The Secret of Standing in the King's Palace: The Significance of Every Movement
Lesson No. 27 | Wednesday, 14 Tammuz (continued from No. 26), Thursday, Friday, 15-16 Tammuz, Parashas Pinchas 5755
A discourse explaining the immense sensitivity required of every person, especially in Jerusalem, stemming from the realization that we are always in the King's palace. Through the conduct of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz zt"l and the Talmudic account of Yissachar of Kfar Barkai, it is explained how every small movement of ours either builds or destroys worlds.
The prophet Isaiah says:
"Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful habitation, a tent that shall not be taken down."
The question arises: How can Jerusalem be called a "peaceful habitation"? After all, it is said of it, "Righteousness lodged in it," and from a spiritual perspective, Jerusalem is like a sea of knives. A person who walks out into the street in Jerusalem must know that he is walking on a bed of knives. For every improper thought or contemplation, one immediately receives the punishment. It is not like other places where the reckoning is postponed for the future. In Jerusalem, at every moment and every second, a person is being judged.
Why is this so? Because here, we are in the presence of the King. When a person is in the King's palace, for every small movement that is out of place—he is immediately banished outside.
The Preparation of Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz
Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz zt"l said that when he truly wanted to pray with deep intention, he would sometimes prepare himself for eight full days for a single prayer. Throughout all those days, he would carefully watch over his every single movement. He guarded himself from making any unnecessary movement, any gesture of mockery, or any motion of disrespect.
Every movement a person makes carries immense significance. With a single uncalculated movement, a person can destroy entire worlds. A person must be careful with his every movement, because he does not know how he is overturning worlds. One's movements must be measured, clear, and calculated, stemming from the understanding that we are standing before the King of kings.
A Single Movement of Disrespect
The Talmud in Tractate Pesachim (57a) tells of Yissachar of Kfar Barkai, who was a Kohen Gadol (High Priest). Once, King Yannai and the Queen were sitting and arguing about which meat was tastier—sheep or goat. They called for Yissachar, who was a Kohen Gadol offering sacrifices every day, to decide between them. When he answered that the goat was better, he made a dismissive gesture with his hand toward the King.
For that single movement he made before the King, the King ordered his right hand to be cut off. He tried to offer a bribe so they would cut off his left hand instead, and when this was discovered—they cut off both of his hands.
From this, we learn a tremendous foundational principle: As is the earthly kingdom, so is the Heavenly Kingdom. A person must feel that he is standing before the King of kings twenty-four hours a day. It is forbidden to make any movement of disrespect. Even when a person eats alone in the innermost chambers, he must know that he is sitting at the King's table. "I have set Hashem before me always"—the Great King, the Holy One, Blessed be He, whose glory fills the entire earth, stands over him and observes his deeds.
The Voice of the Soul
If so, who will teach a person how to conduct himself at every moment? "The soul of a person will teach him." A person's soul teaches him at every single second, regarding every movement, every word, and every utterance—what he must do. The Chafetz Chaim zt"l says that when a person speaks idle words, his soul screams at him: "Stop talking!" It is the same with the eyes; the soul begs to close them and not to look at forbidden things.
After one hundred and twenty years, when a person departs from this world, he will give a strict accounting for his every single movement. They will show him how he overturned entire worlds, or Heaven forbid, destroyed worlds, just because of a single incorrect movement, an improper word, or even a sneer of the nose. Therefore, we must listen to the voice of the soul, which guides us at every moment on how to stand properly in the King's palace.
Part 2 of 4 — Lesson No. 27