This article by Rabbi Maor Greene, associate chaplain for Jewish Life, was originally published in "The Wisdom Daily," The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership's outlet for political, cultural and spiritual commentary, analysis and inspiration. CLAL is a leading Jewish organization focused on innovation and belonging.
I have a friend whose bathroom mirror has affirmations on it. As I wash my hands, I enjoy looking into the mirror and reading, “You are beautiful” and “You are loved.” I see myself in the mirror, and I remember that I am loved.
My experience reading the news these days is the opposite of looking at my friend’s mirror. I struggle to find a sense of hope, joy, and beauty. I see the world moving further away from caring for the most vulnerable of society – the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan. I do not see myself or my values reflected in the new world order that is forming.
This week’s Torah portion, Parshat Pekudei, reminds me of my friend’s mirror. Buried within a detailed record of every item donated to construct the Mishkan and the high priest’s clothing is a description of a reflective plate on the high priest’s diadem (Exodus 39:30). The plate was made of the purest gold and had incised upon it, “Holy to Adonai.”
The Zohar says that this gold plate was actually a mirror that reflected the character of anyone who looked at it. Rather than seeing the gold plate as an ancient Near-Eastern fashion item, the Zohar recognizes that the plate does not just label the high priest as holy. Instead, everyone who sees themselves reflected in the plate also sees that they are holy.
Mirrors have long been an important metaphor in Jewish mystical traditions. Earliest traditions may go all the way back to Numbers 12:6-8: God speaks to most prophets in dreams, riddles, and bammar’ah – this could be translated as either in a vision or in a mirror (cf. Rashi). However, God speaks with Moses mouth-to-mouth (directly) and bammar’eh, which means clearly or in a clear vision.
Jewish tradition holds that everyone except Moses sees the world in a distorted, incomplete fashion – through a mirror. We all have our own biases, filters, and preconceived notions of the world. We also perceive others as distorted reflections of ourselves, a phenomenon we now call psychological projection.
One of the main goals of Jewish mysticism is to polish our mirror. Through prayer, contemplation, and introspection (cheshbon nefesh), we can come to perceive reality more clearly.
Like my friend’s affirmation mirror, Exodus 39:30 adds a wrinkle to how we might understand the metaphor of mirrors. The mirror-plate does not just reflect our character, but it also adds the written affirmation that we are holy. This affirmation corrects any potential distortion an onlooker may have had about their worthiness – they, too, are holy to God.
Nowadays, the construction of our sacred communities looks different than in Biblical times. For starters, rabbis do not go around wearing reflective gold plates on their heads. However, rabbis and lay leaders alike are still constructing communities in which all who participate can see themselves as holy, valuable, and belonging.
For many of us, it can be challenging to see ourselves reflected in the news today. If a person only determines their self-worth by the media they consume, they will have a distorted sense of self. When societies do not care for the vulnerable or let everyone know that they have inherent worth as human beings, it becomes even more important that communities of faith do so.
It is upon us to build and strengthen communities that reflect our values. We must find ways to continue to affirm to each other and to reassure the vulnerable: “You are loved” and “You are holy.”
Views expressed in this column are the author’s own and not necessarily those of Elon University. The original article appears in The Wisdom Daily.