The Secret of the Dust of the Mishkan: The Power of Humiliations to Recreate a Person

Class No. 15 | Class 1 - Sunday Morning, Parashas Nasso, 28 Iyar 5755 - At the Yeshiva (Continued from No. 14)

The portion of the Sotah (the suspected adulteress) conceals within it a tremendous secret about the power of bizyonos (humiliations). When a person transforms himself into dust and ashes, he merits to be recreated from the dust of the Even HaShetiyah (the Foundation Stone) and to ascend to the highest spiritual levels.

Every day, when the day ends, a person must make a cheshbon hanefesh (spiritual accounting) and shed a river of tears: "I did not learn enough, I did not pray properly, I did not learn Shivchei HaRan, Sefer HaMiddos, Sfas Emes, or Gemara Tractate Sotah."

We must learn all the Gemaras and Midrashim in order to understand, for example, what the portion of the Sotah truly is. It speaks of a woman who in truth did not sin. Although she is slightly at fault for not listening to her husband's voice and causing him to be strict, nevertheless, through the terrible bizyonos (humiliations) she undergoes, she merits tremendous spiritual levels. After such humiliations, one merits indescribable levels, to the point that she merits to be on the level of Avraham Avinu and to give birth to a son like him.

The Power of Humiliations

The Sfas Emes on Parashas Nasso explains what the ultimate purpose of man is and how a Jew should look. Every Jew descends to the world in order to rectify the entire creation, and the way to do this is specifically through bizyonos. When a person becomes like dust and ashes, only then can he produce fruit.

Regarding the Children of Israel it is said:

"And you shall be a land of delight"

And all the promises given to Avraham Avinu were given to the Children of Israel: "And your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth." The rule is simple: if there is no dust, there is no grain. The entire spiritual work of a person in this world is only to be dust. Therefore, we ask at the end of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer: "And let my soul be as dust to all." It is not enough to say this request only three times a day; rather, one must repeat it constantly, every five minutes: "And let my soul be as dust to all."

The summary of the words of the Sfas Emes is that the Jewish people are called "Adam" (man), but when do they merit this title? Only when they are in the aspect of dust and ashes. This is the role of man and this is the way to rectify the entire creation. Whoever merits to be dust and ashes protects the entire world and saves it from every harsh decree. Whoever is dust and ashes guards the trait of Yesod (the spiritual foundation of purity), and in his merit, no country will perish.

To Be Recreated from the Dust of the Foundation Stone

Only one who is like dust can guard his Yesod. For this reason, in the purification process of the Sotah, they take specifically from the dust of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The dust of the Temple Mount and the Beis HaMikdash (Holy Temple) is not regular dust; rather, it is dust from before the existence of creation, the dust from which Adam HaRishon (the First Man) was formed—the dust of the Even HaShetiyah.

When they give the Sotah to drink from the water mixed with this dust, they are essentially telling her: "Now you are going to be recreated." True, she did something improper; she did not listen to her husband's voice and caused him to become angry. Even if everything was kosher and smooth, a woman needs to have compassion on her husband and not anger him. But since she went through this entire ordeal of bizyonos, she now merits a new creation.

Imagine to yourselves: Who in the generation merits to drink from the dust of the Temple Mount? Who merits to place the dust of the Holy of Holies in his mouth? And here, they give her the greatest privilege there is. They lift the marble slab in the Heichal (Sanctuary), and take dust from right inside the Heichal.

"And the Kohen shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust that is on the floor of the Mishkan the Kohen shall take, and put it into the water"

From this dust, from which the entire creation was created, they now recreate her completely and transform her into a complete tzaddeikes (righteous woman). Through this process, she ascends to the level of Avraham Avinu, literally to the root of creation.

She ascends from the World of Asiyah (Action) to the World of Yetzirah (Formation), and merits to become a part of the Beis HaMikdash herself. She becomes the Beis HaMikdash itself, and she has the power to atone for all the sins of Israel. And in this merit, may we merit the complete Geulah (Redemption) speedily in our days, Amen.

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