AND THEY MADE THE TUNICS OF FINE LINEN (shesh)… AND THE MITRE OF FINE LINEN (shesh), ETC. R. Jose, in exposition of this, cited the verse: “And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains”, etc. (Isa. 2, 2). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that “in the end of days”, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will visit the daughter of Jacob and raise her from the dust, when, further, the sun will be joined to the moon, then “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established”, to wit, Upper Jerusalem, which will be illumined by the radiation of the supernal light, which will then shine with sevenfold effulgence. So Scripture says: “Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days”, etc. (Ibid. 30, 26).
“On the top of the mountains” signifies the High Priest, who is the head of all, and symbolizes the “right side”; it is he who continuously beautifies the House, and by his benediction gives it a glad aspect. That House will thus be established and adorned by means of those robes made after the supernal pattern.
That House will thus be established and adorned by means of those robes made after the supernal pattern. The House being established by the “top of the mountains”, that is, by the High Priest, will rear itself aloft, and merge its existence in the supernal realm, so that the world will be filled with an effulgence radiating from the light supernal; and so Scripture continues, “and [it] shall be exalted above the hills”, to wit, above all the celestial hosts and legions, “and all nations shall flow into it”.
Observe this. When the priest here below spreads out his hands [to bless the people], a celestial light first emerges, then all the lamps are kindled, their lights radiating into each other and fusing into each other until the face of the Community of Israel is irradiated. All this comes to pass through the agency of the primordial light, which is the “High Priest”. And the activity of the priest here below awakens a corresponding activity in the Priest on high.
Thus “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains… and all the nations shall flow unto it”. For, whereas now all the other nations have Chieftains in heaven to rule them, at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove those Chieftains and depose them from their sovereignty, as we read, “the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high” (Ibid. 24, 21). And when all these are removed the Holy One alone, blessed be He, shall be acknowledged mighty, as Scripture says: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Ibid. 2, 11). And so the former passage continues: “And many peoples shall go and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob” (Ibid. 3).
All this will come to pass when the High Priest, the “top of the mountains”, shall illumine her, by the mystery of the number six (shesh), signifying the six directions of the world.’
(שמות ל״ט:כ״ח) וַיַּעֲשׂוּ אֶת הַכָּתְנוֹת שֵׁשׁ וְגוֹ' וְאֵת הַמִּצְנֶפֶת שֵׁשׁ וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח, (ישעיהו ב׳:ב׳) וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית יְיָ' בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְגוֹ'. וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, כַּד יִפְקוֹד לָהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לִבְרָתָא דְּיַעֲקֹב, וְיוֹקִים לָהּ מֵעַפְרָא, וְיִתְחַבָּר שִׁמְשָׁא בְּסִיהֲרָא, כְּדֵין נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית יְיָ', דָּא יְרוּשָׁלַ ם לְעֵילָּא, דִּתְּהֵא מִתְתַּקְּנָא בְּתִקּוּנָהָא לְאִתְנַהֲרָא בִּנְהוֹרָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, דְּכָל נְהוֹרָהָא לָאו אִיהוּ מִתְתַּקְּנָא, אֶלָּא בִּנְהוֹרָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא יִתְנְהִיר עָלָה נְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה, עַל חַד שִׁבְעָה מִמַּה דַּהֲוָת מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו ל׳:כ״ו) וְהָיָה אוֹר הַלְּבָנָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה וְאוֹר הַחַמָּה יִהְיֶה שִׁבְעָתַיִם וְגוֹ'.
AND THEY MADE THE TUNICS OF FINE LINEN (shesh)… AND THE MITRE OF FINE LINEN (shesh), ETC. R. Jose, in exposition of this, cited the verse: “And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains”, etc. (Isa. 2, 2). ‘That means’, he said, ‘that “in the end of days”, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will visit the daughter of Jacob and raise her from the dust, when, further, the sun will be joined to the moon, then “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established”, to wit, Upper Jerusalem, which will be illumined by the radiation of the supernal light, which will then shine with sevenfold effulgence. So Scripture says: “Moreover, the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of the seven days”, etc. (Ibid. 30, 26).
בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים. בְּרָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. מַאי בְּרֹאשׁ אֶלָּא נְהוֹרָא דָּא דִּיְהֵא לָהּ בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים אִיהוּ. וּמַאן אִיהוּ רֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים. דָּא כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא. דְּאִיהוּ רֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים. רֵישָׁא דְּכֹלָּא סְטָר יְמִינָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ דִּמְתַקֵּן לְבֵיתָא תָּדִיר, וּמְבָרֵךְ לָהּ לְאַנְהָרָא אַנְפָּהָא. וְעַל דָּא, יִהְיֶה נָכוֹן.
“On the top of the mountains” signifies the High Priest, who is the head of all, and symbolizes the “right side”; it is he who continuously beautifies the House, and by his benediction gives it a glad aspect. That House will thus be established and adorned by means of those robes made after the supernal pattern.
