The Significance of the Directions

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

            In the previous lecture, we saw that both in the structure of and the service in the Mishkan and the Mikdash, the basic and primary orientation is along the east-west axis. We saw how this is expressed in a variety of areas.

 

            It falls upon us now to inquire into the reason for and the spiritual meaning of this fact. In this lecture, we will discuss the reason for and spiritual meaning of this fact, and we will then examine the meaning of the east-west axis in Scripture in general.

 

THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF “THE SHEKHINA IN THE WEST”

 

            The main passage dealing with this issue is found in the second chapter of Bava Batra in the context of a discussion regarding the place of prayer. The mishna states:

 

Carrion, graves, and tan-yards must be kept fifty cubits from a town. A tan-yard must only be placed on the east side of the town. R. Akiva says: It may be placed on any side except the west. (Bava Batra 25a)

 

            The gemara states:

 

Come and hear: "R. Akiva says: [A tan-yard] may be set on any side at a distance of fifty cubits, save on the west side, where it must not be placed at all, because it is a constant abode." Rava said to R. Nachman: A constant abode of what?… What it means is that it is the constant abode of the Shekhina.  For so said R. Yehoshua ben Levi: Let us be grateful to our ancestors for showing us the place of prayer, as it is written: "And the host of heaven worships You" (Nechemia 9:6). R. Acha bar Yaakov strongly objected to this [interpretation]. Perhaps, he said, [the sun and moon bow down to the east], like a servant who has received a gratuity from his master and retires backwards, bowing as he goes. This [indeed] is a difficulty… R. Yishmael also held that the Shekhina is in all places, since R. Yishmael taught: From where do we know that the Shekhina is in all places? Because it says, "And behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him" (Zekharia 2). It does not say, "went out after him," but "went out to meet him." This shows that the Shekhina is in all places. R. Sheshet also held that the Shekhina is in all places, because [when desiring to pray] he used to say to his attendant: Set me facing any way except the east. And this was not because the Shekhina is not there, but because the Minim prescribe turning to the east. (Ibid.)

 

            Elsewhere, the gemara relates to this concept in its attempt to explain the sun's course through the sky:

 

Antoninus said to Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi]: Why does the sun rise in the east and set in the west? He replied: Were it reversed, you would ask the same question. He said to him: This is my question – why set in the west? He answered: In order to salute its Maker, as it is written: "And the host of heaven worships You" (Nechemia 9:6). He said to him: Then it should go only as far as mid-heaven, pay homage, and then re-ascend. [He answered:] On account of the workers and wayfarers. (Sanhedrin 91b)

 

Rashi explains:

 

In order to salute its Maker – to the Holy One, blessed be He, for the Shekhina is in the west. And since it reaches the west, it goes and bows down before the Holy One, blessed be He. (ad loc.)

 

            The gemara in Bava Batra suggests two possible explanations of the significance of praying to the west:

 

1. Facing west in contrast to idolaters, who bow to the east

 

            This explanation is similar to the one brought by the Rambam regarding Avraham at the Akeida. As we shall see below, the Rambam argues that facing west stands in contrast to idol worshippers, who face east to the sun. From the most ancient times, the sun served as an object of ritual and worship,[1] and facing west is intended to undermine this phenomenon.

 

2. Facing west together with the host of heaven, which bows to the west

 

            The second reason for facing west connects man's prayer to the heavenly bodies. According to this explanation, the verse, "And the host of heaven worships You," means that all the heavenly bodies - the sun, the moon and the stars - rise in the east and bow toward the west.

 

            As we saw in the previous lecture, the principle that the Shekhina is found in the west is expressed in the Mikdash as well. Facing west makes it possible, as it were, for the entire host of heaven to bow before God each day, man serving as their agent. Regarding this idea, the Yerushalmi says:

 

How the early prophets toiled to fashion the east gate [of the Temple] so that the sun should be confined in it on the first of the season of Tevet and on the first of the season of Tammuz. (Yerushalmi Eiruvin 5:1)

 

            In other words, the early prophets toiled to build the east gate of the Mikdash in such a way that both on the shortest day of the year and the longest day of the year, the sun would shine precisely on the eastern gate. This required special effort, because the sun shines at a certain angle during the winter (south) and at a different angle during the summer (north).

 

            Why was this necessary? Chazal wish to say by this that all of creation - in this case, represented by the sun, the moon and the stars - bows down before God each and every day. In other words, they recognize His kingship and express this through prostration.

 

            According to this understanding, there is deep spiritual meaning in the east-west orientation of the Mikdash - namely, the possibility given to creation to recognize and give expression to its subordination to the King of kings by bowing before Him on a daily basis.

 

            But how is it possible to speak of the host of heaven bowing before God? Surely they themselves are inanimate! I wish to argue that it is in man's power, while he serves in the Mikdash, to serve as an agent for all of creation.

 

            This accords in a very deep way with the objective of the Mikdash in general - the joining of all of creation to its source. In this case, the bowing down of the host of heaven signifies effacement before and inclusion within the source of all existence.

 

            In this context, it is noteworthy that the site of the Mikdash on Mount Moriya is the site where the creation of the world began, and from which the entire world was created. When the sun, the moon, and the stars bow down before God, there is a return to the source, both in the sense of the Creator and in the sense of the site of the creation of the world. Bowing in this sense means recognition of the renewal of creation. As it were, the universe expresses its gratitude to God, who in His goodness renews the creation every day, constantly.

 

            In addition to effacement and inclusion, prostration expresses "hoda'a," both in the sense of gratitude and in the sense of admission of the truth. The world, as it were, each day admits to the truth about God's kingdom over the entire universe, His rule, and His providence.

 

            Accordingly, we can explain why in the Mikdash – as opposed to outside the Mikdash – the day starts in the morning and not at night. What is the significance of this?

 

            This may be connected to the rising of the sun at the beginning of the service in the Mikdash, which expresses the subordination of all of creation, and, as it were, its prostration before and recognition of God's kingship. Accordingly, the day starts in the morning – when the world has the opportunity and possibility of expressing its recognition of God's kingdom.[2]

 

            In this context, the Scriptural support for the practice of "vatikin" (reciting the Amida prayer at sunrise) is interesting:

 

The vatikin used to finish it [the recital of the Shema] with sunrise, in order to join the "redemption" [mentioned in the last blessing of the Shema] to the [Amida] prayer, and recite the prayer in the daytime. R. Zeira says: What text can be cited in support of this? "They shall fear You with the sun, and so long as the moon throughout all generations" (Tehillim 72:5). (Berakhot 9b)

 

EAST AND WEST IN SCRIPTURE AS A WHOLE

 

            Now that we have explained the spiritual significance of the assertion that "the Shekhina is in the west" and the application of this principle with respect to the Mikdash, I wish to demonstrate that this is a significant theme that must seriously be examined across all of Scripture.

 

            For the purpose of this discussion, we will begin with the assumption that the directions mentioned in the Torah have spiritual significance. The assumption is that the Torah is precise in its wording; if it emphasizes that someone went from one place to another or turned in one direction or another, it wishes to tell us that we should pay attention to the significance of the direction. Otherwise, the Torah would not have written anything about the matter.

 

Thus, for example, the gemara states in Bava Batra:

 

R. Yitzchak said: He who desires to become wise should turn to the south [when praying], and he who desires to become rich should turn to the north. The symbol [by which to remember this] is that the table [in the Mishkan] was to the north of the altar and the candlestick to the south. R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: He should always turn to the south, because through obtaining wisdom he will obtain wealth, as it says: "Length of days are in her [wisdom's] right hand, in her left hand are riches and honor." (Bava Batra 25b)

 

            This statement clearly alludes to a certain meaning in going north or south, and it implies that this meaning is also alluded to in the location of the table and the candlestick in the Heikhal.

 

            It may be suggested that the northern part of Eretz Yisrael enjoys significant rainfall, and is therefore more fertile than the arid southern part of the country. This reality is expressed in the vessels standing in the Heikhal – the table with the showbread symbolizes material blessing, whereas the candlestick and the light of its lamps symbolize the spiritual idea and wisdom.

 

            Another example of this is found in the following midrash, which attributes meaning to the various directions while noting what takes place on each side:[3]

 

The Holy One, blessed be He, created the four directions of the world: east, west, north and south.

East – from there the light issues forth into the world.

West – stores of snow and stores of hail and cold and heat issue into the world.

South – dew of blessing and rain of blessing issue forth into the world.

North – from there, darkness issues forth into the world.

And just as the Holy One, blessed be He, created the four directions of the world, so He surrounded His throne with four beasts, and above them all the Throne of Glory, and corresponding to them the Holy One, blessed be He, arranged the standards for Moshe.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: The east from which the light issues forth into the world – corresponding to it is Yehuda, to whom belongs the kingdom, as it is stated: "And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Yehuda pitch by their hosts" (Bamidbar 2:3). (Bamidbar Rabba 2:9)

 

            The spiritual assumption underlying the assignment of meaning to a place or a direction is that the material world is not a separate reality in its own right. The physical world reveals and expresses a spiritual reality; the world of the spirit is connected to the world of matter and manifests itself through it.

 

            As we shall see, several causes may lead a person to the east. Sometimes, God Himself sends a person eastward, sometimes the person himself decides to head eastward, and sometimes a person is pushed out to the east by another person.

 

1. God sends the sinner out toward the east

 

            The midrash states:

 

"At the east." Rav said: In all places, the eastern side offers refuge. [Regarding] the first man: "So He drove out the man; and he placed the keruvim at the east of the Garden of Eden" (Bereishit 3:24). Kayin: "And Kayin went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, to the east of Eden" (Bereishit 4:16). The [unwitting] murderer: "Then Moshe set apart three cities on this side of the Jordan, toward the sun rising" (Devarim 4:41). (Bereishit Rabba 21:15)

 

            The midrash does not content itself with the similarity between Adam and Kayin with respect to their removal to the east, but rather adds that we find “in all places” that the eastern side offers refuge. Let us examine the various places:

 

1. The removal of Adam from the Garden of Eden:

 

            The Torah first relates to directions in the wake of Adam's sin:

 

Therefore, the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed the keruvim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and the bright blade of a revolving sword to guard the way to the tree of life. (Bereishit 3:23-24)

 

Rashi explains: "On the east side of Eden outside the garden." (R. Sa'adya and the Ibn Ezra explain the verse similarly.)

 

Radak: "'Mi-kedem' means 'at the east.' It is possible that the entrance to the garden was in the east, and therefore He set the keruvim on that side."

 

Ibn Ezra: "At the east – because there was the entrance to the garden, according to the truth and the secret [lore]."

 

2. After the sin of Kayin:

 

And Kayin went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, to the east of Eden. (Bereishit 4:16)

 

Rashi explains:

 

"In the land of Nod" – in the land where all exiles wander about.

"To the east of Eden" – Thereto his father went into exile when he was driven out from the Garden of Eden, as it is said: "And He placed in the east of the Garden of Eden" (Bereishit 3:24) a watch on the road that leads to the entrance of the Garden – from which one may infer that Adam was there [in the east].

 

Ibn Ezra, s.v. kidmat eden: "The east of Eden is north of the Garden."

 

Radak:

 

"And Kayin went out from the presence of the Lord" – from the place that was in the presence of the Lord, i.e., the Garden and the earth near it, which was the site that received the Shekhina and the site of prophecy, for in that place the holy spirit spoke with Adam and his wife and with his sons.

 

"And he dwelt in the land of Nod" – He wandered from place to place, until he settled to the east of Eden far from the place where his father and mother were…

 

3. Moshe's burial to the east of the Jordan and the uniqueness of the east bank of the Jordan

 

And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moav, over against Bet-Pe'or: but no man knows his grave to this day. (Devarim 34:6)

 

            As opposed to the people of Israel, who enter Eretz Yisrael from the east to the west, Moshe is barred from entering owing to his sin, and therefore the site of his burial is in the land of Moav, east of the Jordan River.

 

            The very fact that Moshe was buried to the east of the Jordan, and not to its west, alludes to the preferential treatment given to Eretz Yisrael on the west of the Jordan compared to that of the land found to the east of it.[4]

 

            The uniqueness of the east bank of the Jordan is expressed in various contexts:

 

• The midrash in Bamidbar Rabba 7:8 notes: The land of Canaan is more sanctified than the east bank of the Jordan. The land of Canaan is fit to house the Shekhina, whereas the east bank of the Jordan is not fit to house the Shekhina.

