"Spiritual Beauty"

Blessed?..."Who crowns Israel with Beauty" (Oter Yisrael Betif-Arah). This blessing is connected to how we must cover our heads. Covering of the head serves as a deep meaning associated with the fear of heaven. Covering our heads is a realization that G-d is above us and fills the whole world with His glory. "How abundant are your works Hashem; with wisdom you made them all, the earth is full of your possessions? (Tehilim 104:24). We cover our heads with a crown of beauty to acknowledge that G-d has crowned us with "Spiritual Beauty" to carry out his commandments.

Rabbi Shimon says: "There are three crowns, the crown of Torah, the crown of Priesthood and the crown of Kingship; but the crown of a good name surpasses them all" (Pirkei Avot 4:17). A person can hold a position of power and influence but without a good name the crowns are worthless. The crown of Torah, Priests and Kings are all gifts from G-d. The crown of a good name is left entirely in our hands. It is our responsibility to elevate our names with "Spiritual Beauty" to be worthy of the three crowns. "A good name is better than precious oil" (Kohelet 7:1). What is "Spiritual Beauty"?

"Spiritual Beauty" is the quality in a person that gives pleasure to the senses which exalts the mind or spirit. Humility is an exceptional character trait we must possess to experience "Spiritual Beauty".  Humility is not having or showing any feelings of superiority. We learn modesty and humility by imitating the traits of the Almighty. When appearing to Moshe for the first time, G-d chose a small thorn bush instead of a majestic tree. Instead of choosing the highest mountains to give us the Torah, he chose the smallest and most humble of mountains. We learn from G-d that we must act with humility towards our fellow man. "G-d encourages the humble, he lowers the wicked to the ground" (Tehilim 147:6).

"Before a calamity a man's heart is haughty, but honor goes before humility" (Mishley 18:12).  Arrogance is a feeling or an impression of superiority. There are times in one's life when one descends to arrogance. An arrogant person attributes success to his own accomplishments, rather than showing gratitude to the Almighty. A humble person places his faith and trust that the Almighty is involved in all facets of his success and demonstrates gratitude. The most common way one can return back to the Almighty is by conducting himself in a humble manner. "He leads the humble in a just way, and teaches the humble His way" (Tehilim 25:9).

The key to humility is to recognize that G-d is above us and is the one who graciously inculcates us with Wisdom, Intelligence and Understanding. Our knowledge of G-d?s presence is a template for us to appreciate the crown of "Spiritual Beauty". "You graciously endow man with wisdom and teach insight to a frail man. Endow us graciously from Yourself with Wisdom, Understanding and Intelligence. Blessed are you, gracious giver of knowledge" (Amidah 4^th Blessing). "We shall thank you and elevate your praise for our lives which are committed to Your power and for our souls entrusted in You; for Your miracles that are with us everyday" (Modim- Thank you part of Amidah).

Let's hope and pray that G-d grants us the ultimate crown of "Spiritual Beauty" by crowning Israel with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Amen.