And
when the camp journeys on, Aaron and his sons shall come and take down
the dividing curtain [of the Sanctuary] and cover the Ark of Testimony with it. They shall place upon it a covering of
tachash hide, and spread over it a garment wholly of blue-wool (4:5-6)
Like the Ark, the soul of man is encased within three coverings: 1)
it is overlaid with a selfish and materialistic character (what Chassidism
calls "the animal soul"); 2) it is imbedded within a physical body; 3)
it is placed in a physical world which obscures and distorts the Divine
reality.
As long as the Ark stood in its place in the Holy of Holies, it had
no need for coverings. But when the time came for it to journey on, G-d
commanded that it be "swallowed up" by its three-fold vestment. The same
applies to the soul. A "spark of G-dliness," the soul is perfect and
complete unto itself. But to journey on--to advance further in the
infinite journey toward union with its Infinite Source--it must undergo
on a "descent for the sake of ascent." It must be subjected to the
three-fold concealment of human nature, physicality and worldliness, to
discover, in the lowliest reaches of creation, the key for even greater
connection with G-d.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
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