By Rabbi Nir Menussi
"One thing I ask of God." The state in which we are left with only one request is a very elevated state of the soul. It is a refined state, where the recognition has already matured that the vast majority of desires and dreams are for fleeting and trivial matters, and in truth, only one thing remains that is worthy of longing…
The Jewish custom is to recite Psalm 27 daily from the beginning of the month of Elul until Hoshanah Rabbah, the final day of Sukkot. A key verse in this psalm is the following:
"One thing I ask of God; this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of God all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of God and to seek Him in His temple."
Let us delve a bit into this verse, which encapsulates the most lofty longing of the psalm's author, King David, and see what we can learn from it regarding the spiritual work of Elul and Tishrei.
"One thing I ask of God." The state in which only one wish remains is a very elevated state of the soul. It is a refined state, where the realization has matured that the vast majority of desires and dreams are for fleeting and trivial matters, and in truth, only one thing remains that is worthy of longing—and it encompasses everything: closeness to God. The phrase "this I seek" clarifies that this is not merely a superficial request, but the expression of the true desire that dwells deep within the heart.
In light of this double emphasis, the continuation of the verse is quite surprising: it includes no less than three distinct requests: 1) "to dwell in the house of God all the days of my life," 2) "to behold the beauty of God," and 3) "to seek Him in His temple." These three requests can be seen as three stages in the ascending ladder toward closeness and attachment to God.
Attaining closeness to God is a process of transformation in awareness. For this reason, the precise concepts through which we can interpret its stages are chochmah (wisdom), binah (understanding), and da'at (knowledge) – the three intellectual sefirot in the Kabbalistic system. Normally, these sefirot are listed from top to bottom, but since in our context we are discussing our quest to draw closer to our Creator, the movement should be from the bottom up—from da'at to binah to chochmah. Now, let us explain the three requests in light of these corresponding concepts:
Da'at: "To Dwell in the House of the God"
The connection between the verb "to dwell" and the concept of da'at brings to mind the expression yishuv ha-da'at (settled mind). Indeed, the first step on the path to a life of closeness to God is the prayer to attain yishuv hada'at—a state of inner calm and tranquility, without which it is impossible to connect to any higher reality. However, the verse reveals something new about true yishuv hada'at: this state, it hints, exists specifically in the "House of God."
What is the "House of God"? On the literal level, David is referring to the Holy Temple, but according to Chasidut, every verse in the Torah applies to every reality, including here and now. According to this, the "House of God" can be understood as something spiritual—the feeling of God's presence as an encompassing and protective force. Yishuv hada’at in the "House of God" thus means peace of mind in the embrace of the Creator, in the shadow of the faith that God surrounds and accompanies us at every moment of our lives. This is not the yishuv hada'at achieved through tranquilizers, psychological therapy, or a vacation in the mountains. These things may calm us to a certain extent and for a certain time, but they do not provide the yishuv hada'at that touches the root of our soul, the very essence of our existence in this world. This is attained only through a constant perspective on our lives through the prism of faith, knowing that the only true "Master of the House" Who governs our lives is God, and everything that happens to us is from Him. This is the first step in fulfilling the great desire for closeness to God.
Binah: "To behold the pleasantness of God"
The yishuv hada'at within the "House of God" is only the first stage, laying the framework. The next step involves asking, what will we fill this framework with? The key phrase here is "the pleasantness of God." Noam (pleasantness) is not just encompassing faith but an internal experience meant to fill that framework. According to Chasidut, noam is an experience of sweetness, a sensation of a gentle, soft, and benevolent presence that desires our well-being. It is a semi-sensory experience, something perceived from the outside, which is why it is described as something to "behold." However, the word "behold" (lachazot) as opposed to "see" (lir'ot) or "observe" (letzapot) alludes to the chazeh—the chest, where the heart feels. Lachazot means to look through the eye of the heart in the chest, an inner vision akin to that of the prophets (who are also called chozim, seers). For this reason, the request to behold the pleasantness of God is connected to the sefirah of binah, which is higher than da'at. While Da'at deals with conscious and deliberate processes, binah represents subtler and more internal processes. Binah is described as "the heart within the mind"—a lofty emotional space where the most elevated insights of our lives mature and then permeate our daily consciousness and emotions.
The fact that "beholding the pleasantness of God" is an additional stage beyond simply dwelling in the House of God implies that its attainment is not self-evident. One can achieve the first stage without reaching the second, living with a strong belief that God creates everything around us, but with an awe of Divine judgment that lacks any sweetness that penetrates the heart. The fear of judgment itself is important—it is the basic and fundamental feeling of fear of Heaven that everyone should possess. However, if this awe of judgment remains in its raw state, it accumulates and hardens within us, filling us with bitterness. Elevating the feeling of awe is accomplished through binah, which has the power to "sweeten the judgments at their source"—revealing to us that God's judgments and decrees are ultimately for our benefit.
Chochmah: “To visit His sanctuary”
In modern usage, the word "לבקר" (to visit) means to be a guest, but the original meaning is different: it stems from the word "בוקר" (morning) and means to come every morning. Thus, “to visit His sanctuary” means to return to it again and again, each new morning. This interpretation adds a new dimension to the desire for closeness to God: the request fort this closeness to be enduring; that the pleasantness and presence of God will not be a fleeting experience but a constant and renewed part of our daily lives. Indeed, the Hebrew root ק.ר.ב (to draw near) is a permutation of ב.ק.ר (morning): closeness is realized through frequent and repeated visits.
The root ב.ק.ר has another meaning, related to "ביקורת" (criticism). After the evening blurs all the colors of reality, the morning light comes and distinguishes them, subjecting them to scrutiny. In this context, the request “to visit His sanctuary” also carries the wish to gain new critical wisdom—the ability to judge our current state and offer constructive criticism on how to progress from it. If binah is where insights gestate within us, chochmah is where they are first sown, where new insights dawn upon us. The foundational Kabbalistic image for the new ideas that flash within chochmah is that of lightning striking the intellect (another connection to the root ב.ק.ר, with its connotation of brilliance). The ultimate goal of drawing close to God is thus to be blessed with His influence on our thoughts, granting us new, brilliant insights every morning and ensuring a vigorous and constant development forward.
