“And you will command the children of Israel … take unto yourself pure olive oil ….” (Shemot, 27:20) “Unto yourself,” meaning to the Chochma (wisdom) inherent in every soul of Israel, and all the wisdom of Israel is called in the name of Moshe Rabeynu. To this God commanded that every one of Israel shall take to the wisdom inside of him some pure olive oil, meaning refined wisdom, and that is that he should not turn to any side that might be tainted. Doing this he will understand who God has chosen, and that is why the verse following immediately after is, “bring close Aharon and his sons.”

“And these are the garments that they shall make, a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe ….” (Shemot, 28:4) In these garments God shows Israel which soul He chooses, for the preciousness of the soul of Aharon haCohen is recognized and understood from the garments (made for him). The Tsits (“headplate”) hints that he is constantly cleaving to God as he is commanded always to wear it on his forehead. Engraved on the tsits were the words Kodesh LeHashem, “Holy unto God,” meaning that the words (Divrei haYamim 1, 28:9), “Know God of your father and serve Him,” were constantly in the depth of his thought. The breastplate (Choshen) hinted that there was no hatred for any soul of Israel in his heart, for the tribes of Israel were engraved on his heart. The ephod, with which he would gird himself, hinted at his trust in God, which always supported him. The robe (Me’il) teaches of his great fear of God, for it was made entirely of t’chellet (sky blue), which hints at fear.⁵⁸ hints at the blue of the sky which hints at the Throne of Glory.” Thus it would inspire awe. Also, the Kotsker Rebbe explained the meaning of what Rebbe Nachman said, that looking at the sky is a segula for [way to come to] the fear of God. The Kotsker said, it has to do with Rashi’s explanation of Bereshit, 1:6, “let there be a firmament.” Rashi says that then the firmament became solid, for on the first day it was still in a flexible. It only became solid on the second day at the shout of God, who said, “let there be a firmanment.” This is as it says (Job, 26:11), “the pillars of the Heavens shook,” for they were not firmly fixed on the first day, and then on the second, “they were astonished at His rebuke,” like a man who is shocked and stands still at the shout of one who frighens him.” On this, the Kotsker said that when one looks at the firmament [sky] he can still feel the shout of God that fixed it in its place. Why were the pants and the tsits not mentioned when the garments are enumerated in verse 4? The pants were not mentioned for they were not considered a garment, only serving to cover his nakedness; in other words, to guard from the lusts of this world. The tsits was not mentioned, as it is explained in the Zohar (Bamidbar, 159), “The brilliance [metscha, also “forehead”] of God’s desire is revealed at the Mincha [afternoon] Prayer of Shabbat.”⁵⁹ is a time of an awakening of dinnim, or severe judgment. However, the Mincha prayer on the afternoon of Shabbat is a time of great mercies. Kabbalistically speaking, this is when Zeir Anpin and Leah ascend within Abba and Imma to the level of the rectifications of the beard of Arik Anpin, considered the supreme abode of divine compassion. The tsits was given to Aharon haCohen since he had great fear, for all the tribe of Levi possessed great fear, as it is written (Malachi, 2:5), “I gave him fear,” and all the more so the high priest. Even his very name teaches of fear for “Aharon” is the numerical equivalent of 256, corresponding to the 256 (2 to the eighth power) wings of the angels called chayot hakedoshim, and wings teach of fear.⁶⁰ Corresponding to this great fear he was given the tsits to vivify and delight his soul, for the tsits teaches of the love that God has for Israel. Then at the time when God reveals His great love, all the fears depart, and Israel experiences great tekifut (great strength without holding back).⁶¹, which is more than just strength, but a kind of azut d’Kedusha, a kind of holy brazenness. Therefore before the making of the robe (Me’il) was mentioned it was not possible to mention the making of the tsits, for the great profusion of tekifut could, God forbid, bring forth an irreverent spirit. Therefore after the making of the Me’il, which teaches of fear was mentioned, it was then possible to mention the making of the tsits, as in the words of the Holy Zohar, “at the time of Mincha of Shabbat,” which is after great fear, “the brilliance of His desire is revealed,” meaning tekifut.

