The Narrow Side Door: Pressing into Holiness
Why set the ark’s door in its side? Rashi says the three stories were for people, for dwelling and for refuse; what could refuse have to do with a person’s service? And what does a saying about Hashem as one who “lets things pass” teach about the way into holiness?
Name a tzaddik: tap for who he wasTitle a sefer
Bereishis 6:16
צֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה וְאֶל־אַמָּה תְּכַלֶנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה וּפֶתַח הַתֵּבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים תַּחְתִּיִּם שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִשִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂהָ
Make a light for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; set the door of the ark in its side; lower, second and third stories you shall make it.
24aOr we may read “And set the door of the ark in its side” as the way into holiness. Here the Torah teaches us what matters most in beginning to come into holiness and in holding on to it. Even when it seems very hard to a person, he should still press himself, even against his will, until Heaven has compassion on him. It is like what I have said before on the saying “Whoever says the Holy One, blessed be He, is a vatran, one who lets things pass, his innards will be let go.”1 I explained it this way: one who wants Hashem to be a vatran toward him, letting his sins and transgressions pass, must himself yevater me'ohi, let go of his innards. He must not fill his belly with eating and drinking and the pleasures of this world beyond what he needs to live; it is as though he lets his innards go, paying them no attention and afflicting them in every way he can.
אוֹ יֹאמַר "וּפֶתַח הַתֵּיבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים", ר"ל שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה מְלַמֶּדֶת אוֹתָנוּ הָעִיקָּר הַתְחָלַת וְהַחִיזּוּק לָבוֹא בִּקְדוּשָּׁה, וְגַם שֶׁנִּרְאֶה לְאָדָם קָשֶׁה מְאֹד, אעפ"כ יִדְחוֹק עַצְמוֹ בְּעַל כָּרְחוֹ עַד שֶׁמִּן הַשָּׁמַיִם יְרַחֲמוּהוּ, ע"ד שֶׁאָמַרְתִּי כְּבָר "כָּל הָאוֹמֵר הקב"ה וַותְּרָן יְוַתֵּר מְעוֹהִי", וּפֵירַשְׁתִּי כָּךְ, הָרוֹצֶה שֶׁיִּוָּותֵר לוֹ השי"ת עֲווֹנוֹתָיו וַחֲטָאָיו, יְוַתֵּר מְעוֹהִי, ר"ל צָרִיךְ לְוַותֵּר אֶת מֵעָיו, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁלֹּא לְמַלְּאוֹת כְּרֵיסוֹ בַּאֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְתַעֲנוּגֵי עוה"ז רַק כְּדֵי חַיּוּתוֹ, וְהַיְינוּ כְּאִילּוּ מְוַותֵּר הַמֵּעַיִים שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ עֲלֵיהֶם וּמְסַגֵּף אוֹתָם בְּכָל מַה דְּאֶפְשָׁר.
- Bereishis Rabbah 67:4 and Yerushalmi Shekalim 5:1, R' Chanina's saying: “Whoever says the Holy One, blessed be He, is a vatran, his innards will be let go; rather, He is slow to anger, and collects what is His.” Bava Kamma 50a has “his life will be let go.” ↩
In shortOne who wants Hashem to let his sins pass must himself let go of his innards, taking from food and pleasure only what he needs to live.
24bAnd the Gemara asks why the leg of the hei hangs, and answers that it is so that whoever wants to enter by this opening may enter.2 That is, the ba'al teshuvah must press himself through a small opening until Heaven widens it for him. This is “the door of the ark”: the door of hisbodedus, going apart to be alone with Hashem. “Set it in its side”: enter through a small, narrow door, and strengthen yourself more each time, until you have repaired yourself in all three worlds a person must repair, the lowly world, the world of the spheres and the world of the angels. That is “lower, second and third stories you shall make it.” This is easy to understand.
וְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא לָמָּה 'כַּרְעָא דְּהֵא תָּלוּי' מַאן דְּבָעֵי לִיעוֹל בְּהַאי לִיעוֹל, דְּהַיְינוּ בְּפֶתַח קָטָן צָרִיךְ הַבַּעַל תְּשׁוּבָה לִדְחוֹק עַצְמוֹ עַד שֶׁמִּן הַשָּׁמַיִם יַרְחִיב לוֹ, וְזֶהוּ "וּפֶתַח הַתֵּיבָה", הַיְינוּ הַפֶּתַח שֶׁל הִתְבּוֹדְדוּת, "בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים", דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס בְּפֶתַח קָטָן וְדָחוּק וְהִתְחַזֵּק עַצְמְךָ בְּכָל פַּעַם יוֹתֵר עַד שֶׁתְּתַקֵּן עַצְמְךָ בְּכָל שָׁלֹשׁ הָעוֹלָמוֹת שֶׁצָּרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְתַקֵּן, דְּהַיְינוּ עוֹלָם הַשָּׁפֵל וְעוֹלָם הַגַּלְגַּלִּים וְעוֹלָם הַמַּלְאָכִים, וְזֶהוּ "תַּחְתִּים שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִישִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂיהָ". וק"ל.
