MASVEH - THE HEBREW TERM FOR VEIL

A most profound Judaic concept is that the transcendent reality of God can be more fully realized by man if it is separated from him by a veil, (usually, though not always tangible). Though God cannot be seen, He can be sensed through the objects which serve as veils. When one kisses an objects (a veil of sorts) because it reminds one of God, it doesn't mean that he/she is worshipping that object, but rather the one whom he/she perceives to be on the other side of it. Various forms of nature can act of veils through which we see our Creator God. Yet many worship nature itself rather than embracing nature as a reminder of the One who created it! When those who know and honor God bend down to smell and reverence a flower, it is not the flower they bow to, it is the One whom they know created it. The various veils of our world serve a dual function. They both separate us from God, but also, ironically, connect us to Him. They give us something to cling to as we draw nigh unto Him, a way to sense Him until we can one day be with Him. Love meets at the veil. Our love transmits to Him, and His to us. Some veils provide us the ability to touch, smell, hear, taste, or see His love. I believe He perceives our return love in like manner. There was a literal veil which screened off the Holy of Holies at the Temple in Jerusalem. Behind this veil was the Ark of the Covenant. Over the Ark was the wings of the Cherubim. Talmudic sage Shimon ben Yochai believes there are actually three veils represented here. The Testimony of God is under the veil of the Mercy Seat of the Ark, the Mercy Seat is under the veil of the wings of the Cherubim, and the Cherubim are behind the veil of the Holy of Holies. Likewise, as Believers, we contain the Testimony of God, and we are under the veil of the blood of Yeshua as found on the Mercy Seat. Yeshua fell under the veil of the celestial realm when He left it to take on human form, and the celestial is under the veil of the Temple of the Living God, creator of all things! It is rather an awesome picture.

ne would be hard put to find any object so sacred to Judaism as the Western Wall of Jerusalem. In days gone by it aided in the support of the Temple Mount. Therefore it was physically attached to the foundation bed of the original Temple. Those who come to the wall to worship lean into it, embrace it, even kiss it. It is said that worshipers at the Wall believe that God somehow returns their love from the other side of this veil. The Mount of Olives is likewise a sacred veil, for here you have a view of the Temple Mount. Thus we have the wall being a veil that satisfies the touch and the Mount of Olives satisfying the visual.

However, the days for the enjoyment of the revered wall veil could be numbered. Templemount.org tells us that the bedrock of the southern area of the Temple Mount slopes down to the Kidron river some 47 meters below the Temple Mount. This problem was addressed when Herod added dirt to a height of 30 meters behind the walls. Supports were then added to the southeastern court of the Temple Mount platform. These supports were in the form of pillars, which formed underground halls beneath, known today as "Solomon's Stables." In the layout of the Temple Mount, we find the Triple Gate being 183 meters from the southwest corner and 90 meters from the southeast corner. Huldah Gates of the Second Temple were found here. Just south of the Al Aqsa Mosque is the Double Gate, where the other pair of Huldah Gates was found, as mentioned in the Mishnah (Middot 1,3). During the Second Temple period these two gates divided the Temple Mount wall roughly into thirds. A drain was run under the Temple Mount with tunnels and aqueducts under the Double and Triple Gates. Steps then led from this lower level to the courtyard above. The Temple courtyard was entered from the Huldah Gates. On 08/27/02, archaeologists of the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced that a collapse of the southern wall of the Temple Mount could be imminent. A bulge, first noticed after Tisha b'Av the previous year, had continued to expand. The collapse of the wall could also precipitate the collapse of the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, and potentially injure and kill many Islamic worshipers. Though attempts have now been made to strengthen the wall, we do not currently know the prognosis. As earthquakes have shaken the ground of Jerusalem a few times recently, that too could impact the catastrophic potential.

There seems to be a veil of sorts designated by the shofar. We hear the shofar during the month which precedes the Jewish New Year, as well as at the Festivals. The shofar is the horn of an animal, often a ram. It has no keys, and thus cannot provide a melody. It speaks by crying out, wailing, moaning, or shouting in sharp staccato blasts. It is used for warning, calling to assembly, and in acts of worship. Though Judaism is known for its musical form of worship, the center of attention is invariably the non musical blowing of the shofar. When it is blown, this musically inspired people stop and focus their full attention on the cry of the shofar. A moment of intense concentration of the entire assembly occurs at the call of the shofar. It is a moment when this veil of sound is profoundly felt in the hearts of the people. On the other side of the veil, the midrash indicates that when God hears the shofar, He rises from the seat of justice to sit on the throne of mercy.

Just as the shofar's voice sounds somewhat human but speaks no words, God's proper name is no longer to be spoken in the Judaic reckoning. The voice of God's name has been silenced for a time. The Judaic concept places God's name above the common language we have today, even as the sound of the shofar cannot be replicated via other musical instruments. Talmudic sage Shimon ben Yochai believes all of God's names, both generic AND the tetragrammaton were literally shut up within the Ark of the Covenant. The four letter tetragrammaton name of God occurs throughout the Hebrew Bible. It is Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay. The ancient Biblical manuscripts contained no vowel points or punctuation, but rather was an almost endless string of consonants. Observant Jews today do not attempt to pronounce the tetragrammaton, but rather use generic words to replace it. When praying, they may say Adonai. Often when they are not praying, they say HaShem (which simply means "the name").

Some Jewish scholars actually contend that when you pay no attention to the meanings of the words, change word boundaries freely, and slide the string of consonants in the Torah back and forth like beads on an abacus, the entire Torah becomes a string of names for God. This is Kabbalistic doctrine which also appears in the Zohar. Reading Torah in this manner, negates all other meaning, draining all meaning from the words as effectively as pulling the plug in a tub of water. It is emphasized that "not understanding" is actually much harder than "understanding". It is about like trying to "unlearn" your native language. Though this goal may seem counterproductive, it is not intended to REPLACE the meaning of the words of the Torah, but rather to add a beautiful layering to it - a layering which is another veil to the heart of God. The contention insists that there is more to the text of the Torah than its meaning, the extra layering, being one of absolute holiness.

The symbolic Judaic veil is impenetrable. It acts much as a bridal veil, truly being a veil of love. In a marriage today, the bridal veil is lifted when the bride marries her bridegroom. I long for the day when this happens for the Bride of Christ. I believe when this veil is lifted for the Bride, it will remove the barrier which now prevents her mind from complete perception of the universe and total unity with the Son. She can take the next steps in her transformation by the renewing of her mind (Romans 12:2) to the Mind of Christ. John 17:11 only hints at it, that we should become one as Yeshua and the Father are one.

Hebrews 6:18-20 tells us that HaShem has given "STRONG CONSOLATION" to those "heirs of His promise" who have "FLED FOR REFUGE" "to LAY HOLD UPON THE HOPE SET BEFORE US". Verses 19-20 of this passage reads:

Within the vast creation of God, there are many veils. It seems that He uses the dimensional veil frequently to limit our sight to those things which He wants us to see at this time. As we progress, we will see that these veils too will be lifted, and we will see the culmination of John 17:11!

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