Aspaqlaria

I'm sure a reasonable number of readers are wondering just what is an Aspaqlaria anyway, and why would someone choose it as the name of a blog?

The gemara contrasts Moshe's prophecy as being as though he saw through an "aspqalaria hame'irah", while those of other prophets was as through an "aspaqlaria she'einah me'irah". Similarly levels of wisdom between the earlier generations and the later are likened to the "aspqalaria hame'irah" and "aspaqlaria she'einah me'irah". Last, the gemara uses this contrast to describe different levels of experiencing the Divine Presence amongst the deceased in heaven.

The Arukh defines "aspaqlaria" as lapis specularis, a relatively transparent mineral used in ancient times for windows. It's a loan word whose root is the same as the English "spectacles" or "spectator" -- to see.

According to Rashi (Sukkah 45b) the "me'irah" here refers to a mirror. However, that could be a lens that is as clear as a mirror, or a mirror itself.

The rishonim on Keilim 30:2 (the Bartenura, Tif'eres Yisrael and Tosafos Yom Tov) define the aspaqlaria to be a mirror, and "hame'irah" would be "well lit". A translation of "mei'rah" that is appropriate if it means "window" as well. A clear view vs. a murkey view.

The Rambam's understanding of that mishnah could be either; the Tif'eres Yisra'el's understanding is that he says it's a mirror, the Tosafos Yom Tov understands the Rambam to translate "aspaqlaria" as "lens". Rabbi Bulman zt"l documents the linguistic and scientific roots of the disagreement.

The difference in the metaphor is profound. Is the means to prophecy and wisdom a lens to help us see a higher realm, or a mirror that helps us better see ourselves?

This touches on two topics I've written about before: First the hashkafic fork, as R' YG Bechhofer put it, between the chassid's focus on deveikus, on cleaving to G-d, and the misnageid's notion of the primacy of temimus, self perfection. See also my Machshavah Techilah column for Lekh-Likha which finds this dichotomy in Hashem's injuction to Avraham that he "his-haleikh lefanai veheyei samim -- walk himself before Me, and be whole."

Second, there is a debate between the Ramban and the Abarbanel's unserstanding of the Rambam as to the nature of prophecy. According to the Ramban, the prophetic experience is the transmission of a truth to the prophet using a dreamlike metaphor as a medium. The Abarbanel explains the Rambam as saying that the prophet peceives events actually occuring in higher realms, which his mind then clothes in the familiar when trying to make sense of it. This goes to the root of what was the "Man" in the chariot in Yechezqeil's vision. According to the Rambam, it had to be a created thing. According to the Ramban, the Man was a metaphor standing in for Hashem Yisbarakh. Again, this was discussed in a Machshavah Techilah column, this one for Mishpatim.

These topics are only being touched upon. They ought get a more full treatment in their own entries.