The Secret of the Universal Intellect: Transforming the Garments of Skin into Light
Class No. 106 | Cassette 106, Class No. 1
An in-depth article explaining the difference between \
It is known that shoes symbolize advice. Therefore, on Yom Kippur, we remove our shoes, and by doing so, we ascend spiritually into the Holy of Holies. By taking off our shoes, we merit receiving entirely new advice, coming directly from the "Universal Intellect" (Sechel HaKolel). It is impossible to enter the Holy of Holies wearing shoes, because they represent constrictions and concealments.
From Skin to Light: The Secret of Rabbi Meir
In the Holy of Holies, the light shines with the letter Aleph (אור - Ohr, meaning light). Our Sages teach that in the Torah scroll of Rabbi Meir, it was written "garments of light" (כותנות אור) with an Aleph, rather than "garments of skin" (כותנות עור) with an Ayin. The essence of serving Hashem is to merit seeing the light (Ohr) with an Aleph—to see the light of Hashem, to see the joy in Hashem, and to rejoice with Him. In contrast, "garments of skin" (Ohr) with an Ayin symbolize shoes, constrictions, and the blemish of the eyes.
After Adam and his wife sinned, it is said that Hashem made them "garments of skin" (Ohr with an Ayin). As long as a person lacks the right advice, he remains in the aspect of "skin" (Ohr) with an Ayin. This alludes to the blemish of the eyes, as it is said regarding the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, "it was a delight to the eyes." When a person feels that he is a "something" (an independent entity) and opens his eyes to the lusts of the world, he transforms the "light" (Ohr with an Aleph) into "skin" (Ohr with an Ayin), through the blemish of the eyes.
However, Rabbi Meir, who "illuminated the eyes of the Sages in Halacha (Jewish law)," merited the complete light of Hashem. He merited attaining the light of the Torah at its highest root, to the point that his students and colleagues could not fully grasp the depths of his mind. They could not understand why he ruled one way or another, because his spiritual work was to illuminate the light of the Torah from the lofty place of the "Universal Intellect," an attainment that was beyond their ordinary understanding.
The Danger of Pride and Judging the Tzaddik
When a person thinks he understands Halacha better than the tzaddik, he is liable to fall into grave errors. We find this with Yoav ben Tzeruyah, who thought he had caught King David violating Halacha regarding the crowning of Solomon over Adonijah. Yoav claimed that David was transgressing the commandment:
"He may not give the right of the firstborn to the son of the beloved wife in preference to the son of the hated wife, who is the firstborn."
But our Sages reveal that this was merely an excuse from the evil inclination to kick against the tzaddik and rebel against David, for Yoav also wanted to follow Absalom. This is the situation when a person measures the tzaddik with his own limited tools—he loses the truth and falls into schemes and plots.
King David, on the other hand, knew the secret of submission. Even when he felt lowly, he said:
"But as for me, in the abundance of Your lovingkindness I will enter Your house; I will bow down toward Your holy Temple in awe of You."
David taught us that even if a person feels he is the worst of all, he must never abandon prayer and submission to Hashem.
Transforming Sins into Merits
Let us return to Rabbi Meir. The reason they could not fully grasp the depths of his mind is because he merited the aspect of the "Universal Intellect." Rabbi Meir was one of the disciples of Rabbi Akiva, and through him, he merited the true light and the Foundation Stone (Even HaShetiyah). The Universal Intellect is the complete opposite of our ordinary human intellect. Our minds are filled with personal biases and ulterior motives, and therefore, they are far from the truth. Only the Universal Intellect, which is the mind of the tzaddik, can illuminate the absolute truth within us.
This is the essence of teshuvah (repentance) on Yom Kippur. When we remove our shoes, we nullify the "garments of skin" and merit the light of Yom Kippur, where sins are transformed into merits. How does one merit this? If a person feels the sorrow during the Three Weeks (Bein HaMetzarim), and recognizes that he has turned things upside down—making the forbidden permissible and the permissible forbidden, purifying the impure and defiling the pure. The moment a person acknowledges this truth and weeps over it from the depths of his heart, he immediately merits that all his intentional sins are transformed into merits.
This was the immense power of Rabbi Meir. Our Sages say that Rabbi Meir could purify a creeping creature (sheretz) with one hundred and fifty reasons. Moharnat (Reb Noson of Breslov) explains that the novelty in this is that Rabbi Meir literally extracted the spirit of impurity from the creeping creature. Although it was still forbidden to eat the creeping creature, the prohibition no longer stemmed from impurity, but rather from an overwhelming abundance of light. Rabbi Meir, who was connected to the roots of teshuvah and the Universal Intellect, knew how to elevate reality from impurity to purity and transform all sins into merits. While we merit this illumination only one day a year, Rabbi Meir was able to draw down the intellect of Yom Kippur and illuminate it throughout every day of the year.
The Destruction of the Channels and the Eternity of the Foundation Stone
In contrast, Tisha B'Av symbolizes the destruction of the Holy Temple, which is essentially the destruction of all advice. The destruction occurred when everyone started following their own advice and their own minds. Hashem said: If you are following your own minds, what do you need the Holy Temple for? The entire essence of the Holy Temple is that we follow the mind of the tzaddik, with the illumination of the "Foundation Stone" (Even HaShetiyah).
When a person sins and falls, yet he confesses: "I know that I committed a transgression, I sinned and rebelled, and I have no system or opinion of my own" – he still has a remedy. But the moment a person develops his own "system," an independent opinion and understanding that is disconnected from the tzaddik, at that very moment the light of the tzaddik vanishes from him, and the light of the Holy Temple disappears.
The Holy Temple is built from a system of spiritual conduits: the Holy of Holies, the Sanctuary, and the Courtyards. All of these are vessels designed to draw down the illumination from the Universal Intellect into the world. When we insert "our own conduits" and our own ways, we destroy the holy conduits. This is how all ten levels of holiness were destroyed, and even the Land of Israel was laid waste.
However, the Foundation Stone (*Even HaShetiyah*) itself remains forever. It is impossible to destroy it, because the Universal Intellect is eternal and no blemish can reach it. Therefore, even after the destruction, every person can renew his connection with the Foundation Stone every day and at every moment, drawing from it true light and guidance.
Part 3 of 4 — Lesson No. 106