מה טובו אהליך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל. כי תכלית היראה הוא להיות בפנימיות ולא בגילוי רק דווקא בסתר, ולא כנוסח דלעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים בסתר כבגלוי, וזהו פירוש מה טובו אוהליך, פירוש כי היריעות היו לאוהל על המשכן מלמעלה, וטוב הוא להיות אוהל שלך כלומר מלמעלה בגלוי יהיה יעקב, דהוא מדרגה פשוטה, אבל משכנותיך פירוש הפנימיות יהיה ישראל דווקא, דהוא מדרגה גדולה וק"ל, אחר כתבתי זאת שמעתי ממש דברים אלו אומרים בשם החסיד ר"י בעש"ט ושמחתי על זה: (זריזותא דאברהם).
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel! (ibid. 24:5)
Fear of G‑d is greatest when it is internal, when it is concealed and inapparent. This is not like the words of the prayer: “A man should always be G‑d-fearing inwardly as he is outwardly.”7This is the text used in a number of prayer books, such as nusach Sefard, commonly used by the Chasidim, and nusach Sefardi. However, the Ashkenazi prayer book, as well as the Chabad text, merely says: “A man should always be G‑d-fearing inwardly.” This is the meaning of “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob,” which refers to the curtains that hung as a tent over the Tabernacle. It is good that your tents – your revealed side – should be Jacob, the simple level. However, “your dwellings” – that is, your internality – should be Israel, which is a lofty level.8In Midrashic and Kabbalistic texts, the name Jacob represents simplicity and the common folk, as the verse says, “And Jacob was a simple man…” (Genesis 25:27). The name Jacob is also from the word “heel” ekev, as in the verse: “and after that the second one came out, and his hand was holding the heal of Esau” (ibid. 25:26). The heel also represents the lowest levels. On the other hand, the name Israel was given to Jacob after he defeated the angel, and contains the letters li rosh – “He is a head to me.” After I wrote these words, I heard the same thing in the name of the Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, and I rejoiced. Zerizusa d’Avraham
מה טובו אהליך יעקב משכנותיך ישראל. כי תכלית היראה הוא להיות בפנימיות ולא בגילוי רק דווקא בסתר, ולא כנוסח דלעולם יהא אדם ירא שמים בסתר כבגלוי, וזהו פירוש מה טובו אוהליך, פירוש כי היריעות היו לאוהל על המשכן מלמעלה, וטוב הוא להיות אוהל שלך כלומר מלמעלה בגלוי יהיה יעקב, דהוא מדרגה פשוטה, אבל משכנותיך פירוש הפנימיות יהיה ישראל דווקא, דהוא מדרגה גדולה וק"ל, אחר כתבתי זאת שמעתי ממש דברים אלו אומרים בשם החסיד ר"י בעש"ט ושמחתי על זה:
(זריזותא דאברהם).
How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel! (ibid. 24:5) Fear of G‑d is greatest when it is internal, when it is concealed and inapparent. This is not like the words of the prayer: “A man should always be G‑d-fearing inwardly as he is outwardly.”7This is the text used in a number of prayer books, such as nusach Sefard, commonly used by the Chasidim, and nusach Sefardi. However, the Ashkenazi prayer book, as well as the Chabad text, merely says: “A man should always be G‑d-fearing inwardly.” This is the meaning of “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob,” which refers to the curtains that hung as a tent over the Tabernacle. It is good that your tents – your revealed side – should be Jacob, the simple level. However, “your dwellings” – that is, your internality – should be Israel, which is a lofty level.8In Midrashic and Kabbalistic texts, the name Jacob represents simplicity and the common folk, as the verse says, “And Jacob was a simple man…” (Genesis 25:27). The name Jacob is also from the word “heel” ekev, as in the verse: “and after that the second one came out, and his hand was holding the heal of Esau” (ibid. 25:26). The heel also represents the lowest levels. On the other hand, the name Israel was given to Jacob after he defeated the angel, and contains the letters li rosh – “He is a head to me.” After I wrote these words, I heard the same thing in the name of the Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, and I rejoiced.
Zerizusa d’Avraham