English translation — עמוד 910

Mishnayos *

Order Moed

(Tractate Chagigah)

concludes with the law,

that the golden altar and the copper altar

(do not become susceptible to impurity)

because they are like the ground — the words of Rabbi Eliezer; and the Sages say: because they are plated.

The simple plain meaning of this is: the golden altar that was in the Temple and also the copper altar that was in the Temple did not become susceptible to impurity,

Rabbi Eliezer explains that the reason for this is because the Torah equates them to the ground,

and the ground does not become susceptible to impurity.

the Sages say that they do not become susceptible to impurity because they were nothing more than covered with gold or copper,

consequently, the covering is nullified relative to the interior,

and the inner part does not become susceptible to impurity.

The holy Torah which was given from the Supreme One, blessed be He, who is infinite,

is also infinite,

and it is valid with the same strength in all places and in all times.

Just as it was strong when the Supreme One gave it to the Jewish people through Moses our teacher on Mount Sinai,

so strong is it also in our times of the dark exile,

and in all places of the earthly globe.

The Torah is also infinite in that every matter of the Torah has infinite explanations that are divided into four types: simple meaning, hint, homiletical interpretation, secret.

The hint and moral lesson that we can learn from the Mishnah at the end of the Order of Moed and apply in our daily life:

Each one in his city and according to his situation,

is a sanctuary where the Divine Presence rests — "And I will dwell in their midst."

In the Beis HaMikdash there are various vessels,

the same is with every Jew: there are various matters: intellect,

feelings, etc.

In these matters it can be that there should mix in a side of foreignness,

a mundane one,

not a holy thought,

and it can also be that there should mix in not only a weekday thing but even an unclean thing,

a thing that is connected with a transgression, heaven forbid,

that is, the opposite of the will of the Most High, blessed be He,

the opposite of Torah and commandments.

In other words: the vessel of a person — the intellect or thought or another faculty — has become impure,

and one must seek ways how this should become pure again and should again become a vessel of the sanctuary,

because the sanctuary of the Most High — every Jew,

man and woman - must be pure.

People divide themselves

(in physical matters,

or in spiritual matters)

into rich and poor.

About the rich one says that with him everything is gold 2 ,

and about the poor one — that his coins are copper 3 .

By every Jew, however, without exception,

no matter how he may be in his inner or in his outer matters and feelings,

is always entirely the point of Judaism - the little point of a Jew - that wants to do the will of the Most High,

as the Rebbe, the Rebbe our teacher and father, the Admor, of blessed and saintly memory, his soul in Eden, may his merit protect us, said: A Jew — not that he wants,

whether he can or not — cannot be torn away from G‑dliness.

And this is called by the name Mizbeach.

Mizbeach means slaughtering

(slaughtering)

and bringing an offering to the Most High, may He be blessed.

Says the Mishnah that both the Jews who are [of the] golden altar - the rich Jews - and those who are [of the] copper altar - the poor Jews - is at the time one reminds oneself that one is an altar,

that the innermost,

the true will is to slaughter the evil inclination and do the will of the Most High,

are they not susceptible to impurity.

And they give the reason for this,

because they are like the ground,

just like the earth on which everyone treads,

so too

(as we ask, "and may my soul be like dust to all, may it be")

one has no will of one's own, only the will that the Holy One, blessed be He, has revealed to us in the holy Torah.

The words of Rabbi Eliezer

(ben Hurkanus)

who is called Rabbi Eliezer the Great,

that he was equivalent to all the sages of Israel, 4

and not looking at his greatness,

did he for himself not take any place,

to the extent that, as the Gemara says 5 ,

Never did he say a thing that he had not heard from his teachers.

Consequently, he also saw in every Jew immediately his innermost being,

the point of Judaism,

Israel and the Torah and the Holy One, blessed be He, are all one 6 ,

that the entire life of a Jew is to fulfill Torah and commandments.

And he taught his students the way that the powerful intellect is together with complete self-nullification,

as it is expressed in the method "Never did he say a thing that he had not heard from his teachers."

And the Sages say — the majority of Sages held

that the way is too strict for everyone,

not many can carry out this approach,

they took into consideration also the externalities,

the outermost of Jews: one sometimes finds that one becomes, heaven forbid, ensnared,

and especially "the golden altar",

which is often sunk in gold matters until it temporarily prevents him from doing the will of the Most High,

and also among poor people

(the copper altar),

because of that which it is harder for them to part with their money,

they also sometimes transgress the will of Hashem - nevertheless say the Sages - the point of Judaism

(the altar)

does not become susceptible to impurity because they are overlaid.

Because both the gold by the rich man and the copper by the poor man, this is only a covering from the outside,

but inside it is pure,

and cannot become susceptible to impurity.

And the inner essence is so strong that ultimately the overlay is nullified to the inner essence.

And he will in the end surely repent,

and arrive at the truth: that the life and existence of a Jew is nothing more than Godliness,

and this is attained only through the study of Torah and the observance of the commandments.

And these are also the vessels for the physical blessings that the Almighty promised in the Torah: "If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments... and I will give the land its yield and the tree of the field its fruit..." 7 .

(From a letter of 15 Marcheshvan 5711)