KabbalaOnline.org "Place & No-Place" [Terumah 5783]

ASCENT OF SAFED, P. O. BOX 296, SAFED 13102, email: director@ascentofsafed.com

The week of TERUMAH 5783

This Torah teaching is dedicated with hearty mazal tov wishes to the

YAGODA & DABAH families שי'

on the marriage of YAEL BRACHA & SHLOMO ZALMAN HOROWITZ שי'

May they build an everlasting Jewish home based on the foundations of Torah and Mitzvot

When we pray, wherever we are, we face towards the place that the Temple stood in its glory in Jerusalem. All the prayers of Jewish people pass through the Temple, as the verse says in connection to our forefather Yaakov when he stood on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount “This is the gateway to Heaven” (Bereishit/Genesis 28:17). Someone praying outside of Israel faces the Land of Israel, as the verse says, “And they prayed to You, via their land” (Melachim Alef/Kings 1 8:48).

Wait a minute! We are praying to G-d who is unlimited and found everywhere. This is what the verse teaches us, “I fill the heavens and the earth.” (Yirmiyahu/Jeremiah 23:24). Even prayer itself is described as something spiritual, “a duty of the heart” (Devarim/Deuteronomy 1:12) unconnected to a physical or limited place. Why do we have to tie up our prayers with a physical place, the Temple?

As it says in our portion, “Make a sanctuary for Me and I will dwell in you” [not: “in it”]. G-d commanded the Jewish people to take gold, silver, copper and other building materials, specifically physical material, and make a dwelling place for G-d. After a time, He set His dwelling in a fixed place, in Jerusalem. Almost the same question again, why does the unlimited G-d set His dwelling place with material things in a geographical place?

The answer is so important to our lives as Jews. It is specifically through a physical place that G-d’s true greatness is realized. Something that is truly unlimited has no limitations whatsoever. Since He is infinite, no limitations fall on Him. The Temple is the connection between limitation and beyond limitation, world and beyond world, something that only G-d can make happen.

Let us try to explain. Something defined as “unlimited” automatically has a certain limit. Something unlimited cannot be in a state of limited. Take the ocean for example. The ocean is sometimes described in human terms as being “unlimited” in its power and size. But if you have to reduce it to the size of a cup, it has become ‘limited’. The immense ocean cannot enter into a place whose size is a cup and still be an ocean.

The reality of G-d’s greatness is hidden In this analogy. G-d is not limited not by any limitations of limit and not by any limitations of unlimited. He is higher than all concepts of time and space while at the same time can contract Himself into the boundaries of time and space. He literally has no limitations.

We find the connection between limit and no limit in the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a defined space with definite measurements for its size and the size of its vessels. Nevertheless, the Rabbis taught, “The place of the Holy Ark was not within the measurements” (Talmud Yoma 21a). The place of the ark was in the Holy of Holies. The length of the Holy of Holies was 10 amah ("cubit"). Even though the Ark had a fixed size (2.5 amot ("cubits") long etc. - Shemot 25:10), when they measured it from either of its two sides to the walls, there were 5 amot on each side, as though it did not take up any space.

When the Temple was destroyed, the holiness that was there was invested in the 6 feet (4 amot) around every Jewish person. Therefore, this joining between limit and beyond limit must also be in the Divine service of a Jew. Prayer, service of the heart, is higher than the boundaries of space. And yet it has to be said facing in the direction of the Sanctuary. So with all of our Divine service, study of Torah and mitzvah observance, a Jew has to imbue G-d’s Divinity, not only in our Torah study and prayer, but in all our involvement in the world. This includes how we work and how we play, how we raise our families and what we demand of ourselves. This is the way to form a connection with G-d’s essence and to bring to life the Temple within each of us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rabbi Leib Sara's, Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz, and Rabbi Yaakov-Shimshon of Shipitovka were sitting [learning] together. “Whoever has kosher [spiritually clean] money, should bring some spirits to our gathering.

The rabbi of Shipitovka responded, "I have money that I received as a fee for being a judge at a Jewish court where I made a decision according to the truth of the Torah”

Rabbi Pinchas of Koritz spoke up, "Perhaps one of the litigants did not want to give his share, and paid only because his colleague did? But I have money that I received from a Jew who asked me to pray for him, and my prayer was helpful."

Rabbi Leib Sara's replied: "This is not pure money either. If that Jew had prayed himself, he might have been saved as well. But I will bring pure money - I will go and borrow from someone, and this money will come to me in perfectly kosher way."

When Rabbi Leib Sarah’s borrows money, he thereby gives the lender an opportunity to do a mitzvah and turn the physical into something spiritual.

[Sichat HaShavuah #1000]

Shabbat Shalom, Shaul

Rabbi Leiter will be in New York beH from Sunday, February 26 until Wednesday, March 1.

+972526770140 (WhatsApp) | director@ascentofsafed.com | cell: +16464920812

“SILENT SCREAMING”

Rabbi Shaul Leiter’s class on

the teachings of the Ba’al Shem Tov

from Keter Shem Tov

Monday, February 27, 2023

Israel 8PM/ UK 6PM/ NY 1PM/ LA 10AM

Please use the following link

https://ascent-co-il.zoom.us/j/81906073996?pwd=ZUk4SlR6N1kvUldIUUh0WTB1VVNUQT09

Meeting ID: 819 0607 3996

Passcode: 068582

Find your local number: https://ascent-co-il.zoom.us/u/kd1BQirK3D

Click on Subscribe to receive any of our free newsletters in your email.

“I Love You, Ascent!” is the new online Facebook community for Ascent’s friends and alumni.
It’s free, join us today: bit.ly/loveascent - interact, have fun, or just hangout! See you there :)