kabbalah always meaning something less than perfect. Our author, following this thought, sees a repetition of the same idea in the word וכפלת, “you are to fold it over,” i.e. reinforce it so as to make it stronger. [If something needed to be reinforced, it was evidently not adequately strong enough originally. Ed.]
Our author sees in these קליפות which are frequently viewed as something negative,- a challenge which, when mastered, results in the person who mastered it receiving a double portion of reward. He quotes Rabbi Akiva in Chagigah 15 on the subject, where that Rabbi explained that the very creation of evil was designed to give man additional reward for rejecting evil, something which at first glance had appeared to him as attractive. Seeing that potentially, room is reserved for each of us both in Gan Eden and in purgatory, depending on which we qualify for, Rabbi Akiva claimed that the tzaddik who overcame his evil inclination will gain two spots in Gan Eden, also claiming a spot originally reserved for someone turned sinner.
The Torah describes the extra length of these “carpets” (the sixth) as being folded over, וכפלת, (verse 9) [The Zohar Pekudey, page 233 explains how adding something, such as protective sheathing around the essence of G’d so that the brilliance of His light does not harm the creatures exposed to it, or in the case of the Tabernacle and its roofing, which after all was G’d’s residence on earth, is actually not to be understood as an addition (qualitatively), but as a diminution. Although the carpets made of goat’s hair were 30 cubits long as opposed to the 28 cubits long blue woolen carpets, there were 11 of them instead of 10 as was the case with the blue woolen carpets guarding the interior of the sanctuary and the holy of holies. These carpets made of goats’ hair represented the חצוניות, i.e. ”exterior” part of the Tabernacle, exterior in terms of kabbalah always meaning something less than perfect. Our author, following this thought, sees a repetition of the same idea in the word וכפלת, “you are to fold it over,” i.e. reinforce it so as to make it stronger. [If something needed to be reinforced, it was evidently not adequately strong enough originally. Ed.]
Our author sees in these קליפות which are frequently viewed as something negative,- a challenge which, when mastered, results in the person who mastered it receiving a double portion of reward. He quotes Rabbi Akiva in Chagigah 15 on the subject, where that Rabbi explained that the very creation of evil was designed to give man additional reward for rejecting evil, something which at first glance had appeared to him as attractive. Seeing that potentially, room is reserved for each of us both in Gan Eden and in purgatory, depending on which we qualify for, Rabbi Akiva claimed that the tzaddik who overcame his evil inclination will gain two spots in Gan Eden, also claiming a spot originally reserved for someone turned sinner.