10. Job 28:10
He penetrates the rocks for the waters, and all of the glory his eyes beheld.
Yalkut Shimoni Isaiah 42, 452
“And all of G‐d’s glory, his eye witnessed,” this is R. Akiva. Revelations withheld from Moshe at Sinai, were revealed to R. Akiva and his colleagues...
11. Babylonian Talmud Megillah 16b
“The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour.” Rav Judah said: ‘Light’ means the Torah... ‘Gladness’ means a holiday... ‘Joy’ means circumcision... ‘Honor’ means the tefillin.
12. Deep Insights from Aderes Eliyahu and Other Sources
R. Akiva... did not merit to see the face, only the back, as it says, “You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.” This refers to the knot of the tefillin, as explained in Berachos. According to the words of the Zohar, he merited the hand tefillin, but not the head tefillin. The glory that his eyes saw refers to the letters of the tefillin... When Moshe forgot the hooks of the pillars and could not recall the accounting, his soul returned to him until he could focus on the calculation, which is the soul of Rabbi Akiva... This is hinted at in the verse, “You shall see My back,” at the time the Mishkan was erected, the soul of Rabbi Akiva... This is what is meant by, “You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness,” that all the etin in the Torah were not revealed to Moshe, but to Rabbi Akiva and his students.
Sources:
- Aderes Eliyahu (R. Moshe Shapira), Ophan 73, 88, 288, 308
- Torat Moshe (Chatam Sofer), Parshat Pekudei
- Emunat Itecha (R. Moshe Wolfson), Parshat Pekudei
- Reshimos (Lubavitcher Rebbe), Booklet 116
