אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים סָד אָדָם אֶת בֵּיתוֹ בְּסִיד וּמְשַׁיֵּיר בּוֹ דָּבָר מוּעָט וְכַמָּה אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא כְּנֶגֶד הַפֶּתַח
Rabbi Yehoshua continues: Rather, this is what the Sages said: A person may plaster his house with plaster, but he must leave over a small amount in it without plaster to remember the destruction of the Temple. The Gemara interjects: And how much is a small amount? Rav Yosef said: One cubit by one cubit. Rav Ḥisda said: This should be opposite the entrance, so that it is visible to all.
This practice is done as a home-memorial for the destruction of the Mikdash (Temple). Have you ever seen this done? If yes, what did the raw, unpainted plaster make you feel like?
If you are allowed to redo the wall of your home, would you consider creating this memorial?
(א) וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב לז, כג): שַׁדַּי לֹא מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ, אָמַר רַבֵּנוּ הַגָּדוֹל צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לְהַחֲזִיק טוֹבָה לְאִיּוֹב שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶּׁאָמַר אֱלִיהוּא בָּא הוּא וְהוֹסִיף עַל דְּבָרָיו, אָמַר אִיּוֹב לַחֲבֵרָיו מָה אַתֶּם סוֹבְרִים שֶׁכָּל מַה שֶּׁאֲמַרְתֶּם הוּא כָּל שִׁבְחוֹ, מִי יוּכַל לְסַפֵּר כָּל שְׁבָחָיו וּגְבוּרוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁדִּבַּרְתֶּם (איוב כו, יד): הֶן אֵלֶּה קְצוֹת דְּרָכָיו, בָּא אֱלִיהוּא וְאָמַר: שַׁדַּי לֹא מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ, מִי שֶׁשּׁוֹמֵעַ הַפָּסוּק הַזֶּה אוֹמֵר שֶׁמָּא חֵרוּפִים הוּא, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר אֱלִיהוּא לֹא מָצִינוּ כֹּחַ גְּבוּרָתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו, שֶׁאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּא בְּטַרְחוּת עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו, לֹא בָּא עַל הָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְפִי כֹּחוֹ, אַתָּה מוֹצֵא כְּשֶׁנָּתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אִלּוּ הָיָה בָּא עֲלֵיהֶם בְּחֹזֶק כֹּחוֹ, לֹא הָיוּ יְכוֹלִין לַעֲמֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ה, כב): אִם יֹסְפִים אֲנַחְנוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ וגו'. אֶלָּא לֹא בָּא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶלָּא לְפִי כֹּחָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים כט, ד): קוֹל יהוה בַּכֹּחַ, בְּכֹחוֹ אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר אֶלָּא בַּכֹּחַ, לְפִי כֹחוֹ שֶׁל כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שַׁדַּי לֹא מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה עֲשֵׂה לִי מִשְׁכָּן, הִתְחִיל מַתְמִיהַּ וְאוֹמֵר כְּבוֹדוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מָלֵא עֶלְיוֹנִים וְתַחְתּוֹנִים וְהוּא אוֹמֵר עֲשֵׂה לִי מִשְׁכָּן, וְעוֹד הָיָה מִסְתַּכֵּל וְרָאָה שֶׁשְּׁלֹמֹה עוֹמֵד וּבוֹנֶה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל מִן הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְאָמַר לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (מלכים א ח, כז): כִּי הַאֻמְנָם יֵשֵׁב אֱלֹהִים עַל הָאָרֶץ, אָמַר משֶׁה וּמַה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁהוּא יוֹתֵר וְיוֹתֵר מִן הַמִּשְׁכָּן שְׁלֹמֹה אוֹמֵר כֵּן, מִשְׁכָּן עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה, לְכָךְ אָמַר משֶׁה (תהלים צא, א): ישֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר רַבִּי סִימוֹן יוֹשֵׁב בְּסֵתֶר הוּא עֶלְיוֹן עַל כָּל בְּרִיּוֹתָיו, מַהוּ (תהלים צא, צ): בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי, בְּצֵל אֵל, בְּצֵל רַחוּם, בְּצֵל חַנּוּן, אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי, בְּצֵל שֶׁעָשָׂה בְּצַלְאֵל, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: בְּצֵל שַׁדַּי יִתְלוֹנָן, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַתָּה סָבוּר כָּךְ אֲנִי סָבוּר, אֶלָּא כ' קֶרֶשׁ בַּצָּפוֹן וְכ' בַּדָּרוֹם וְח' בַּמַעֲרָב, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁאֵרֵד וַאֲצַמְצֵם שְׁכִינָתִי בְּתוֹךְ אַמָּה עַל אַמָּה.
(1) ... Another explanation. “We have not found the Almighty great in power…” (Iyov 37:23) At the moment when the Holy One said to Moshe ‘make me a Tabernacle’ he was dumbfounded and said ‘the glory of the Holy One fills the upper worlds and the lower, and He said to make Him a Tabernacle?’ Further, he gazed into the future and saw that Shlomo would arise and build the Holy Temple which would be greater than the Tabernacle, and he said before the Holy One “But will God indeed dwell on the earth?” (Melachim I 8:27) Moshe reasoned: if in reference to the Holy Temple, which is so much larger than the Tabernacle, Shlomo said this - then when it comes to the Tabernacle all the more so. Therefore Moshe said “He who dwells in the hidden place of the Most High…” (Tehillim 91:1) R’ Yehudah bar R’ Simon said: The One who dwells in the hidden place is above all His creations. What does the continuation “…in the shadow of the Almighty,” mean? In the shadow of Gd (b’tzel el). It is not written as ‘in the shadow of the Merciful’ or ‘in the shadow of the Gracious,’ but rather ‘in the shadow of the Almighty.’ In the shadow which Betzalel made, that is why it says ‘in the shadow of the Almighty’. The Holy One replied to Moshe ‘I do not see things the same way as you do. Rather it says twenty in the north, twenty in the south and eight in the west. Furthermore, I will I will come down and contract my Presence within a space of one cubit by one cubit.’
1. What is Moshe's issue with the size of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)?
2. What does the Shechinah teach him about her capacity to be in this world?
Nowadays, the 9th of Av holds within it an additional layer of mourning, for the ongoing defilement of our home planet. The Eden Project in Cornwall (UK) came to my mind when I was thinking of examples of places that embody this destruction, and have then been turned into sacred spaces of revitalization.
1. Read more about this amazing project below.
2. What other places around the world could you add to this list?
By placing these two sources next to each other we learn something new about the ritual of maintaining a bare piece of our wall in memory of the Destruction. Now, this bare plaster can potentially house the Shechinah. We are inviting the Divine presence into our home, into our small family Mikdash.
In the same way that the mourning day of the 9th of Av makes way to the Erotic/life filled festival of Tu B'Av, by imbuing the empty space of destruction with God/dess, we are turning our home into a sign of hope and a space of revival.
(Rabbah Gila Caine, 5782)
"...Twenty years ago, a group of us transformed a china clay pit in Cornwall into a living theatre of plants and people. This visitor destination, cultural venue and global garden showcases our dependence on plants and demonstrates technological ingenuity and the regeneration of landscapes and livelihoods. It was our first ‘shop window’ for the future we want to make." [From the Eden Project: https://www.edenproject.com/mission]
Link to The Eden Project website: https://www.edenproject.com/