The Secret of the Garments of Light: How We Can Merit to Illuminate the World

Class No. 215 | Cassette 215, Sunday, Parashas Lech Lecha, the eve of the 8th of Cheshvan 5760, at the diploma distribution ceremony at the Shaarei Torah Yeshiva Ketana.

The holy Torah teaches us how to purify the body and transform our physical "garments of skin" into "garments of light." By guarding one's eyes from the sights of the street and clinging to the inner dimensions of the Torah, every Jew can merit the spiritual level where "the skin of his face radiates light," thereby bringing about the liberation of the holy sparks from within the klipos (forces of impurity).

Through the Torah study that a person imparts to the Jewish people, he draws down upon himself four protective partitions. The Megaleh Amukos states that the numerical value (gematria) of the word "Bris" (Covenant) is 612, which is exactly the numerical value of the word "Mechitzah" (partition - 153) multiplied by four. What does this mean? When a person guards the Covenant, he creates for himself the four partitions of the intellect. When he goes outside into the street, he is surrounded by Clouds of Glory, as it is stated:

"These seven are the eyes of Hashem, which roam throughout the earth."

He is surrounded by seven Clouds of Glory that protect him, to the point where he no longer sees anything of what is in the streets. It simply does not interest him. As far as he is concerned, looking at the sights of the street is like looking into a puddle of sewage—he is disgusted, he runs away, and he cannot tolerate it at all.

The Voices of the Giving of the Torah That Never Cease

The holy Sfas Emes (Parashas Ki Sisa, 5655) explains that the Torah teaches us how to separate ourselves from physicality. Every Shabbos is an aspect of the Giving of the Torah, an aspect of the First Tablets. On Shabbos, one can literally hear the Ten Commandments. A person must view himself as if he is currently standing at Mount Sinai, hearing amidst the thunder and lightning: "Do not commit adultery!" and "Honor your father and your mother!" Rashi comments on the verse:

"A great voice that did not cease."

This means that the voices from the Giving of the Torah never cease. The Baal Shem Tov and the disciples of the holy Arizal would hear the Ten Commandments in every single second.

On Motzaei Shabbos (Saturday night), when we recite the blessing "Who creates the illuminations of the fire," the Tikkunei Zohar says that we are inserting the letters Yud and Hei of Hashem's Name into the fire (Eish). The man (Ish) and the woman (Isha) attain holiness, and they emerge from the fire together with their children. This is the secret of drawing down the "garments of light" (spelled with an Aleph) that we received on Shabbos, extending them into all the days of the week.

Returning to the Light of Adam HaRishon

When Moshe Rabbeinu descended with the Tablets, it was said of him:

"And Moshe did not know that the skin of his face radiated light."

Moshe returned to the spiritual level that Adam HaRishon possessed before the sin of the Tree of Knowledge. The holy Zohar states that the beauty of Adam HaRishon radiated from the splendor of the Supernal Wisdom, to the point that even the angels could not look at him. It is brought down in the Shaar HaKavanos that before the sin, Adam HaRishon radiated with one and a half million lights, and Chava radiated with three million, seven hundred thousand lights.

The Sfas Emes says that our entire spiritual work is to restore these immense lights to ourselves. Moshe Rabbeinu merited this at the Giving of the Torah, and Hashem, may He be blessed, wants us to merit revealing this light anew in every single generation. Everyone can merit that "the skin of his face radiates light."

Transforming the Skin into the Candle of Hashem

The Torah teaches us how to separate ourselves from physicality, and to transform our bodies from "garments of skin" (spelled with an Ayin) into "garments of light" (spelled with an Aleph). The numerical value of the word "Ohr" (skin) is 276, which is exactly the numerical value of "Ner Hashem" (the candle of Hashem: Ner = 250, Hashem = 26). Our skin yearns to shine like the candle of Hashem.

When we grasp the inner dimensions of the Torah, the light will burst forth from every single Jew, and the entire world will become nullified before us. As it is written in the Prophets:

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem has shone upon you... And nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brilliance of your shine."

Why do the nations persecute us? Because they do not see any light in us. When we walk in the streets with our eyes wide open, blemishing the Covenant, we look exactly like them. But if we were to walk with guarded eyes, the verse "A man's wisdom illuminates his face" would be fulfilled within us, and then all the nations would lick the dust of our feet. They take vengeance against us because we lack the light that they are so thirsty to see.

The Secret of Guarding the Eyes and Freeing the Sparks

In the book Heichal HaBracha of Komarno (Parashas Miketz), an awesome secret is brought down: When a person walks in the street, every holy spark that has fallen into the kelipos (forces of impurity) cries out to him: "Do not look at me! Do not gaze at me!"

The moment a Jew guards his eyes and does not look at the sights of the street, the *kelipah* falls away on its own. The Divine spark, which had been imprisoned within the impurity for thousands of years, is freed and returns in teshuvah (repentance). This is exactly how baalei teshuvah (returnees to Judaism) are made in the world—in the merit of righteous Jews who guard their eyes in the street. Conversely, when one looks at the kelipah, they give it life-force and draw down abundance to it.

Therefore, our main spiritual work is to bring the 248 limbs of the soul into the 248 limbs of the body, to purify the physical matter, and to merit the great light of "the radiant light of His face."

Part 2 of 3 — Lesson No. 215

→ Previous Part | Next Part ←

All parts: Part 1 | Part 2 (Current) | Part 3