Hidden holiness uncovered when impurity departs

ובמד' ואתה מרום לעולם רוממות אתה נוהג בעולמך כו' נתת קדושה לישראל לעולם כו'.

And in the Midrash: "But You are exalted forever" (Tehillim 92:9) — "You conduct exaltedness in Your world," etc.; "You gave holiness to Yisrael forever," etc.

The Midrash on the Shabbos psalm teaches that Hashem governs His world with exaltedness and has granted an enduring holiness to Bnei Yisrael.

פי' כי הקדושה נמצא בפנימיות נפשות בנ"י כשאמר הקב"ה אנכי ה' אלקיך נתקדשו בנ"י ונעשו כלים להיות מיוחדים אליו.

The explanation is that the kedushah is found in the penimiyus (inner depth) of the souls of Bnei Yisrael; when the Holy One, Blessed is He, said "I am Hashem your God" (Shemos 20:2), Bnei Yisrael became sanctified and became vessels to be uniquely His.

At the moment of "Anochi" at Sinai, a holiness was implanted deep within every Jewish soul, making them fitting vessels wholly dedicated to Hashem.

ואם כי ע"י החטא נפלו ממדרגה הראשונה היינו שאין הקדושה יכולה להתגלות מפני ליכלוך החטא שנעשה מחיצה מפסקת.

And although through sin they fell from that first level — meaning that the kedushah cannot be revealed because of the soiling of sin, which becomes an intervening partition.

Sin did not erase the inner holiness; it only erected a barrier of "grime" that blocks the holiness from being revealed.

אבל כשהסט"א מסתלקת מתגלית הקדושה.

But when the sitra achra (the "other side") departs, the kedushah is revealed.

Once the force of impurity is removed, the latent holiness shines forth again.

וע"ז ניתקן מזמור שיר ליום השבת והוא עדות של השבת שאז שבין בנ"י לבחי' הקדושה ע"י דבשבת סט"א מתעברת וערקת כנ"ל.

And concerning this, "A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbos" (Tehillim 92:1) was instituted, and it is the testimony of Shabbos — that then Bnei Yisrael return to the aspect of holiness, because on Shabbos the sitra achra is removed and flees, as above.

The Shabbos psalm bears witness that on Shabbos the forces of impurity flee, allowing Bnei Yisrael to reconnect with their inner holiness.

וז"ש חז"ל פרשה זו נאמרה בהקהל ואמרו ג"כ כ"מ שאתה מוצא גדר ערוה א"מ קדושה.

And this is what Chazal said, that this parsha [Kedoshim] was stated at a public assembly (be-hakhel), and they also said: wherever you find a "fence against immorality (geder ervah)," there you find kedushah.

Chazal link the parsha of Kedoshim, given to the assembled nation, with the principle that guarding against immorality is precisely where holiness is found.

הכל ענין א' שע"י שבנ"י מתאספין ממילא הם עצמם גדר ערוה כמ"ש שמתי חול גבול לים ובבנ"י כתי' כחול הים שהם המפסיקין בין הקדושה להסט"א.

It is all one matter: that through Bnei Yisrael gathering together, they themselves automatically become a "fence against immorality," as it says, "I placed the sand as a boundary for the sea" (Yirmiyahu 5:22), and regarding Bnei Yisrael it is written "like the sand of the sea" (Bereishis 22:17) — for they are the partition between the kedushah and the sitra achra.

Just as sand holds back the sea, the gathered Bnei Yisrael themselves form the barrier that separates holiness from the encroaching "other side."

וכן איתא בזוה"ק בתיקונים [*בהקדמה דף י"ב].

And so it is stated in the Zohar HaKadosh in the Tikunim [in the introduction, page 12].

The Sefas Emes notes that this teaching is found in the Tikunei Zohar.

ובשבת דמתאחדין ברזא דאחד לכן סט"א מתעברת וממילא מתגלה הקדושה.

And on Shabbos, when they unite in the secret of "One" (raza de-echad), therefore the sitra achra is removed, and automatically the kedushah is revealed.

