The Root of Holiness

By Hazzan Jenna Greenberg.

While Moshe remains on Har Sinai, God provides detailed instructions regarding the construction and decoration of the Mishkan, the central theme of this final third of the book of Shemot. This Tabernacle is to house the Ark and allow the Divine Presence to dwell among the people of Israel.

God instructs the Israelites to bring a variety of materials for this very purpose. Following the gathering of these items, God says the following in Ex. 25:8: V’asu Li Mikdash v’Shachanti B’tocham. They will make me a mikdash (holy place) and I will dwell be-tokham (in them).

Our parshanim wonder: If this pasuk is talking about the Mikdash, wouldn’t it make more sense for it to say that God will dwell B’tocho, in it, in singular? Why does it say be-tocham, in plural?

One of these commentators, the Nefesh ha-Hayyim who lived in Lithuania 250 years ago, suggested that the main idea of the Mikdash and God’s presence in this world is about people. If people make themselves holy through observing all the mitzvot, then they themselves can actually become a Mikdash, a holy place, and God will dwell inside them. 

This is what the Sages meant when they explained “I will dwell be-tocham (in them)”–it’s that God will dwell in THEM (the people), not just in IT (the Mikdash).

Let’s take a closer look at this word Mikdash: the root of this word Mikdash is Kuf-Dalet-Shin. So many familiar words share this shoresh: Kadosh, Kaddish, Kiddush, Kedusha. All are grammatical variations on this central theme of holiness.

Kuf-Dalet-Shin. What is the central letter of this Hebrew root that all of these words have in common? DALET

DALET: The name of each letter in the Alef-Bet not only has a numeric equivalent, in this case, Dalet represents the number four, as it is the fourth letter of the Alef-Bet. But each letter’s name also has a unique meaning in and of itself. Dalet is a variant of the word Delet which means door.

This letter is central both literally and figuratively to the root of holiness. When we think about Dalet in this way, I think about 2 things. On the one hand, we have the ability, both in our individual homes and in our synagogue, to open the door, to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasat orchim, to welcome guests into our spaces, ultimately elevating our personal and communal homes in holiness.

At the same time, thinking back to the Nefesh HaHayyim commentary, when we perform mitzvot, such as hachnasat orchim, and 612 other commandments, WE increase in holiness. The spiritual door within us opens as we welcome God’s presence into ourselves, truly feeling that spark of the divine which humanity was given when we were created B’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image.

May we each go from strength to strength with each mitzvah we perform, elevating ourselves and our community in holiness.