footnotes: ⁵⁸ The Holy Zohar says, “the blue of the t’chellet ⁵⁹ On a weekday, Mincha ⁶⁰ The sound of the beating of the wings of 256 angels would surely inspire great fear of God. ⁶¹ The Hebrew term in many hasidic books is Tekifut

“And these are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate [Choshen], and an ephod, and a robe [Me’il], and a broidered coat [C’tonet Tashbets], and a mitre [Mitsnefet] and a girdle [Avnet] ….” (Shemot, 28:4) Corresponding to the eight priestly garments, the members of the great assembly (in the Second Temple period) codified the eight expressions in the blessing preceding the morning recitation of Shema, “to understand and to discern, to hear, to learn, and to teach, to guard, and to do, and to uphold.” “To understand” corresponds to the girdle [Avnet], for the girdle comes to make atonement for the fancies of the heart (Arachin, 16a), so too, was it worn over the heart and its length was thirty-two cubits.⁶² = “heart.” Apparently it was a long cloth wrapped around the torso. “To discern” corresponds to the breastplate [Choshen], for a man must consider carefully in order to know God, for with Him there is no anger against the souls of Israel [the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the Choshen], for, “His wrath is for a moment, yet a lifetime in His will [favor]” (Tehilim, 30:6). “To hear” corresponds to the robe (Me’il), meaning that a man must hear and lead his ear to his foundation and root. This is explained (in Shemot Rabba, 40:3) on the verse (in Job), “where were you when I founded the world?” meaning where was your portion in Adam haRishon (when he sinned). Then when a man contemplates his portion in this he will then come to an understanding of what he has already fixed, and what he has yet to repair. This is hinted at in the robe (Me’il), for the Holy Zohar mentions that the Me’il is the secret of reincarnations (coming back until all is fixed, all the mitzvot have been fulfilled). “To learn” corresponds to the mitre (hat, Mitsnefet), for the Mitsnefet makes atonement for coarseness of spirit (Arachin, ibid.), meaning to receive the truth from one who spoke it. “To teach” corresponds to the tsits (headplate), for of the tsits it is said, “and it shall be on his forehead continually that they may be accepted,” meaning that one needs a good eye in order to teach his fellow man. “To guard” corresponds to the embroidered coat (C’tonet), for the C’tonet makes atonement for the spilling of blood (ibid.). It teaches man to guard himself and to see that because of him no damage is done to his fellow man. Then his peers will not be able to suspect him, and then be punished for suspecting him in vain. Then he too will be punished for causing his fellow man to be punished. “To do” teaches of reliance, and the point of reliance is the performance of mitzvot, such that a man can stand in prayer and support himself on them. This is as it is written (Tehilim, 104:3), “who makes the clouds His chariot,” and clouds teaches of the performance of mitzvot.⁶³. “To fulfill” corresponds to the priestly pants, whose purpose is to cover his genitalia. This is a place on which a man stands to suffer a loss, as it is written (Bereshit, 42:9), “the nakedness of the land,” meaning the vulnerable place by which the land may be conquered. At every place God created from which a man could build an everlasting structure, there He also created a place of vulnerability where he may lose all. However, by means of guarding himself here, then from this place an everlasting structure will emerge.

footnotes: ⁶² 32 = lev ⁶³ For one must understand that there is no action in this world that does not have a remnant in the world to come. Tashlum Mei HaShiloach

