Jewish tradition grapples with this very idea, especially when it comes to the Torah, the Law.
Rabbi Ishmael, a central figure in mystical Jewish thought, shares a fascinating teaching from Rabbi Akiba, quoting Rabbi Eliezer the Great, in the Heikhalot Rabbati, a key text of the Heikhalot literature, which explores heavenly palaces and mystical ascents. What did Rabbi Akiba say? "From the day when the Law was given to Israel until the last Temple was built, the Law was given, [but] its majesty was not given.”
Think about that for a second. The Law, the Torah, was given. The instructions were there. But something vital, something essential, was withheld.
What was missing? According to Rabbi Akiba, as recounted in Heikhalot Rabbati, it was a whole host of qualities: majesty, preciousness, glory, greatness, beauty, terror, reverence, fear, richness, loftiness, exaltation, trembling, splendor, strength, rule, and might. Quite a list, right? It paints a picture of something far beyond mere rules and regulations.
It's like having a beautiful musical score, but no orchestra to bring it to life. You have the notes, but not the feeling, the power, the sheer awe of the music.
And here's the real kicker: all these missing qualities, this lack of complete divine presence, persisted “until the last Temple was built and the Shekhinah did not dwell in it.” The Shekhinah, often translated as the divine presence, is the immanent aspect of God that dwells among us. The Temple, the holiest place in Judaism, was meant to be its earthly home.
But, according to this teaching, even when the Temple stood in all its glory, the Shekhinah, in its fullness, was absent.
Why? The text doesn’t explicitly say. But we can infer. Perhaps these qualities—majesty, awe, and so on—aren't just given. Maybe they need to be earned. Perhaps they arise from the way we engage with the Law, from our devotion, our understanding, and our willingness to be transformed by it. Maybe the presence of the divine is not just a gift, but an active relationship.
This idea challenges us. It means that simply having the words of the Torah isn't enough. We have to strive to bring its full potential into being. We need to seek out the missing majesty, the hidden glory, the terrifying reverence. We have to work to make the Shekhinah truly dwell among us, even without a physical Temple.
So, how do we do that? How do we access those missing elements? It's a question that has driven Jewish mystical exploration for centuries. And perhaps, in the asking, we begin to find the answer. Perhaps, the very act of seeking is what unlocks the door.