- Menachos 29b: the hei is open below, “so that whoever wants to leave may leave. Why does its leg hang? So that if he returns in teshuvah, he is brought in.” The Gemara asks why he is not brought back in through the wide opening below, and answers, “It would not succeed,” for, as Reish Lakish says there, one who comes to purify himself is given help. ↩
In shortThe ba'al teshuvah presses through the narrow side door of hisbodedus, gaining strength each time, until Heaven widens the way and all three worlds are repaired.
25“Lower, second and third stories you shall make it”: explains, “The upper for people, the middle for dwelling, the lower for refuse.”3 We may explain it this way. The tzaddik's main task in his service is to repair three worlds, and they are hinted at in the human body. A person's head is a throne and a chariot [for the Shechinah]. This is the verse “I saw the likeness of the appearance of a man sitting on a throne”:4 “on a throne” means together with the throne, for the likeness of the appearance of a man is the complete tzaddik, who is himself a throne and a chariot, like the Throne above. Understand this. This is “the upper for people”: that he be a chariot and a throne. “The middle for dwelling and the lower for refuse”: a person must conduct himself in his eating with at least the intention of bringing out the holy sparks inside the food, the fragments of holiness scattered in the world, and of pushing away the waste. This is what “second” hints at: the middle of the body, which takes in the food to bring out the holy sparks. “And the lower for refuse”: to intend to push away the waste.
"תַּחְתִּים שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִישִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂיהָ", פֵּירֵשׁ רש"י ז"ל "עֶלְיוֹנִים לָאָדָם אֶמְצָעִים לְמָדוֹר תַּחְתִּים לְזֶבֶל". יֵשׁ לוֹמַר הַפֵּירוּשׁ כָּךְ, דְּעִיקָּר צָרִיךְ הַצַּדִּיק לְתַקֵּן בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ עוֹלָמוֹת, וְהֵם מְרוּמָּזִים בְּגוּף הָאָדָם, דְּהַיְינוּ רֹאשׁ הָאָדָם הוּא כִּסֵּא וּמֶרְכָּבָה, וְזֶהוּ "וְאֶרְאֶה דְּמוּת כְּמַרְאֵה אָדָם יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא", ר"ל עִם הַכִּסֵּא, דְּהַיְינוּ דְּמוּת מַרְאֵה אָדָם כּוּ׳ שֶׁהוּא הַצַּדִּיק גָּמוּר שֶׁהוּא כִּסֵּא וּמֶרְכָּבָה כְּמוֹ כִּסֵּא הָעֶלְיוֹן, וְהָבֵן, וְזֶהוּ "עֶלְיוֹנִים לָאָדָם" כנ"ל שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מֶרְכָּבָה וְכִסֵּא, "אֶמְצָעִים לְמָדוֹר וְתַחְתִּים לְזֶבֶל", שֶׁצָּרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְנַהֵג בַּאֲכִילָתוֹ בְּכַוָּונָה עכ"פ לְהוֹצִיא הַנִּיצוֹצוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הַמַּאֲכָל וְלִדְחוֹת הַפְּסוֹלֶת, וְזֶהוּ רֶמֶז "שְׁנִיִּם", דְּהַיְינוּ אֶמְצַע גּוּף, לְקַבֵּל הַמַּאֲכָל לְהוֹצִיא הנ"ק, "וְתַחְתִּים לְזֶבֶל", לְכַוֵּוין לִדְחוֹת אֶת הַפְּסוֹלֶת.
- Rashi on Bereishis 6:16. ↩
- The words are close to Yechezkel 1:26: “and upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man upon it, above.” “I saw … sitting on a throne” is the wording of Yeshayahu 6:1. ↩
In shortRashi's three stories are three worlds in the body: the head a throne and chariot, the middle drawing the holy sparks from food, the lowest pushing away its waste.
R’ Elimelech reads the door “in its side” as the way into holiness. The beginning is hard, and a person must press himself, even against his will, until Heaven has compassion on him. One who wants Hashem to let his sins pass must himself let go of his innards, taking from food and pleasure only what he needs to live. The hanging leg of the hei leaves only a small opening at its side: the ba’al teshuvah presses through that narrow door, the door of hisbodedus, gaining strength each time until Heaven widens it, and repairs himself in three worlds. Rashi’s three stories are those worlds in the body: the head a throne and chariot, the middle drawing the holy sparks from food, the lowest pushing away its waste.
Takeaway
The way into holiness is narrow, and R' Elimelech asks us to press through it anyway, taking from food and drink only what we need to live, until Heaven widens the door. Then even eating becomes service, bringing out the holy sparks in our food and pushing away the waste.
Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. His yahrzeit and life ›
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