“Thus
said the
Lord:
'The
heavens are My throne and
the earth My footstool. Where is this, the house that ye build for
Me? And where is this, the place [of]
My rest?”
(Isaiah
66:1)
God
ask us about our bond and connection with Him, which are the
foundation of our Jewish identity. The heavens represent a dimension
that is beyond human understanding, for from there the Creator
directs all that we perceive through our senses and conscience. The
material creation is ruled by a force that transcends its limitations
by time, space and vital essence. This force emanates from the
Creator, and we call it here His Love. Thus we understand that the
material world is His footstool, the latter as the “place” under
His rule.
The
Jewish people are God's messengers to make His will in the Torah
prevail as He commands it. Hence He asks for our Covenant with Him
that rests in the inner chamber of the place we build for Him, that
represents the awareness of our permanent connection with Him. This
question is about us, our Jewish identity, and the reason and purpose
of our lives in world.
God
asks us to return to Him, to reestablish and implement goodness as
our common bond with Him. He asks us to fulfill the destiny the Torah
commands us to be, have and manifest, for that is the place of His
“rest”. Here we also see another clear reference --also beyond
our comprehension-- to the Sabbath as a fundamental principle of the
connection of Israel with God.
The
answer to God's question-request is to return to His ways and
attributes as our essence and identity, for by doing this we do His
will. Hence the building of the Temple of Jerusalem is the material
manifestation of our willingness and determination to fulfill His
promised Final Redemption, and
the advent of the Messianic era.
“And
all these My hand has
made, and
all these things are, an
affirmation of the
Lord!
And unto this one I look attentively, unto
the humble and bruised in spirit, and
who is trembling at My word.”
(66:2)
The
Creator reminds us that all that exists is the works of His will,
including His Redemption as His greatest gift for eternity. For this
we have to rid ourselves from the fantasies and illusions we create
out of ego's beliefs and feelings of lack that lead us to
haughtiness, anger, envy, lust, coveting, indifference and indolence.
In
order to permanently dwell in the realm of Love's ways and attributes
that characterize the Messianic era, we must empty the vessels of our
discernment, mind, feelings and emotions, from negative traits and
trends, and turn them into vessels of humbleness.
Only
then we can fill them with Love's ways and attributes, for these only
dwell in the vessels of humbleness and in the reverence we owe to our
Creator. Again
let king David remind us about this.
“The
boastful
do not
stand themselves
before Your
eyes.
You hate all workers of iniquity.”
“(...)
Because
the wicked boasts
of
the desire of his soul, he
blesses the covetous and despise the Lord.”
(Psalms
5:5,
10:3)
The
bruises of our heart and soul are the negative traits and trends we
inflict in our consciousness, and in our pain and suffering we atone
to finally realize that Love's ways and attributes are the
true
home of our happiness and joy. God sees the bruises of our
afflictions and appreciates the atonement that brings
us back to humbleness as the
vessel
for His Redemption. Humbleness enables us to tremble before God's
Love and His word.
“Who
that
slaughtered
the ox smote
a man, who
that sacrificed
the lamb beheaded
a dog. Who that
is
bringing up a present, the
blood of a sow, who
that is
making mention of frankincense, is
blessing iniquity. Yea, they have fixed on their own ways, and
in their abominations their soul has
delighted.”
(Isaiah
66:3)
God
warns us about playing games with ourselves, and turning hypocrisy
into a lifestyle. He
reminds us that
Judaism
as
our true lifestyle opposes
praying
to Him while living by and in negative traits and trends. Bringing
sacrifices and offerings to Him does not give us license to
transgress His Commandments. This is tantamount
to becoming
like the “nations” that fix their own ways and rules, and delight
in them.
This
warning is part of the same message God gives us if we want His
Redemption. Only if we are able to remove what keeps us in our own
daily hell, we will be also able to enter the heaven-like
times
of the Messianic era.
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