Friday, December 4, 2009

"When a person builds the sanctuary of God in his life, he must include its holy courtyards"


"Every part of a person's life, even if he is not aware of it at the moment, contributes to a sum total of holiness—not only when he stands within the four cubits of halakhah but also when he is engaged in other activities and has other matters on his mind.

A person can arrive in one way or another from every sphere of his being to the divine light, splitting apart the darkness from one end of the universe to the other and making himself an abode where God may dwell.

When a person builds the sanctuary of God in his life, he must include its holy courtyards.

Then even if he does not succeed in bringing all of reality to the innermost chamber of holiness, he will at the very least be able to bring it to the courtyards of the House of God."

--Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz


From
Understanding the Tanya by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz