ואי סלקא דעתך פתח אחד יש לה ופתוח לקודש זקן יושב במערבה והתנן הלשכות הבנויות בחול ופתוחות לקדש תוכן קודש ואי סלקא דעתך פתוח לחול פייס במזרחה והתנן בנויות בקדש ופתוחות לחול תוכן חול אלא לאו ש"מ שני פתחים היו לה אחד פתוח בקדש ואחד פתוח לחול
And if the thought should arise in you that the Cell has but one door opening on holy ground, how could the elder sit to the west, and we have learnt: If the cells are built on non-holy ground and open on holy ground the space within them is holy.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ma'as Sh. III, 8.');"><sup>13</sup></span> And if the thought should arise in you that it opened into unholy ground how could the count take place in the eastern part [of the Cell];<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The count had to take place on holy ground.');"><sup>14</sup></span> have we not learnt: If they are built on holy ground and open out on non-holy ground, their space within is non-holy, hence you must needs say: the Cell had two doors, one opening on holy ground, the other on non-holy ground.
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
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.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
