ר' שמשון רפאל הירש - 3:5 “ויאמר אל תקרב הלם של נעליך מעל רגליך כי המקום אשר אתה עומד עליו אדמת קודש הוא” – “He said: Do not come closer to here, take off your shoes from your feet, for the place upon which you stand is holy ground.” It is a place that has been chosen by Hashem for the redemption and election of one particular people, so as to bring, through those people, redemption to all of mankind. “Instead of trying to understand a phenomenon that is beyond your capacity, contemplate the lofty destiny of the ground upon which you are already standing and devote yourself to it with all of your heart.” Removal of one’s shoes express total commitment to the significance of a given place. The act implies that one intends to base one’s personality, and derive one’s standing from, that place alone. Similarly, the Kohanim in the Mikdash were obligated to serve barefoot. Nothing was allowed to make a Chatzitzah, to intervene, between their feet and the ground, or between their hands and the vessels with which they were serving, or between their bodies and the priestly garments. The Mikdash is not an outwardly impressive, gaudy display. The impression it makes is an inner impression on the personality. If one wishes to act in the service of the Mikdash, one must attach himself to it, and be sanctified by it. The Gemara in Zevachim 24a says that the, “רצפת קודש” – the holy ground sanctifies the Kohen.
