The Royal Wedding

With the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate in England today, many people's minds were on royalty. I, too, was thinking about royalty, as I was learning Chapter 42 of the Jewish mystical book Tanya, last night. It's one of my favorite passages of Tanya. Let's take a look at the words of the author, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi:

'One should remember that, as in the case of a mortal king, the essence of awe [of him] relates to his inner nature
and vitality and not to his body - for when he is asleep, there is no fear of him - and, surely, his inner character
and vitality are not perceived by physical eyes but only by the vision of the mind, through the physical eyes beholding his
stature and robes, and making the beholder aware of the vitality that is clothed in them.
If this be so, one must likewise truly be in awe of G-d when gazing with your physical eyes at the heavens and earth and all
that fills them, wherein is clothed the Infinite Light of G-d that animates them.
And although many garments are involved in this investment, there is no difference or distinction at all in the awe of a mortal
king, whether he be naked or robed in one or many garments.'

Simply put, the awe of a king - of royalty - happens because a person seeing him realizes (through his clothing, etc.) who he is.
So too when it comes to the true King - Hashem. When surveying the natural world we live in, we don't necessarily notice G-d.
But if we contemplate, that all of the world that we see, is really just the clothing of G-d, than we can be aware of the One Who Animates the clothing.

Through being aware that the nature we see is just the garments of the King, may we merit the ultimate wedding of G-d and the Jewish People, a greater event than even today's grand affair!

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel