We're not just talking about fashion, but about how we clothe the Divine Presence itself.
Think about it: what is it that envelops God, so to speak? According to the Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei_Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei Zohar, specifically Tikkun 110, it's the "poor one." Now, that sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? But in Kabbalah, the "poor one" refers to the Shekhinah, the feminine aspect of God. She alone is His covering, His garment. As it says in Exodus 22:26, referring to the importance of returning a poor person's cloak at night, because it alone is their covering.
This "garment" isn't just any piece of cloth, though. It's connected to the very leather of the tfillin, the phylacteries that observant Jews bind to their arm and head during prayer. The Tikkunei Zohar makes a link to the verse in Genesis 3:21: "And Y”Y ELQYM made for Adam and his wife tunics of leather, and He dressed them." (Here, Y”Y ELQYM is a specific configuration of the divine name.)
Why leather? Why tfillin?
Well, the tfillin are more than just ritual objects. They are a tangible representation of our connection to God, a way of clothing ourselves – and, in turn, clothing the Divine – in holiness and remembrance. The leather represents a containing, a holding.
And what about those little boxes, the "housings" of the head tfillin? The Tikkunei Zohar tells us they symbolize EQYeQ, which corresponds to four scriptural sections: "Sanctify to Me..." (Exodus 13:2), "And it will be, when He shall bring you..." (Exodus 13:11), "Hear O Israel..." (Deuteronomy 6:4), and "And it will be, if you listen..." (Deuteronomy 11:13). These four sections, all found in the tfillin, collectively represent YQVQ, another permutation of the divine name.
Think of it this way: each time we put on tfillin, each time we recite the words within, we're not just performing a ritual. We're actively participating in the cosmic drama of clothing the Divine, of drawing closer to the Shekhinah, and of remembering our covenant with God.
So, the next time you see someone wearing tfillin, or perhaps even when you wear them yourself, remember this teaching from the Tikkunei Zohar. It's a powerful reminder that even the simplest acts can have profound spiritual significance, that even our clothing can be a form of prayer, and that we are all, in our own way, contributing to the ongoing work of tikkun olam, repairing the world.