“And you shall set it [the Choshen Mishpat*] with four rows of stones; a carnelian [or carneol, or saridus], a topaz, and a smaragd [or carbuncle, or emerald, or agate] shall be the first row of stones. And the second row shall be a carbuncle [also turquoise, ruby*, emerald, garnet], a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row shall be an opal [also ligure, jacinth], an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row shall be a beryl [also chrysolite, topaz], and an onyx, and a jasper …” (Shemot, 28:17). Carnelian represents the tribe of Reuven, for its name in Hebrew, odem, is closely related to adom, red, the color of simcha. The name Reuven comes from the word for sight (see Bereshit, 29:32), for with all his dealings and words he always sees himself standing in the presence of God, and God then illuminates his eyes. This causes man to experience great joy, as it is written (Mishlei, 15:30), “the heart rejoices at the illumination of the eyes.” Topaz represents the tribe of Shimon, for the tribe of Shimon possesses great depths in Torah knowledge, yet before they can bring them forth into actuality the must undergo refinement. Therefore Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (the famous figure in the Talmud and author of the Zohar), since he was from the tribe of Shimon, possessed a depth of understanding in Torah knowledge on the level of Moshe Rabeynu. Topaz or Pitdah hints at this, for its first and last letters spell “mouth” and the remaining letters, Tet and Dalet, are the letters just before Yud and Hei in the Hebrew alphabet. Yud Hei teach of the depth of wisdom⁶⁴ are the first two letters in God’s ineffable name, the Tetragrammaton. Yud Hei signifies transmission, while the second two letters Vav Hei imply reception. It is one of the basic principles of Kabbalah that Yud signifies Chochma, (Wisdom), while Hei signifies Binah, (Understanding), hinted-at in the right and left brain, hidden from sight, and requiring a further flow of execution to be brought into reality. This is why the author says that “the depth of understanding in Torah knowledge” are hinted at in these two letters, and all the more so because they are revealed in the word pitdah only in the previous letters, signifiying a greater level of concealment that cannot be brought into a communicable form. that is found in this tribe, yet it cannot bring it forward through speech. Smaragd represents the tribe of Levi, for bareket hints at the fear of God, as it contains the letters of the word for lightning, barak, whose light is revealed suddenly, in a flash. In this the tribe of Levi possesses the refined fear of God, as it is written of them (Malachi, 2:5), “I gave them My covenant for the fear with which he feared me.” “And the second row shall be a carbuncle….” Carbuncle corresponds to the tribe of Yehuda, for it vacillates between all the colors, as all the colors are contained within it. So it is with the tribe of Yehuda, which does not stay fixed in one attribute, but rather when Yehuda is among the perfectly righteous he is perfectly righteous, and when he is among the “ba’alei teshuva,” he is then the greatest penitent. This is as we find in the Gemara (Shabbat, 56a), “all who say, ‘David was a sinner,’ are mistaken,”⁶⁵,” and when one undergoes an authentic experience of teshuva, then all his iniquities are turned into merits. and we also find (Moed Katan, 16b), “He raised an offering of teshuva.”⁶⁶ Further proof of this is how at one time he says in the book of Tehilim (86:1–2), “I am poor and destitute,” and then right after he says, “I am a Hasid.”⁶⁷ Sapphire—Sapir—corresponds to the tribe of Yissachar, for the sapphire teaches of clear and refined wisdom, as it says (Shemot, 24:10), “like the paved work of sapphire stone, and the essence of the heavens for clearness.” Of the tribe of Yissachar it is said, (Divrei haYamim 1, 12:32), “and the children of Yissachar were men of understanding for the times,” as they knew how to create leap years and fix the beginning of the months. This is a kind of knowledge that is possessed only by those to whom God has granted refined wisdom.⁶⁸. This is hinted at in that the 1,080 seconds in an hour is the numerical equivalent of four times E-lohim.