41. "Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish" (Vayikra 21:17). Rabbi Yitzchak said THE REASON IS because he is blemished, and whoever is blemished is unfit to serve in the holy place. We explained that a blemished man has no faith, to which that blemish bears testimony. This is truer in a priest, who has to be whole and faithful more than the rest. We have already explained this.

42. Rabbi Elazar was sitting in his father-in-law's room, saying that a remedy MUST be found for the leak in the room, BECAUSE THE RAIN WAS LEAKING THROUGH THE ROOF. In the meanwhile a man passed who had a defect in one eye. His father-in-law said, let us seek ADVICE from him. RABBI ELAZAR said, he is blemished and therefore not trustworthy. HIS FATHER-IN-LAW SAID, let us test him. They approached to ask him. He asked him, Whoever is the happiest in the world? THAT MAN said, A rich man IS THE HAPPIEST IN THE WORLD, but when taken away FROM HIS WEALTH, woe to him. I WORRY for him most of all, SINCE IF HE LOSES HIS WEALTH, HE IS THE MOST MISERABLE MAN IN THE WORLD. Rabbi Elazar said, From his words I understand he is neither faithful nor trustworthy, SINCE HE THINKS THE RICH MAN, RATHER THAN THE RIGHTEOUS, TO BE THE HAPPIEST. Come and see, the Holy One, blessed be He, said that "whatever man he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach" (Ibid. 18), for supernal holiness does not dwell on a blemished place.

43. He opened his discourse saying, "for Torah and for testimony: Surely they will speak according to this word" (Yeshayah 8:20). "For Torah and for testimony:" HE ASKS, What is the Torah and what is the testimony, AND HE ANSWERS that the Torah is the Written Torah, ZEIR ANPIN, while the testimony is the Oral Torah, MALCHUT. The Oral Torah does not dwell on a blemished place, because it is established on the Written Torah, SINCE MALCHUT IS BUILT BY ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS WHOLE. It is written, "Bind up the testimony, seal the Torah among My disciples" (Ibid. 16). "Bind up the testimony" refers to the Oral Torah, since there, IN MALCHUT, the bundle of life is bound, and with the testimony the knot of life is tied from above, FROM ZEIR ANPIN so that all will be one.

44. From there downwards, THAT IS, UNDERNEATH MALCHUT, routes and paths are separated, and from there the ways diverge throughout the worlds, as it is written, "and from thence it was parted, and branched into four streams" (Beresheet 2:10).

45. "Seal the Torah" refers to the sealing of the Torah, the Written Torah, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. Where does this happen? "Among My disciples," the prophets CALLED "TAUGHT OF HASHEM," NETZACH AND HOD, as it is written, "And he set up the right pillar, and called its name Jachin," WHICH IS NETZACH, "and he set up the left pillar, and called its name Boaz" (I Melachim 7:21), WHICH IS HOD. From there, ways extend to the faithful prophets, WHO RECEIVE FROM NETZACH AND HOD, and these support the body, ZEIR ANPIN with HIS six lights. This is the meaning of, "His legs are pillars of marble" (Shir Hashirim 5:15). HIS LEGS, THE SECRET OF NETZACH AND HOD, ARE PILLARS OF ZEIR ANPIN THAT HAS SIX SFIROT IN HIM. Everything is supported only by MEANS OF perfection, and all their holiness dwells on them only when they are in holiness. For when ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT are united with each other, all is whole, all is one, and no place is rendered defective. Hence the Congregation of Yisrael is called whole, as it is written, "And Melchizedek king of Shalem (lit. 'whole')" (Beresheet 14:18), AS MELCHIZEDEK IS MALCHUT AND THE KING OF WHOLENESS. AND ALSO, "In Shalem also is His tabernacle" Tehilim 76:3), WHICH REFERS TO MALCHUT.

46. Therefore everything dwells only on a wholesome place, and therefore, "whatever man he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach" (Vayikra 21:18). Similarly, a blemished sacrifice shall not be offered, since it is written, "it shall not be acceptable for you" (Vayikra 22:20). You may say that the Holy One, blessed be He, only dwells in a broken place, in a broken vessel, as it is written, "yet with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit" (Yeshayah 57:15). HE ANSWERS, Such a place is the most wholesome, because one humbles himself so as to allow the loftiest to dwell on him, supernal loftiness. Such a one is whole. But it does not say, "I DWELL ON" (IBID.) "a blind man, or a lame, or he that has a flat nose, or anything superfluous" (Vayikra 21:18), but "with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit," for the Holy One, blessed be He, raises him who humbles himself.

47. Therefore the priest that is below as the likeness of above needs to be more whole in every respect than anyone else, and show no blemish. The priests are therefore admonished, "Whoever he be of your seed in their generations that has any blemish..."

48. He continued with, "And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if you offer a lame or sick animal, is that not evil?" (Malachi 1:8). HE ASKS, Was it the Holy One, blessed be He, who said it is not evil? Then it is good. AND HE ANSWERS, The end of the verse shows that Yisrael used to appoint blemished priests in those days AND BLEMISHED SACRIFICES on the altar, and to serve in the Temple, and said, What does the Holy One, blessed be He, care whether it is this or another? It is they who used to say, It is not evil, and the Holy One, blessed be He, answered them with the very words they would use, saying, 'Yisrael, you say there is not evil in blemished people sacrificing for My worship.' What does the Holy One, blessed be He, care?

49. The end of the verse says, "offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or will he show you favor?" (Ibid.) If a man among you must make peace with the king and offer him a gift, will you send him a defective one or not? "Will he be pleased with you, or will he show you favor" with that DEFECTIVE gift? Moreover when you bring before Me a blemished man to offer Me an offering, that offering of yours shall be given to the dog. For surely such a blemished man is defective in every respect, defective in faith. Hence it says, "whatever man he be that has a blemish, he shall not approach."

50. Rabbi Yosi said, The Holy One, blessed be He, will make Yisrael whole so they will be whole in every respect, and there will be none blemished among them. For the world will reach completion DURING RESURRECTION, like the vessels and garments of man which are completion for the body. THIS IS WHY HE WILL PERFECT THEM, as it is written, "and they stand as a garment" (Iyov 38:14).