וּבְמָּה יְתַקֵּן לָהּ. בְּאִינּוּן לְבוּשִׁין דְּאִינּוּן כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ. וְאִינּוּן לְבוּשִׁין כֻּלְּהוּ קַיְימָן בְּרָזָא דְּשִׁית. וְהַאי בֵּיתָא כַּד יְהֵא מִתְתַּקָּן בְּהַאי רֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים, דְּאִיהוּ כַּהֲנָא רַבָּא, כְּדֵין אִתְקָשַּׁר וְאִסְתַּלָּק לְעֵילָּא בְּקִיּוּמָא עִלָּאָה, וְיִתְנְהִיר עָלְמָא מֵהַהוּא נְהִירוּ עִלָּאָה, (כדין) וְדָא הוּא וְנִשָּׂא מִגְּבָעוֹת, מִכָּל שְׁאַר חֵילִין וּמַשִׁרְיָין עִלָּאִין, וּכְדֵין וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל הַגּוֹיִם.
That House will thus be established and adorned by means of those robes made after the supernal pattern. The House being established by the “top of the mountains”, that is, by the High Priest, will rear itself aloft, and merge its existence in the supernal realm, so that the world will be filled with an effulgence radiating from the light supernal; and so Scripture continues, “and [it] shall be exalted above the hills”, to wit, above all the celestial hosts and legions, “and all nations shall flow into it”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּכַהֲנָא דִּלְתַתָּא פָּרִישׂ יְדוֹי, כְּדֵין רוּחָא עִלָּאָה אַנְהִיר, וְנָפִיק, וְכָל בּוּצִינִין נָהֲרִין, וּנְהוֹרִין אִתְמַשְּׁכָאן וְאִתְנַהֲרָן וְאִתְקַשְּׁרָן אִלֵּין בְּאִלֵּין, עַד דְּיִתְנְהִירוּ אַנְפָּהָא דִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכֹלָּא עַל יְדָא דִּנְהוֹרָא קַדְמָאָה דְּאִיהוּ כַּהֲנָא. וְכַד כַּהֲנָא אַתְעַר לְתַתָּא, כַּהֲנָא אִתְּעַר לְעֵילָּא. וּבְעוֹבָדִין דִּלְתַתָּא, אַתְעַר אִתְּעָרוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא.
Observe this. When the priest here below spreads out his hands [to bless the people], a celestial light first emerges, then all the lamps are kindled, their lights radiating into each other and fusing into each other until the face of the Community of Israel is irradiated. All this comes to pass through the agency of the primordial light, which is the “High Priest”. And the activity of the priest here below awakens a corresponding activity in the Priest on high.
וְעַל דָּא נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית יְיָ' בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים וְגוֹ', וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל הַגּוֹיִם. בְּגִין דְּהַשְׁתָּא, כָּל שְׁאַר עַמִּין, אִית לוֹן מְמָנָן בִּרְקִיעָא עָלַיְיהוּ. וּבְהַהוּא זִמְנָא, יְבָעֵר לוֹן, וְיַפִּיל לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשּׁוּלְטָנִיהוֹן, דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו כ״ד:כ״א) יִפְקוֹד יְיָ' עַל צְבָא הַמָּרוֹם בַּמָּרוֹם, וְכֵיוָן דְּכֻלְּהוּ יִתְעַבְּרוּן מִשּׁוּלְטָנֵיהוֹן, כְּדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יִתְתָּקַף בִּלְחוֹדֵיהּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (ישעיהו ב׳:ב׳) וְנִשְׂגַּב יְיָ' לְבַדּוֹ בַּיוֹם הַהוּא, וּכְדֵין וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו כָּל הַגּוֹיִם. וְהֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל הַר יְיָ' אֶל בֵּית אֱלהֵי יַעֲקֹב וְגוֹ'.
Thus “the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains… and all the nations shall flow unto it”. For, whereas now all the other nations have Chieftains in heaven to rule them, at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove those Chieftains and depose them from their sovereignty, as we read, “the Lord will punish the host of the high heaven on high” (Ibid. 24, 21). And when all these are removed the Holy One alone, blessed be He, shall be acknowledged mighty, as Scripture says: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day” (Ibid. 2, 11). And so the former passage continues: “And many peoples shall go and say: Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob” (Ibid. 3).
וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּכַהֲנָא, דְּאִיהוּ רֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים יַנְהִיר לָהּ, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא דְּשֵׁשׁ, שִׁית אִינּוּן בְּכָל סִטְרִין דְּיַנְהִיר לָהּ, דְּהָא בְּרָזָא דְּשִׁית יַנְהִיר לָהּ.
All this will come to pass when the High Priest, the “top of the mountains”, shall illumine her, by the mystery of the number six (shesh), signifying the six directions of the world.’