A Thought on Parshas Achre-Mos

"...v'lifnei ha'kapores yazeh sheva pa'amim..." "...and then he shall sprinkle seven times over the curtain..." (16:14) This parsha relates the rituals undertaken by the Kohen Gadol during the service of Yom Kippur. The sacrificial avodos include the anointing of the ark's cover with the dam ha'korban. The beginning of the verse states that first he does this one time towards the eastern front of the cover, then seven times towards the front of it. Rashi makes what appears to be a bland comment without elaboration. He writes "so its one above and seven below." That remark seems mysteriously void of explanation, and even for Rashi, who does keep his commentary quite concise, this seems a bit cryptic. The Panae'ach Raza, at ease in the midrashic and mystical just as he is facile in the realm of halacha, does not disagree with Rashi here. In fact, he interprets Rashi's words as "a remez" - a secretive hint to a much larger concept than that of the two directions of "above" and "below." The Panae'ach Raza sees in Rashi's comment the message that "it should suffice for a person below to aim high in his piety, as do the angels above, yet only in a 1:7 ratio". He elaborates with some midrashic principles. We find that the prophet Yeshaya (6:3) says that the angels declare that HaShem is very holy. They declare "kadosh kadosh kadosh". Following those three words, they specify the Identify of the Holy One, for the verse closes "HaShem Tz'vakos" - HaShem the Lord of Legions (His malachim). The Sifri notes that the mention of this Divine name follows three prefatory words. Now, when we look at Moshe's own praises in the beginning of parshas Ha'azinu (Devarim 32:1-3), he also mentions that name of HaShem yet he precedes it with a full 21 words! At a mystical level, we are meant to derive from this that a mortal person should aim to emulate the heavenly legions in reaching above to praise HaShem, yet we can only approximate their level of holiness at a ratio of 1:7 (which is 3:21). Moshe Rabbeinu himself was teaching that "it is enough if I can be one seventh as sanctified as the angels." The potency and the energy behind our exultations cannot be as exalted as those of the malachim. It took 21 mortal words to approximate what the angels said in 3. Now, returning to our verse, the Panae'ach Raza says that this is what Rashi intends. When the Kohen Gadol performed this avoda of ha'zaas ha'dam, he first beckoned to the Above by sprinkling dam toward the upper side of the curtain. Then, he emulated the Divine response with a full seven acts of ha'zaah. This symbolized that we mortals, in contrast to the bounty which HaShem sends to us from above, can offer up only a seventh of that which His angelic messengers bring to us below. This is what Rashi hints at in writing "so its one above and seven below." We aim to offer praise above yet our service is but a fraction of how His praises are manifest below. One unit of mortal praise is at best 1/7 of the praise truly fit for the Divine. There is only "one" unit ascending from below; there are "seven" descending from above. The Panae'ach Raza closes that we also find this enunciated, in remez form, by Dovid haMelech in Tehillim 148. He sings " Praise HaShem from the Heavens, from the Heights, from His angels and His legions, from sun and moon, from stars of light, from the loftiest heavens, and the supernal waters, let them all praise His Name." That is seven levels of praise which he attributes to the Divine kingdom above. Then, Dovid haMelech says, "Praise HaShem from the earth." That is a single statement about praising Him from below, in contrast with the seven praises associated with all that praise Him on high. This further illuminates a facet of this remez of 1:7. As we approach Shabbos HaGadol and the Pesach praises and songs, may we indeed aim to emulate the energies on high which are totally engaged in recognizing His greatness. Good Shabbos and Chag Kosher v'Samaeach. D Fox