Spiritual Significance of High Priests Garments להבין חושן ואפוד Kabbalah Rabbi Yitzchok Minkowicz

Welcome to this week's class onus. We're going to be learning a beautiful discourse in Rebba. The name of the discourse is called to understand the idea of the breastplate and the apron that the wore. The Reb said this course which that year was also which is the 13th day of the month of Adar in the year exactly 60 years ago. So again the discourse opens and it says to understand the idea of the breastplate and the apron that the high priest wore. What's the what do we have to understand? So we know that in the aphoid which was a complex apron that the cooen god wore. So in there you had the names of all 12 tribes and they were engraved on two stones. So one stone had um uh there was six on one stone and six on the second stone. Like the verse says clearly six things was on one stone and the other six was on the second stone. That was the a that was the apron the aphoid. However, when it came to the breastplate [snorts] so you had the 12 tribes but they were engraved on 12 stones. Every single tribe had its own stone. That's question number one. Question number two, we also have to understand by the aphoid the apron there were two stones called and they basically were both from the same same type of stone. It was a sham stone. However, when it came to the every single stone was was different. So the question is why is that when it come to the to the for the apo the two stones were the same stone and when it came to the breastplate every single stone was different. Also, we have to understand that the high priest wore it for remembrance in front of Hashem. And like it says in reference to the aphoid the that I'm going to place the two stones on the shoulders of of of the of the of the apron stones of remembrance for the Jewish people and iron wore the names in front of Hashem on the two on the two soldiers for remembrance. And the same thing also in reference to the it says war the names of the Jewish people on the breastplate for remembrance of so we have to understand what's this whole idea of a remembrance sobb explains and he says the ideas as follows based on what the third explains that when the rebourse 60 years ago it was 100 years from his passing now it's 160 and he explains in theic discourse that the aphoid the apron spiritually is in the level of which means behind why because the the wore and he tied it where from the back however the in the bless breastplate that was in the front so it's called punim so the aphid is called um behind because he tied it in the back and the breastplate is called punim in the front because that it it actually rested on his heart of the high priest so the difference between the aphoid And the spiritually is a difference between the serving Hashem from the behind and the serving Hashem from the front. What does that mean practically? That's the serving Hashem through prayer and serving Hashem through Torah study or serving Hashem through escapia or practicing restraint or serving Hashem through transformation. In other words, the a which is the apron that's the serving in the back like it says afterm you're gonna go which what does that mean spiritually restraint you practice your restraint in other words even though your heart is not in it but you force yourself forcing yourself is a that's called from the bank when you force yourself that's that's that's called in the bank is and according to this insight obviously ly that comes from a very very high power and because it comes from a very a very high power so all the Jewish people are equal when it comes to that because restraint there's no intent in restraint everyone practice restraint the same way I'm going to hold back I'm not going to do it because you're not doing it and based on your intellect and your emotions but you're reaching out to Hashem saying okay let's help me practice restraint and over there everyone's equal so when it comes to the serving hashem escapia everyone's equal however the breastplate which is basically in the which means transformation and know you it means your heart already is transformed and you're serving Hashem with pmius internal powers and meditation intention so everyone is different everyone has different ways they serve Hashem like an expression is everyone goes in in in their path and that's the reason so when it came to the aphoid the apron which we said is which everyone is equal so all the tribes es are written equally. Yeah. Two stones and both stones were the same type of stones. Now even though they were two stones but from the same material because when it comes to his scafia practicing restraints everybody's equal. However, when it came to the breastplate, no, everyone was unique. Everyone had their way of serving Hashem and everyone had their own color. Everyone had their own style. Because when it comes to transformation, everyone transforms differently. everyone goes in their their path and that's why there are 12 different stones for every single one of the tribes. Why? Because it comes from the 12 12 different paths and that's why that's why there 12 different ways of serving Hashem. And as we know there's 12 different gates of prayer um corresponding to every one of the paths of one of the tribes. Now the breastplate is divided up. How was it? There was basically four rows and each row there was there was there was there was three stones. So four * 3 you had 12. What does that mean? That's the way also you when the Jewish people when they travel they had the flags and they had a the 12 tribes and there were four there were four gimm four flags