 

• The decision on the part of the tribes of Gad, Reuven, and half the tribe of Menashe to settle on that side of the Jordan.

 

• When the two and a half tribes build an altar on the Jordan facing the land of Canaan, towards the people of Israel (Yehoshua 22:10-11), the people of Israel make the following proposal:

 

But if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass over to the land of the possession of the Lord, where the Lord's tabernacle dwells, and take possession among us; but rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel against us, in building an altar for yourselves besides the altar of the Lord our God. (ibid. v. 19)

 

            Scripture clearly distinguishes between the “land of the possession of the Lord,” where His tabernacle dwells, and the “land of your possession,” where the people of Reuven, Gad, and half the tribe of Menashe are found to the east of the Jordan.

 

            The burial of Moshe and Eliyahu's ascent to heaven take place to the east of the Jordan, in the land defined by Yehoshua as the “land of your possession,” as opposed to the Land of Israel to the west of the Jordan, which is defined as the “land of the possession of the Lord.” The midrash clearly asserts that the land of Canaan is more sanctified than the east bank of the Jordan.

 

2. Man who sets out to the east

 

1. Lot's choosing of the Jordan plain

 

            The Torah describes the separation between Avraham and Lot that took place in the area of Mount Bet-El. Avraham suggests to Lot: "Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself, I pray you, from me. If you will take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." That is to say, Avraham proposes to Lot – if you prefer the region of the Shomron, I will go to Yehuda, and if you choose the region of Yehuda, I will go to the Shomron. Lot chooses to go east, because the Jordan plain was well-watered everywhere.

 

            Whereas in the case of Adam and Kayin, God removed them to the east owing to their sins, in the case of Lot, there is a human decision to head off to the east, the reason being the material abundance found always in the Jordan plain.

 

            As for the reason for the separation, the Torah states:

 

And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. And there was strife between the herdsmen of Avram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle.

 

2. Esav's going to the land of Edom

 

            It is interesting that the Torah describes Esav's going to the land of Edom in terms very similar to those used to describe Lot's going to the Jordan plain.

 

And Esav took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his substance that he had acquired in the land of Cana'an, and went into another country away from his brother Yaakov. For their property was too great for them to dwell together; and the land in which they sojourned could not bear them because of their cattle. (Bereishit 36:6-7)

 

            There is a strong similarity between the two passages, both with respect to the reason for the separation – the great amount of property, the land being unable to bear them because of their cattle, and the direction in which they headed. Lot heads to the Jordan plain, and afterwards to the region of Moav, and Esav to the land of Edom, both of them to the east of the land of Cana'an.

 

3. The tribes of Gad and Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe and the east bank of the Jordan.

 

            After travelling around the land of Edom and the land of Moav, the tribes of Gad and Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe make a request:

 

Now the children of Reuven and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Ya'zer, and the land of Gil'ad, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle… The country which the Lord smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and your servants have cattle. And they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession, and bring us not over the Jordan.” (Bamidbar 32:1-5)

 

            Here too the background is cattle, and the place is the land of Gil'ad to the east of the Jordan.[5] The common denominator is cattle and material abundance and the choice of a region to the east of the Jordan for settlement. The eastern region is presented here as rich and fertile, and the reason that it was chosen is connected to its pasturelands.

 

3. A person who sends another person to the east

 

            We learn in the book of Bereishit:

 

But to the sons of the concubines, which Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts, and sent them away from his son, while he yet lived, eastward to the east country. (Bereishit 25:6)

 

            R. Yosef Bekhor Shor explains:

 

Eastward to the east country – the land of Aram, as it is written: "Balak the king of Moav has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east" (Bamidbar 23:7), and he sent them to inherit his portion in the house of his father.

 

            When we examine the descendants of the house of Avraham, we find that those descendants who were chosen to continue in his path received their inheritance to the west of the Jordan. However, those descendants who were rejected (whether actively, as in the case of the sons of the concubines, or whether they chose on their own to part ways, like Lot and Esav) turn eastward.

