Today we are back in the saddle now that Pesach is over, reading Torah once again, returning to VaYikra and beginning the parasha of Acharei Mot. The title of this parasha, of course, could not be blunter - "After the Death" (referring to Aharon's two sons Nadav and Avihu who died while making an alien offfering) as are its opening words and messages. It seems as if the story of Nadav and Avihu is entirely a segue to discuss when the kohen (gadol) is actually permitted to enter the "Holy of Holies." This is, of course, only on Yom Kippur.
There is a fascinating juxtaposition beginning at about VaYikra 16:14 and continuing to 16:17, or so.
First, we learn that even the ark (cover) is dashed multiple times with the blood of a korban. Yes, even this most holy of objects has animal blood placed upon it in an act of repentance. (By the way, I don't think the Torah ever says how the ark is cleaned. Since it seems like no one can ever touch it, including the kohen gadol, either it (really) cleaned itself or it retained some of the stains for posterity.)
A few verses later, we learn about how the aron (ark) itself needs this action because it lies in the midst of Israel's "impurity" - a word I still contend is mistranslated - and the object itself needs atonement.
The ark is not some totally separate reality (at least not entirely), completely separate from the people and only accessible to the highest and most elevated few. No, it is, in fact quite the opposite. The ark can absorb Israel's lack of wisdom and wrongdoing. The ark itself is impacted by all of this. The ark is without a doubt the closest physical object to the Essence of G-d - is this, therefore, coming to tell us that even G-d is affected by our choices? And surely, if the ark is affected by negativity, then it can be affected by positive choices, made by each of us in the collective Jewish nation, and raise its spiritual level, thereby somehow "raising" G-d's Level (perhaps increasing love and mercy instead of power and judgment) as well. Perhaps this is the source of that famous midrash that when Israel is acting properly, the angels above the ark face each other and when they are not acting properly, the angels face away from each. Both this midrash and my interpretation come to teach us that even something so holy and close to G-d's Essence is affected by the choices we make in the here and now.
The point, though, is to come pretty close, but no closer. No one is ever permitted to open the ark, touch the ark itself or the cherubim sitting on top of it, or even spend more than one day in the entire year in its direct presence.
Nevertheless, we, as humanity, can come awfully close to this Essence and are permitted to know all but G-d's inner, ineffable Nature - while at the same time somehow internalizing that our actions now have a real and immediate impact on both the Essence and Nature.
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