There are various degrees of faith. There is faith that is only in the heart. Yet ideally a person’s faith should be so extensive that it spreads to all the limbs.
As is brought in the writings of the Ari, when washing one’s hands, one has to raise them opposite one’s head in order to receive holiness. From this we see that one must have faith in the hands—believing that lifting his hands to the level of the head incurs holiness.
For without faith, it is nothing, as it is written (Psalms 119:86), “All Your mitzvot are faith.” But when a person has such faith, he proceeds from faith to the intelligence <within that thing>. And the more he strengthens his faith, the more intelligence he attains. That thing which initially required his relying on faith, now that he has attained greater faith, he understands that first thing rationally.
until the coming of the sun—This alludes to the intelligence within the thing, for the sun corresponds to wisdom, as is brought here in our works (above, in Lesson #1) .
וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ (שמות י״ז:י״ב):
“His hands were faith until the coming of the sun.” (Exodus 17:12)
כִּי יֵשׁ כַּמָּה מִינֵי אֱמוּנָה. יֵשׁ אֱמוּנָה, שֶׁהוּא רַק בַּלֵּב. וְהָעִקָּר שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לִהְיוֹת לָאָדָם אֱמוּנָה כָּל־כָּךְ, עַד שֶׁיִּתְפַּשֵּׁט בְּכָל הָאֵיבָרִים.
There are various degrees of faith. There is faith that is only in the heart. Yet ideally a person’s faith should be so extensive that it spreads to all the limbs.
כְּמוֹ שֶׁמּוּבָא בְּכִתְבֵי הָאֲרִ"י, שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהַגְבִּיהַּ יָדָיו בִּשְׁעַת נְטִילָה נֶגֶד הָרֹאשׁ, כְּדֵי לְקַבֵּל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה. נִמְצָא שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לָזֶה אֱמוּנָה בְּהַיָּדַיִם, לְהַאֲמִין שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת שֶׁמַּגְבִּיהַּ יָדָיו כְּנֶגֶד הָרֹאשׁ מְקַבֵּל הַקְּדֻשָּׁה,
As is brought in the writings of the Ari, when washing one’s hands, one has to raise them opposite one’s head in order to receive holiness. From this we see that one must have faith in the hands—believing that lifting his hands to the level of the head incurs holiness.
כִּי בְּלֹא אֱמוּנָה אֵינוֹ כְּלוּם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (תהילים קי״ט:פ״ו): כָּל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמוּנָה. וּכְשֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ אֱמוּנָה כָּזוֹ, בָּא מִן הָאֱמוּנָה אֶל הַשֵּׂכֶל, וְכָל מַה שֶּׁמַּחֲזִיק אֶת עַצְמוֹ בֶּאֱמוּנָה, בָּא אֶל שֵׂכֶל יוֹתֵר. כִּי הַדָּבָר שֶׁהָיָה צָרִיךְ מִתְּחִלָּה לְהַאֲמִין, עַכְשָׁו כְּשֶׁבָּא אֶל אֱמוּנָה יוֹתֵר גְּדוֹלָה, מֵבִין הַדָּבָר הָרִאשׁוֹן בַּשֵּׂכֶל.
For without faith, it is nothing, as it is written (Psalms 119:86), “All Your mitzvot are faith.” But when a person has such faith, he proceeds from faith to the intelligence <within that thing>. And the more he strengthens his faith, the more intelligence he attains. That thing which initially required his relying on faith, now that he has attained greater faith, he understands that first thing rationally.
וְזֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּמשֶׁה:
This is the meaning of what is written of Moshe:
וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה – שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ אֱמוּנָה כָּל כָּךְ גְּדוֹלָה, עַד שֶׁנִּתְפַּשֵּׁט בְּכָל הָאֵיבָרִים, שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בְּיָדָיו הָיָה הָאֱמוּנָה כָּל כָּךְ גְּדוֹלָה,
His hands were faith—He had such extensive faith that it spread to all the limbs. Even his hands contained such an abundance of faith.
עַד בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ – הַיְנוּ לְהַשֵּׂכֶל שֶׁל הַדָּבָר, וְשֶׁמֶשׁ הוּא בְּחִינַת חָכְמָה, כַּמּוּבָא אֶצְלֵנוּ (לעיל בסימן א):
until the coming of the sun—This alludes to the intelligence within the thing, for the sun corresponds to wisdom, as is brought here in our works (above, in Lesson #1) .