As we enter the holy space of a synagogue, we recite the psalmist's words of love and awe:
ה', אָהַבְתִּי מְעוֹן בֵּיתֶךָ; וּמְקוֹם מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶךָ.
"O Eternal One, I love the abode of Your house, and the dwelling-place of Your glory" (Psalms 26:8).
What is the difference between these two descriptions of God’s sanctuary: מְעוֹן בֵּיתֶךָ, “the abode of Your house," and מְקוֹם מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶךָ, “the dwelling-place of Your glory"?
True Love and Self-Love
Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, renowned for his sharp-witted sayings, was a fearless champion of truth. Once, he noticed a student enjoying a fillet of fish.
“Why are you eating the fish?" the rabbi asked.
Surprised by the question, the young man replied, “Because I love fish!"
“And is it because you love the fish so much that you killed and cooked it? If you really loved the fish, you would have let it live in the water!"
“The truth is," the rabbi observed, “that you do not love the fish. You love yourself. Because the fish gratifies your appetite, you killed and ate it."
Two Stages of Love
This verse describes the psalmist’s mental preparation for prayer. It presents two stages in our experience of God’s presence, beginning with personal delight and culminating in a love that transcends the self.
The first stage is expressed in the words: “I love the abode of Your house!" As we enter a sacred place, we experience the uplifting power of holiness. Our souls are stirred by the sanctity, inspiration, and spiritual delight we find there.
Yet this love is still connected to our sense of self. We love the experience of being in a holy place and the spiritual pleasure it gives us. We are conscious of ourselves as those who stand in מְעוֹן בֵּיתֶךָ, “the abode of Your house." Our perspective remains centered on our own experience: we love, we feel, we are inspired.
The second stage is expressed in the words מְקוֹם מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶךָ, “the dwelling-place of Your glory." Here the experience of holiness deepens, and the love itself is refined and purified. The self no longer occupies the center. There is no longer an awareness of oneself as the one who loves. The focus has shifted entirely from our own experience to God’s presence and glory.
There is no longer מְעוֹן, an abode in which the self stands and experiences. There is only מְקוֹם מִשְׁכַּן כְּבוֹדֶךָ, the dwelling-place of God’s glory.
This is a love without parallel in the physical realm, a love that transcends the distinction between the one who loves and the object of that love. It is an extraordinary experience of boundless, eternal attachment to God, reflected in the words: “My flesh and my heart cease; God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever" (Psalms 73:26).
Having attained this lofty love, the psalmist is ready to enter the majesty of sublime prayer.
(Adapted from OlatRe’iyah vol. I, p. 44, sent by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, RavKookTorah.org)
