Page 25 - HaMizrachiChayei Sarah AUS 2020

RAV KOOK’S TEACHINGS THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND
THE PEOPLE AND THE LAND

Rabbi Chanan Morrison

Burial in the Double Cave

ccording to tradition, Sarah was by its proclivities and desires. It is body is repaired through burial, as it
not the first person to be buried an immutable guide to the path of returns to its original elements.
Ain Ma’arat HaMachpelah in integrity and holiness. Certainly the What does this have to do with
Chevron. Already buried there were powers of the human mind can never Ma’arat HaMachpelah? Burial in the
Adam and Eve. Subsequently three provide for the same level of sanctity double cave is a metaphor for the two
more couples joined them: Avraham as can be attained through the G-d- methods by which the body is refined
and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivka, Ya’akov given instructions of the Torah and its and elevated.
and Leah. mitzvot. The first method, utilizing human
Why was this burial cave called Yet, the path of the human intel- intelligence and reason, is exemplified
“Machpelah”? Machpelah means lect retains a special advantage. The by Adam and Eve. The first man and
“doubled.” The Sages (Eruvin 53a) observance of mitzvot, while very woman were created with the highest
explained that it is a double cave, lofty, has no direct influence on the level of pristine talents and powers.
containing two rooms or two floors. body itself. The body is still attracted With their robust mental faculties,
The Talmud tells of one scholar who to physical desires, and remains at they embodied the use of native
risked entering the cave. He found the odds with the Torah’s spiritual goals. intellect and reasoning for spiritual
Avot (the Patriarchs and Matriarchs) advancement.
in one room, and Adam and Eve in Optimally, the two methods should On the other hand, the Patriarchs
the second. be combined. If our performance of
mitzvot can awaken our hearts and and Matriarchs were the origin of the
What is the significance of Ma’arat inspire our minds, a harmony is estab- Jewish people, paving the way for the
HaMachpelah having two rooms? Torah’s revelation at Sinai. They rep-
And what is the function of burial in lished between our physical actions resent the second spiritual guide, that
general? and our inner awareness. Since our of the Torah.
mental faculties are part of our basic
There are two paths of spiritual nature, when the mind connects The double burial cave of Machpelah
growth and enlightenment, each with with the Torah, the physical side also combined these two paths. One room
its own advantages. The first path becomes integrated with the precepts. contained Adam and Eve, the pinna-
utilizes our natural faculties of rea- This refinement of the body could cle of natural intellectual capability.
soning and analysis. When function- The second room hosted the Avot, the
ing properly, our powers of intellect not have occurred without combining progenitors of the Torah. The name
can achieve wonderful results. They the Torah with our natural powers of of the city, Chevron, comes from the
enable us to acquire precious charac- intellect and reason. word chibur (“connection”), hinting at
ter traits, and serve G-d through an After the sin of Adam, death was the fusion of both paths to elevate the
inner awareness. decreed upon humanity. This was not Jew.
However, the mind is bound and an arbitrary punishment. The pur- Adapted from Gold from the Land of Israel,
influenced by the body. When the pose of death is to separate body and pp. 53-55. Originally adapted from Midbar
body is swept away by cravings for soul, enabling both to be repaired and Shur.
physical pleasures, the mind also loses refined. The soul, unburdened with
its direction. These physical desires the body’s physical desires, is mended
can distort our perceptions and warp and refined in the World of Souls.
our reasoning, and we are left without The body also requires spiritual cor-
guidance to enlightened living. rection. It too was formed in G-d’s
Therefore, G-d created a second image and has tremendous spiritual
means for spiritual progress: the power when it complements the holi-
Torah. The Torah is independent ness of the soul. While the soul is Rabbi Chanan Morrison is the author of
of the physical body, unaffected corrected in the World of Souls, the several books on Rav Kook’s writings.

Background illustration of Rav Kook courtesy of www.gedolimcanvas.com | 25