Because Shabbos draws Bnei Yisrael into unity with the divine Oneness, the "other side" is banished and holiness naturally emerges.

א"כ אות ועדות הוא כי בימי המעשה רק הסט"א מסלקת התגלות הקדושה.

If so, it is a sign and testimony that during the weekdays it is only the sitra achra that prevents the revelation of the kedushah.

Shabbos thus testifies that the holiness was always there; only the "other side" had been blocking it during the workweek.

וז"ש בפרוח רשעים כו' להשמדם כו' ואחה מרום לעולם כו' אויביך יאבדו יתפרדו כו' אח"כ ותרם כראם קרני כו'.

And this is the meaning of, "when the wicked flourish... it is so that they may be destroyed... but You are exalted forever... Your enemies shall perish, they shall be scattered... and afterward, You have raised my horn like that of a wild ox" (Tehillim 92:8-11).

The psalm describes a sequence: once the wicked (the "other side") are scattered and perish, then the "horn" of holiness is raised high.

וזה שרמזו בלשון אתה מוצא קדושה פי' שכשיש גדר ערוה נמצאת הקדושה בהתגלות מה שהי' נסתר מקודם.

And this is what they hinted at with the expression "you find kedushah" — meaning that when there is a "fence against immorality," the kedushah is found in revelation, that which was hidden before.

The very phrase "you find holiness" implies it was concealed until then; the fence against immorality is what uncovers the previously hidden kedushah.

נתת קדושה לישראל לעולם דכתיב קדושים תהיו לשון עתיד שעתידין בנ"י להיות קדושים לפנים ממה"ש כדאיתא בגמ' שיאמרו לפניהם קדוש.

"You gave holiness to Yisrael forever" — as it is written, "you shall be holy (kedoshim tihyu)" (Vayikra 19:2), in the future tense, for Bnei Yisrael are destined to be holy beyond [the level of] the ministering angels, as stated in the Gemara, that [the angels] will say "Holy!" before them.

The future-tense "you shall be holy" points to Bnei Yisrael's ultimate destiny: a holiness surpassing even the angels, who will one day proclaim "Holy!" before them.

ונמצא יש בכח ישראל גם עתה למצוא הקדושה הגנוזה בו.

And it follows that it is within the power of Yisrael, even now, to find the kedushah that is hidden within him.

Even in the present, every Jew has the ability to uncover the holiness already concealed within his soul.

ובמד' ג' קדושות מכתירין להקב"ה ונוטל א' לעצמו וב' לבנ"י ע"ש פי' כי קדושתו ית' בבחי' היה הוה ויהי'.

And in the Midrash: three "holies" crown the Holy One, Blessed is He, and He takes one for Himself and [gives] two to Bnei Yisrael — see there. The explanation is that His holiness, may He be blessed, is in the aspect of "was, is, and will be."

The threefold "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" corresponds to past, present, and future; Hashem keeps one for Himself and shares two with Bnei Yisrael.

ובהוה ויהי' יש לבנ"י חלק כנ"ל:

And in the "is" and the "will be," Bnei Yisrael have a portion, as above.

While the "was" (the transcendent past) belongs to Hashem alone, Bnei Yisrael share in the holiness of the present ("is") — accessible now — and the future ("will be") — their destined holiness beyond the angels.

Summary: The holiness Hashem implanted in the depths of every Jewish soul at "Anochi" was never erased by sin — sin only erects a partition that hides it. When the sitra achra departs, the kedushah is revealed; this is the testimony of Shabbos, when Bnei Yisrael unite in the "secret of One" and the "other side" flees. Bnei Yisrael, gathered together, themselves form the "fence" that holds back impurity, and wherever such a fence stands, hidden holiness is uncovered. Of the threefold "Kadosh," Hashem keeps the "was" but shares the "is" and "will be" with Bnei Yisrael — meaning we can find this hidden holiness even now, and are destined for a holiness surpassing the angels.