This week’s parshah, Parshas Ki Savo, begins
with the mitzvah of Bikkurim, the obligation to bring a portion of your produce
to the Beis Hamikdash each year. This is a way of showing appreciation to
Hashem for everything He gave you during the previous year. The pesukim write a
short tefillah that you are supposed to say when you give the fruits over the Kohen
at the Beis Hamikdash. The tefillah ends with the following pasuk, “הַשְׁקִיפָה מִמְּעוֹן
קָדְשְׁךָ מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וּבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמְּךָ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֵת הָאֲדָמָה
אֲשֶׁר נָתַתָּה לָנוּ …” “Look down from your holy dwelling, from the
heavens, and bless your people Israel, and the ground which you have given us…”
(Devarim 26:15).
The
Ohr HaChaim asks why the pasuk has to say that Hashem should look down from two
places, both His ‘holy dwelling’ as well as ‘the heavens’? Moreover, if these
terms are referring to the same place, then why does the pasuk have to say ‘from
the heavens’, it should simply say ‘from your holy dwelling, the heavens’?
He
explains using a Kabbalistic idea. Hashem created two different sources of
influence that provide support to the different aspects of this world, one
influences the spiritual aspect of Humans and provides support for the soul,
and one influences the physical aspect and provides sustenance for all living
things. However, since the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, the source of
spirituality has been cut off from this world, leaving the source of physical
influence as the only one having any effect on us.
The
terms in the pasuk ‘holy dwelling’ and ‘the heavens’ refer to these different
sources. The term ‘holy dwelling’ refers to the spiritual source, an extremely
high level that is referred to as “Kadosh”, “Holy”. That is why the pasuk calls
it a holy dwelling. (The fact that the tefillah asks Hashem to ‘gaze’ down
is also connected to this idea, but that is beyond the scope of our
discussion.) “The heavens” is referring to the physical source of sustenance,
that is why it is followed up by the phrase ‘and bless your people Israel’, it
is a prayer that Bnei Yisrael should receive any and all of their physical needs
for the coming year.
Shabbat Shalom!
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