By Tzvi Freeman
In Solomon’s Temple, there were two places reserved for the Holy Ark: One in the Chamber of the Holy of Holies, and one hidden deep beneath that chamber.
There are two places to find G-d’s presence in all its glory. One is in the most holy of chambers, beyond the place of light and heavenly incense. There G-d Himself could be found by the most perfect of mortals on the most sublime day of the year.
Today, we cannot enter that place. But there is another place, beyond catacombs and convoluted mazes, deep within the bowels of the earth—and yet always accessible to those who will make the journey. There, those whose faces are charred with the ashes of failure, their hands bloody from scraping through dirt and stone, their clothes torn from falling again and again, and their hearts ripped by bitter tears—there, in that subterranean darkness, they are blinded by the light of the hidden things of G-d . . .
. . . until that Presence will shine for all of us, forever.
Our souls are in exile within our bodies. Our people is in exile within a foreign world. And so there are two things we must know: That this is not our place. And that hidden treasure lies buried here; for G-d dwells in darkness.
If we remember only that this is not our place, we may remain strong, we may even shine in the darkness. But what profit will there be from our exile? And if we remember only that treasure lies here, we will begin to believe that this is our place, and if so, of what use is the treasure?