and every flag they had three tribes which basically that's the way each tribe was divided up to which flag and which which direction you are and so on and so forth. So that's the difference between what between the aphid and the now the stone that was used for the aphoid we said is and it's interesting is spelled shin which is the same letters as moenu in other words that who gave us the power and who gives us the power for isafia practicing the strength that comes from and that's why that every single Jewish person we're called a He gives on gives us the power to practice resign restraint and we have the power through him to practice restraint and that's why both stones of the of of the apron was of to teach us that the that what gives us the power to the service of hashem of the aphid which is which is which is considered the which is escapia that comes from now even [clears throat] In the the stones of the breastplate, you also had and who had who who which stone which tribe was the because everyone had a different stone. Who had that? That was that was a stone of why is that? Because we know the difference between Ysef and all the other tribes that the all the tribes they were in the level of in the four worlds Bria and all the tribes in the in the world of Bria which is lower than that however was even higher than that and that's why the stone of to show us that the power of his scafia which is the apron which is the back comes from where comes from even a higher place higher Natulus So a the power we get from and b the power comes even from higher than to practice escapia. Now in the stones of the so what does it say but arin carried the names lipem in front of hashem on the two soldiers for remembrance. In other words, iron affected an elevation in the apron in the avoid of escapia practice that should go to the level of in front of Hashem to remembrance and when by elevating it um elevating the aphod. So he elevated also not only the aph because he elevated the apha he elevated the itself which is basically the the serving of in in in ink because even there you should have the elevation of the Jewish people to elevate that the elev stones the which is the avoid is you have to elevate it to but even the the stones of the which is the of the straight it's etc. You also have to elevate theem and but we're how how do you elevate the it comes actually from the aphid and that's why the the breastplate was tied with knots to the s soldier of the of of the of the of the apron up to the point that you that the cannot be disconnected to teach us that when you do the work of the aphite when you do the work of when you do the word of escapia through the power of mobu and through from the highest level of through through high we have the power to elevate the as well and we we we draw in that energy into and that's why which we said is the same letters as the anxoid and inved to draw into the Jewish people brings brings down from the highest level to the lowest level that we should have the power to do escapia transformation pract however that's the moisten bore it down but in effects to elevate it and the rebba says he'd like to connect this in what the the third rabb says inic discourse where it says who that is says that actually what came out now from exile to redemption and he says it seems that it's actually discourse of the or at least based on a aidic a discourse Because um we never you find this. So he says that first it says who are this is and that Hashem told them to tell the Jewish people to leave Egypt. But the verse afterward it says they're the one speaking to par the king of Egypt to take the people out. Who spoke? So it says Mosha and Aaron. So first it says Aaron first and then Moshe and the next verse it says Mosha first and then Aaron first. So he points out what do you mean? Um seeing it's not understood because in the first verse where it speaks out going out of Egypt so God took him out of Egypt. It says Aaron first and then Aaron before Mosha and the second verse when they spoke the parro it says Moshe before Aaron Mo comes before Aaron. So he explains based on what it's brought down that Mosha is the one that gives the power to the Jewish people which means he comes and he gives the power to do it and Aaron is the one that elevates. So based on this when they we understand when they went to speak the parro so then comes before why because first you have to bring down the energy down and then you can elevate it because when we when we were in Egypt by parro so then what was the avoid is scapia to practice restraint and and that's what we had to run that's why we run out had to run out of Egypt and that's why we didn't moisture first however once we already left Egypt then iron comes first. Why? Because then you can start off with elevating because he already left and then you can bring down mo down into this world because that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's that's what's the idea of transformation which is the level upon him and that's which we said iron is the letters of iron is the same letters of seeing and like explained at length which is all idea of of of revelation and that's why it says before so here we have a beautiful discourse explains the whole idea of the and the serving hashem through and that we have the power to practice restraint. We have it from if we have to worry we have whatever we need to to to elevate it and when we do our we can actually through that elevate idea of and let's hope and pray that we do our avoid and we do our avoda we'll have the coming of Msiah the next class will be your have a great and blessed week shàu