Guidelight

7 Adar I 5782

“On the hem [of the cloak] you shall make … bells of gold … and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the Holy” (Shemos 28:33–35)

“Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: There are four things which the Holy One, blessed be He, hates, and I too dislike them … [the fourth thing is,] one who enters his house suddenly—how much more so his neighbor’s house …

When Rabbi Yochanan went to inquire after the welfare of Rabbi Chanina, he would knock at the door, in conformity with the verse ‘Its sound shall be heard when he goes in.’” (Midrash Rabbah)

See here with which great detail the Torah lays out the righteous path before us. Even entering a building can sanctify or demote you spiritually. Every little thing counts, both to the positive and negative.

“From this holiness, a sublime holiness issues forth upon man below to assist him with a great and powerful aid in his service of G-d. This is what our Sages meant when they said: ‘If a man consecrates himself in a small measure here below, he is sanctified greatly from above.’” (Lessons in Tanya, Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 27)

When we add a little to our service down here, a great and powerful arousal of holiness follows from above. This is the quintessential lesson of Chassidus, that there are not separate venues for Divine service, but everything is one. Left untreated, even tying your shoes in the wrong order or entering a building suddenly will eventually tear down your davening, and your learning with it.

“Send Your light and Your truth, they will guide me; they will bring me to Your holy mountain and to your sanctuaries.” (Tehillim 43:3)

Therefore, we must be careful not to stray from the right path, even 1 mm, and to constantly increase our knowledge of the Torah in order to recognize the right path before us more clearly. We must be constantly seeking connection to Hashem, especially in davening, so He can present His light and truth to us, so that they may serve as a guidelight before us at all times.