THEMES of Featured Ascent Lights

Adar is characterized by the attribute of happiness; its dominant feature is the holiday of Purim. It is a good month for Jewish get-togethers, to draw into ourselves as much of the positive energy as possible. At such gatherings, a Jew sits among friends, each one helping the other by pointing out flaws in an appropriate way. Correcting flaws is like bringing our animal soul, our negative inclinations, to the altar to be slaughtered.

The great Kabbalist of Safed, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, describes the act of giving tzedaka as a spiritual union. The coin being exchanged is shaped like the letter yud, and therefore hints to the yud of G‑d's name Havayah; the five-fingered hand passing it on is the hei (whose numerical value is 5) of G‑d's name; the outstretched arm (shaped like the letter vav) and the open hand of the receiver are the vav and final hei of G‑d's name, effectively joining the giver and receiver.

"Speak to the Children of Israel and take for Me a 'teruma'."

G-d commands the Jewish people to contribute gold, silver and copper towards the building of the Tabernacle. The word "teruma" actually means both "separating" and "elevating". These two explanations are related because a person separating from his possessions for a sanctified purpose, is also elevating them from their physicality to a higher spiritual dimension.

"Make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them."

Everything that exists in this physical world is a copy of something that exists in the higher, more spiritual worlds. The Jewish people were commanded to create a copy of the spiritual, supernal Temple in this world with physical materials so that it, the lower physical Temple, should be a vehicle to accomplish the purposes of the higher, supernal Temple.