Our Gemara on Amud Beis describes the process by which the cohanim performed the required ablutions:
“The Sages taught: How is the mitzvah of sanctification of the hands and feet performed? The priest lays his right hand on top of his right foot, and his left hand on top of his left foot, and sanctifies them with the water flowing from the Basin.
Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, says: He lays both his hands one on top of the other, and lays them together on top of both his feet, themselves laid one on top of the other, and sanctifies them.
They said to him: You have gone too far; it is impossible to do so.
The Gemara notes: The claim against Rabbi Yosei is cogent; it seems impossible to assume such a position without losing one’s balance. Rav Yosef says: Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Yehuda, meant that the priest would assume the position while another priest would help him maintain his balance.”
What is the meaning of this process of hands on top of feet, and Rabbi Yosei’s even more intense process of both hands and feet together? Be’er Mayyim Chayyim (Bereishis 1:1) offers a mystical interpretation. There is a metaphysical place where heaven meets earth, physically enacted via the Even Hashesiya, the foundational stone midrashically said to be the original formation point of the earth, which was in the Holy of Holies. (It is possible that the Rock in the Dome of the Rock is that same Even Hashesiya.) This formation represents the continuous feedback from Heaven to Earth and back. There is a mystical interdependence where the volitional seeking of God from the material world inspires and draws down His blessings. The act of hands upon feet, with a simultaneous flow of water, symbolizes that connection.
Taking this symbolism further, we can read this into the dispute of Rabbi Yosei and the sages. Rabbi Yosei seeks an absolute connection, even more intense by combining both hands and feet. His colleagues object that this is not possible—that this degree of spiritual concentration is unsustainable in the physical world. The answer: yes, it is sustainable when his fellow priests help him maintain balance.
Sometimes the urge of a spiritual person is to disappear and leave the world behind, or to become frustrated with the legal technicalities of worship when he feels the call of spiritual ecstasy. The dark side of too many rituals and procedures is plodding, dull worship, but the dark side of spiritual yearning and excess is antinomianism. The dangers of spiritual fervor are tempered by feedback from colleagues who help maintain balance.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
Free resource for couples/families:
Over 80 lectures on heathy communication, marriage and sexuality from a Torah perspective Click here
If you liked this, you might enjoy my Relationship Communications Guide. Click on the link above.
Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com