In this week’s parsha, parshas Ki Savo, it gives me immense pleasure to focus on the passuk (Devarim 28, 10): וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה' נקרא עליך ויראו ממך—"and all the nations of the land shall see that the name of Hashem is called upon you, and they will fear you." They expounded in the Gemara (Berachos 8a): רבי אליעזר הגדול אומר אלו תפילין שבראש—Rabbi Eliezer the Great said: This refers to the tefillin worn on the head. The question is why do the people of the other nations fear the tefillin shel rosh specifically. Additionally, where does this passuk allude to the tefillin shel rosh? We are familiar, however, with the comment of the Ba’al HaTurim that the first letters of the words שם ה' נקרא spell שי"ן, referring to the tefillin shel rosh. We will try to make sense of these enigmatic statements.
We will begin to shed some light on the subject by referring to a passuk in Iyov (28, 10): וכל יקר ראתה עינו—"and His eye saw all precious things." They expounded on this passuk in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 19, 6): Things that were not revealed to Moshe Rabeinu were revealed to Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. “And His eye saw all precious things” refers to Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. An explanation is provided by the Chida in Dvash L’Fee (40, 15) in the name of the kabbalists. The explanation is based on a statement in the Gemara (Nedarim 38a): חמישים שערי בינה נבראו בעולם, ותחסרהו מעט מאלקים. וכולם נתנו למשה חסר אחת, שנאמר—Fifty gates (levels) of binah were created in the world, and they were all given to Moshe except for one, as it states (Tehillim 8, 6): “You have made him slightly less than divine.” This passuk suggests that Moshe Rabeinu attained only forty-nine levels of binah. We are taught, however, that Rabbi Akiva was privileged to attain even the fiftieth level of binah.
Accordingly, the Chida explains the Midrash above: וכל יקר ראתה עינו refers to Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. The gematria of the word כל is fifty, alluding to the Sha’ar HaNun—the fiftieth level of binah. Thus, the passuk states that the eye of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues beheld this exclusive, esoteric level that was not granted to Moshe Rabeinu, who only attained forty-nine levels of binah.
