The Serpent's Bite at the Completion of the Commandment
In this second reading, we learn of the final actions prescribed by God for the eighth day of inauguration of the Tabernacle and the ordination of the Priests. At the end of it all, the purpose is achieved, “And the glory of God appeared to all the people.”
Indeed, there is a gap between the completing a task and fulfilling its purpose. As the Sages explain, not everything went smoothly.
The time when a task reaches its completion is a time of struggle and requires overcoming. The reason for this is that the individual who has reached the end of the task feels good about having fulfilled his obligation, this feeling of self-satisfaction is to create a crisis. The Baal Shem Tov taught that the serpent strikes a person on his heel, symbolizing the termination of a good deed, as it says with respect to the curse given the snake in the Garden of Eden, “And you shall strike his [man’s] heel” (וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב).
When we are able to handle ourselves properly, we are required to overcome the snake at we near the completion of a positive deed. Overcoming the snake means minimizing the feelings of self-satisfaction we might receive from having successfully performed the deed. When self-satisfaction is put in check, the true purpose of performing a good deed—to reveal God’s glory—can be attained. If we cannot control our feelings of self-satisfaction, then it is the snake that has bitten us causing us to be filled with satisfaction upon successfully completing the action.
Self-satisfaction originates from the attribute of might, which already at the beginning of Creation, served to conceal God’s omnipresence, making space for human existence. As such, it severs the individual’s existence from God’s absolute existence, making him or her feel like an entity separate from God. Thus, when we are filled with self-satisfaction at the completion of our task, we prevent the true purpose of every good deed—revealing the Divine—from being fulfilled.
How to Beat the Snake with a Broken Heart
When it came to the inauguration of the Tabernacle, at the conclusion of all the actions, a crisis occurred before the purpose of “And the glory of God appeared to all the people” could be realized.
When Aaron saw that all the offerings had been made and all the actions had been completed, yet the Shechinah (Divine Presence) had not descended upon Israel, he was distressed and said, “I know that the Holy Blessed One is angry with me, and because of me, the Shechinah has not descended upon Israel.” He said to Moses, “Moses, my brother, is this what you have done to me, that I entered and was ashamed?” Immediately, Moses entered with him, they prayed for God’s mercy, and the Shechinah descended upon Israel.
As the bridal escort, Aaron’s feelings reflected the sentiment of the entire people before the events of the day. As the sages relate,
Because for all the seven days of inauguration, during which Moses assembled the Tabernacle daily, served in it, and disassembled it, the Shechinah did not rest upon it. The Israelites were embarrassed and said to Moses, “Moses our teacher, all the effort we have invested was so that the Shechinah might dwell among us and we would know that we have been forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf.”
Following the people’s words to Moses and their anticipation for the Divine Presence to dwell among them, on the eighth day, it was emphasized that “Aaron had entered [the Tabernacle] entered according to God’s direct command,” and that his stature was higher than that of Moses:
Hence, he said, “This is the thing that God has commanded that you should do, and the glory of God shall appear unto you.” Aaron, my brother, is more worthy and esteemed than me, for through his offerings and his service, the Shechinah will dwell among you, and you will know that God has chosen him.
Thus, it is emphasized here that each of the partners in the Tabernacle—the people, Moses, and Aaron—must all reach a feeling of a broken heart and recognize their own deficiency upon the completion of their task, to be saved from the bite of the snake, the bite of self-satisfaction at the end of every deed.
The Root of the Blessing
After completing all the actions, Aaron blessed the people with the Priestly Blessing, a blessing of kindness (which represents an expansion and extension of Divine energy in the world), yet the Shechinah was still not revealed. Only after Aaron reached a state of a broken heart, feeling that his service did not bring about the revelation of the Shechinah, and sought mercy with Moses his brother, did the Shechinah rest upon their accomplishments. The root of the shared blessing that Moses and Aaron bestowed upon the people ascends above loving-kindness (chesed), to understanding (binah), which is the root of might (gevurah). “They [Moses and Aaron] said, ‘Let the favor of Havayah our God be upon us’—may He the Divine Presence lie in your handiwork” (it is known that “favor” [עַםֹנ] is associated with the sefirah of understanding).
According to another interpretation, Moses entered with Aaron to teach him about the act of burning the incense, which also involves an aspect of judgment and destruction, as is revealed later.
(from Amudeha Shivah, Vayikra, pp. 57-58)
