The hidden face of God

RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN
Pekuday/Exodus 38:21 - 40:38

The dichotomy between, or rather the dialectic of, the inner and the outer, the hidden and the revealed, begins with the Torah. There are two aspects to almost every verse: the patent and manifest meaning of the text, and the hidden, ever-evolving and ever-expanding interpretations for each situation and for all generations. The first is the plain and obvious meaning of the words; the second is the symbolic, esoteric-mystic significances, which are waiting to be discovered by those who can read between the lines and interpret beyond the words.

Similarly, we can characterize human events and historical occurrences. There are the situations as they occur, event following event with hardly rhyme or reason seeming to connect any of them; and then there is the almost hidden cause and effect, which - when the entire picture becomes clear - exultantly reveals the hand of the Divine having operated behind the scenes.

This dialectic between the hidden and the manifest is the subject of a verse in this week's haftorah portion, which describes the conclusion of King Solomon's building of the temple: "But the Lord said to my father David, 'As regards your intention to build a house for my name, you did right to have that intention' " (1 Kings 8:18).

The verse seems to be declaring in Solomon's name that even though it was the intention of "my father David" to build the house of God, which in the end he didn't build, the mere fact that he had it in his heart to do so was praiseworthy in itself.

But what about the Talmudic principle that matters of the heart are not considered substantive, that it is not the intent which is significant, but only the deed that counts? Without a physical temple, there would have been no possibility for the people to bring sacrifices for atonement, no place where they could offer their prayers, no central national symbol - and all of David's best intentions would have come to nought!

There is hidden sanctity, says the Meshekh Hakhma in his biblical commentary, and there is revealed sanctity. The hidden sanctity is in the heart and the mind; it reflects a desire, a wish, a hope - sometimes it cannot even be verbalized. The hidden is the dream and the potential; and in a deep way, the dream is always greater than the reality; the potential is always more than the actual.

Such was the sanctity of David's temple, the sanctuary which the liberator of Jerusalem had hoped to erect but never succeeded in building. David's temple existed in his heart and mind - but not yet on the ground. David's temple was the stuff of dreams and desire, faith and potential. And these immaterial things are obviously less - and also more - than that which physically exists in the material world. They are less because they cannot be touched. They are more because, since they are hidden in the recesses of the mind and heart, they can never be subject to the physical destruction of an enemy.

The revealed sanctity of Solomon's temple may be destroyed, but the hidden sanctity is always present - today and forever.

It is the desire of the Almighty to see the world perfected in his kingship, to ensure the triumph of peace, freedom and morality. And whenever these goals seem to be actuated, our Jewish tradition deems it a "hidden miracle."

When the hidden God within becomes revealed as the manifest God, then the dialectic will reach fruition in the dawn of the age of redemption.

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is the spiritual leader of the Jewish community in Efrat, Israel.