⁶⁹ is written plene by Chochma m’vureret. This is numerically equivalent to 295. Four times this is 1,180. This is one hundred more than the 1,080 mentioned above. The author is not using our normal “sixty seconds to a minute” calculation. Diamond represents the tribe of Zevulun, for diamond, yahalom, can be divided into the words, roughly translated, “God hither.” Zevulun was confidant that God was with him for all his endeavors, even though they seemed like worldly affairs, as it is said (Megillah, 6a), “Zevulun dealt in trade.” Even there (“hither”) he was deeply connected to God. “And the third row shall be opal,” etc. “Opal” represents the tribe of Dan, for in this tribe we find tekifut (unbridled strength)⁷⁰ and great resolve for victory. The mortal eye sometimes mistakes these attributes for anger, and on this the Torah testifies that he is a vessel dedicated to God. This is found in the name of the place that he was given as an inheritance, as it says (Shoftim, 18:29), “however, the name of the city was at first Layish.” Layish is another word for lion, and teaches of God-given strength and bravery, “as it is written (Mishlei, 30:30), “the lion is mighty among the beasts, and will not return in the face of all adversity.” Yet after this city fell in their inheritance its name was changed to leshem, which teaches that all his power is due to his confidence that God will help him, and this is because he walks in simplicity. This is as it is explained in the Gemara (Pesachim, 4a), “A certain man used to say, ‘Judge my case.’ They said, This proves that he is descended from the tribe of Dan, as it is written, ‘Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.’” This is because he has the tekifut that surely he would be found innocent if judged, for with all the matters of this world, even with the mitzvot and good deeds that a man does, they remain in the balance even after the action is completed. For instance, if a man gives charity to a pauper, and the pauper later goes with this power and performs a mitzvah, then the one who gave the charity is assisting his performance of the mitzvah. If the pauper takes the money and uses it for a transgression, then the one who gave the charity is assisting him in transgressing. So Godly vigor of the tribe of Dan in his confidence in God that because he did the mitzvah in simplicity then God will not cause him to fail because of it. Certainly God brought him an honest pauper who took this power to do a mitzvah. “Agate”—shevo—represents the tribe of Naftali, for shevo is related to the word for “return”—shav. This means that even when he goes to engage in matters of this world, and it seems to the mortal eye that, God forbid, his heart is not with God, then at that moment his heart returns and “gazes” on God. The name of the chief of the tribe of Naftali teaches of this, whose name was Achira ben Einan, for Achira contains the word for “back”—achor—meaning that he always takes the back way (engaging in the matters of this world) and does not look back. “Einan” however, is related to “eye”—ain—meaning that even in this his eyes are constantly looking towards God. “Amethyst”—achlama—corresponds to the tribe of Gad, meaning gathering together, and great tekifut at a time when it is necessary to gather all of Israel together according to God’s will. So from this tribe all kinds of Godly strengths go forth to Israel,⁷¹ and the ability to bring Israel together in the name of God. But I will offer that achlama is the letters of ach l’mah “brother for MaH,” where MaH the numerical equivalent of the expansion of God’s name, which equals forty-five; hence, brotherhood in the name of God. as it is written of Gad (Bereshit, 49:19), “Gad, a troop shall troop upon him, but he shall troop upon their heel.”⁷² “And the fourth row shall be a beryl,” etc. “Beryl” corresponds to the tribe of Asher. Asher signifies expansion, spreading forth, and so too does beryl teach of expansion, as it is written (Daniel, 10:6), “His body was like beryl.”⁷³ This tribe also experienced expansion, as it is written (Bereshit, 49:20), “out of Asher his bread shall be fat.” “Onyx”—shoham—represents the tribe of Yosef. “Shoham” is love, as is explained in the verse (Bereshit, 2:12), “there was the Bedellium.”⁷⁴ on Parshat Bereshit, it reads: The onyx (“shoham”) stone hints at the love of God, for it is the stone that corresponds to Yosef, who is the sefirah of Yesod (foundation), which is filled with Divine effusion (as it receives and collects all the Divine energies from the eight sefirot above it). Yosef too had a fierce love for God, so much so that he could easily abandon all the pleasures of this world for the love of God. For out of the fear of God alone he could not withstand the temptation of the wife of Potiphar, as it is written in the Gemara (Nedarim, 32b), “At the time of the control of the inclination to evil, no one can remember the inclination to good.” This could only be done out of love for God, who at the moment of that trial showed him a vision of the visage of his father Yaakov, and how his very name would be engraved on the stones of the Ephod of the High Priest. “Jasper”—yoshpeh—is for the tribe of Binyamin, meaning that he has a mouth⁷⁵ [yesh peh in Hebrew] that can swallow and receive all the goodness that exists in the world. This is as it is written of him (Bereshit, 49:27), “Binyamin is a wolf that devours.” He even has the power to collect and receive the goodness that exists among the nations of the world, looking at the good among them and entering them into Israel.

