Chasidut על ברכות 68:18
Kedushat Levi
An alternate approach to אנכי הא-ל ביתאל; when we say in our daily shmoneh esreh, three times daily:הא-ל הגדול הגבור והנורא א-ל עליון, we refer to how G’d manifests Himself to us in our present state when we are in exile. At the same time we look forward with profound longing to the kind of manifestations of G’d’s greatness which the prophet has described as עין לא ראתה אלוקים זולתך, “which thus far no human eye has beheld, only G’d Himself;” (B’rachot 34 based on Isaiah 64,3) Using the parlance of our sages, these as yet unrevealed manifestations of G’d’s loving kindness will serve as garments that the pious will wear in the future after our souls have left our bodies. In our verse above, G’d assures Yaakov that there are dimensions to His attribute of loving kindness that have not yet been revealed to man. The parts revealed to man thus far in this world are merely to serve as an introduction to additional dimensions reserved for being revealed to our souls in the afterlife. [G’d chose the first opportunity after He had assisted Yaakov to acquire material wealth in spite of his uncle’s constant efforts to thwart him, to acquaint Yaakov with this insight. Ed.] This is the reason why the sages added the attribute א-ל עליון, “the G’d in the highest regions,” to our daily prayer, to remind us that there is such an as yet unexplored dimension to G’d’s attributes.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy