With this shall Aaron come into the Sanctuary – with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on a sacred linen tunic; linen breeches shall be upon his flesh, he shall gird himself with a linen sash, and cover his head with a linen turban; they are sacred vestments – he shall immerse himself in water and then put them on. (Leviticus 16:3-4)
The Ba’al Shem Tov taught that in order to help alleviate others’ suffering or elevate them spiritually, one may need to descend to the level of those needing help in order to lift them out of their present circumstances or levels of consciousness. He found scriptural support for this teaching in the High Priest wearing only four simple white garments on Yom Kippur, instead of his eight special garments. By wearing the simple garments worn by the ordinary priests, the High Priest lowered himself to a level where he could relate to all those people he hoped to find atonement for.
This idea is expressed in Pirkei Avot (2:5): “Do not judge your fellow man until you have been in his position.” As we discussed earlier, the importance of empathy also explains, at least on a superficial level, why Aaron had to undergo the humiliating experience of being partly responsible for the Golden Calf. Aaron, who was to be the High Priest, needed to experience this sense of sin to some degree, so that he would be able to truly relate to all those who would come to the Tabernacle to do teshuvah (“Repentance and the Small Alef”). The Ba’al Shem Tov made this concept a central pillar of his educational philosophy.
There is a story told about Rabbi Shmuel, the fourth rebbe of Chabad (also known as the Maharash), who like most Chassidic rebbes advised those who came to him seeking blessings and spiritual guidance. His assistant was very puzzled that he was always soaked with sweat after tending to the needs of this continuous stream of people. The Rebbe explained to him that in order to be able to understand the situation of those in need he had to figuratively take off his own clothes and dress in their garments. Once he felt he truly understood their plights, he had to take off their clothes and put his own clothes back on in order to find the words necessary to impart the proper advice and provide them with hope. He explained to his assistant that changing clothes so many times in such a short period was an extremely arduous task; thus, he was always soaked with perspiration when he finished.
The Ba’al Shem Tov determinedly taught the importance of loving every Jew and all of creation; he stressed that in order to elevate others, one must risk lowering one’s self to their level. In taking this mission upon one’s self, the righteous individual endeavors to redeem all the fallen sparks and fulfill the Jewish people’s very purpose in the world.