footnotes: ⁶⁴ Yud Hei ⁶⁵ Which is normally interpreted to mean that Uriah had sent Bat Sheva a bill of divorce before he went to war. However, the deeper meaning that is relevant here is that David was the paramount “ba’al teshuva ⁶⁶ See how this is explained above, page 53, “and Yehuda drew close.” ⁶⁷ Hirch translates “I am a hasid” with “for I dedicate myself.” Soncino comments, “one who loves God and is therefore deserving of God’s love.” ⁶⁸ Chochma m’vureret ⁶⁹ The name E-lohim ⁷⁰ not holding back, doing without looking right or left. ⁷¹ The Holy Isbitser does not say what the connection between achlama ⁷² “Troop” signifies gathered together. ⁷³ And the body is the primary vehicle for man’s expansion. ⁷⁴ There, in the Mei HaShiloach ⁷⁵ The name of the stone jasper in Hebrew is the letters of “he has a mouth.”

“And you shall make an altar to burn the incense; make it of acacia wood.” (Shemot, 30:1) This week’s Parsha mentions all of the vessels except for the golden incense altar. We can understand this through the Zohar (Bamidbar, 151b), which asks, “what is incense? It is the connection of all.”⁷⁶ and “connection,” Ketirah in Aramaic, Rabbi Yitzhak of Acco writes in his explanation “Meirat Eineihem” that smoke, ashan, is an acronym for olam shana netesh, meaning place, time, and soul, the three main components of existence, as discussed in the Sefer Yetsirah. This hints that everything, even what is done in “his world, is all connected in God’s will, and without His will nothing at all would be done. One who misunderstands this could come to irreverence, God forbid, since everything that happens is permitted from Heaven. Therefore the incense altar, which represents this understanding, was not said in Parshat Truma, but only after the explanations of the priestly garments in this Parsha, which teach of the great fear of God and vigilant guarding from the vain pleasures of this world. As it is written in the Gemara (Arachin, 16a), “the ctonet, or tunic of chequer work, makes atonement for the spilling of blood,” and so it is with all of the garments. By means of his priestly garments, the Cohen sends great fear of God to the heart of each one in Israel. Then after the Cohen has instilled such fear in the heart of Israel, then they have the ability to receive the simcha and love that comes from the power of the incense.

footnotes: ⁷⁶ And how is incense the connection of all things? Besides the similarity in the letters of ketoret

All of the vessels of the Mishkan were made of acacia wood inlayed with gold, except for the caporet (the covering for the Holy Ark) and the menorah, where says specifically that they should be made of pure gold, and not filled with acacia wood. It is known that the Mishkan and its vessels hint at the upright form of man, and for each limb man has the right to see to his own well-being, as it says in the Gemara (Pesachim, 68b), “in the first place, when a man does something, he is doing it for himself.”⁷⁷ In the future, God will make it clear that the action that he did for himself was only in the sense of “if a person does a mitzvah but not for the sake of Heaven, eventually he will do it for the sake of Heaven.” Eventually he will bring the light out of the darkness, as it is said (Yoel, 4:18), “and a fountain shall come forth from the house of God, and shall water the valley of Shittim [which means acacia wood].”⁷⁸ Yet the caporet, which corresponds to the heart, and the menorah, which corresponds to the eyes, with these a man must be especially vigilant that they are clean and refined, not corrupted in any way from his own desire for the pleasures of this world. This is as it is said in the Jerusalem Talmud (Berachot, 1:5), “the eye and the heart are the two agents of sin. The eye sees and the heart lusts.” But indeed the eye must be stripped of all the lusts of this world, and used as a pure vessel for the soul, like a clear glass through which the soul looks at the world and decides whether it is good and to receive it, or whether it is evil and to reject it. Yet, when within the eye itself there is any desire or lust for the pleasures of this world, then the eye is not a vessel for the soul, but rather a free agent, free to lust after the affairs of this world. Then the soul does not have the opportunity to distinguish the good from the evil. Therefore God commanded to be completely refined. The eye shall be clean and stripped of vain lusts, and then it will follow that the soul will only desire that which is God’s will.

footnotes: ⁷⁷ The Gemara is talking about the mitzvah of the study of Torah, that foremost he is studying for his own benefit, and only after this for the good of the rest of the world. ⁷⁸ This means that all the vessels made from acacia wood are like actions that may be for selfish motives to gratify different parts of the body now, but will be refined for the sake of Heaven in the future.