 

            In this context, it is interesting to note the gemara's comment:

 

"But to the sons of the concubines, which Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts" (Bereishit 25:6). What gifts? R. Yirmiya bar Abba said: This teaches that he transferred to them the name of impurity. (Sanhedrin 91a)

 

            While sending them away, Avraham gave them "the name of impurity," something that fits in with being sent off to the east.

 

4. Entering from east to west

 

            Let us now consider several phenomena that take place in the opposite direction – from east to west.

 

• Following Adam's sin, God sets the keruvim and the bright blade of a revolving sword at the east of the Garden of Eden, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. From now on, the entrance into the Garden of Eden was from east to west.

 

• When the sons of Yaakov take their father's corpse for burial in the land of Cana'an, they enter from the east to the west.

 

Does this incident involve the principle that "the actions of the fathers is a sign for the sons," with the burial of Yaakov presaging the Israel's entry into the land? After having sojourned in the wilderness for forty years, it might have been expected that the people of Israel should enter the land of Israel from the south, rather than having to go around the lands of Edom and Moav to the east. It seems that entry from the east bears a certain importance.

 

This idea that the western side is the preferred side is also expressed at the Akeida and at Mount Sinai:

 

1. The Akeida

 

            The Rambam writes:

 

It is known that idolaters sought to build their temples and to set up their idols in the highest places they could find there: "Upon the high mountains." Therefore, Avraham our father singled out Mount Moriya, because of its being the highest mountain there, proclaimed upon it the unity of God, and determined and defined the direction toward which one would turn in prayer, fixing it exactly in the west. For the Holy of Holies is in the west. This is the meaning of the dictum of the Sages: The Shekhina is in the west. They, may their memory be blessed, have made clear in the gemara of the tractate Yoma that Avraham our father fixed the direction toward which one should turn in prayer, I mean the Temple of the Holy of Holies. In my opinion, the reason for this is as follows: Inasmuch as at that time the opinion generally accepted in the world was to the effect that the sun should be worshipped and that it is the deity, there is no doubt that all men turned when praying to the east. Therefore, Avraham our father turned, when praying on Mount Moriya – I mean in the sanctuary – toward the west, so as to turn his back upon the sun. Do you not see what the children of Israel did when they apostasized, became infidels, and returned to these pernicious views? "Their backs were toward the Temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east" (Yechezkel 8:16). (Guide of the Perplexed III:45)

 

            The Rambam argues that Avraham was the first to pray to the west, and this is the source of the sanctity of the Holy of Holies being in the west. The Rambam explains that Avraham's intention in doing so was to express a belief that opposed that of the idolaters, who bowed down to the sun in the east.[6]

 

            A certain repair of this situation is described in the mishna in Sukka:

 

When they arrived at the gate that led forth to the east, they turned their faces to the west and said: Our ancestors when they were in this place turned with their backs unto the Heikhal and their faces toward the east, and they prostrated themselves eastward towards the sun. But as for our eyes, they are turned to the Lord. R. Yehuda says: They used to repeat the words: We are for the Lord, and to the Lord our eyes are turned. (Sukka 51b)

 

2. Mount Sinai

 

            The Torah describes the encampment of the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai with the words: "And there Israel camped before (neged) the mountain" (Shemot 19:2). On this, the Mekhilta comments:

 

Wherever you find the term "neged," it is facing the east.

 

            In other words, the mountain faced east and Israel faced west. From here we see that at Mount Sinai as well, the people of Israel faced toward the west. Without a doubt, Mount Sinai symbolizes the Mikdash in many senses.[7]

 

            It turns out from what we have said thus far that the Mishkan was not the first time that faces were turned to the west. It was preceded by the Garden of Eden, the Akeida on Mount Moriya, and Mount Sinai. It is interesting that these three phenomena are connected to the resting of the Shekhina, and that in addition the Garden of Eden and the Akeida are directly connected to Mount Moriya.

 

            The conclusion that follows from this is that going west expresses in various ways drawing near to the Shekhina, whereas turning or being sent eastward implies distance from the Shekhina. This is certainly true in the world of the Mikdash, as well as with respect to Eretz Yisrael as a whole, and in regard to the relationship between the east and west banks of the Jordan.

 

(Translated by David Strauss)

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