24 Tishrei: Pure Silver
PURE SILVER
Who will ascend upon G-d's mount, and who will stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…
(Tehillim 24:3-4)
Our sages compare the process of Moshiach’s revelation to the process of refining silver.
The process begins by exposing silver to extreme heat. This burns away some impurities. Others will remain solid and sink to the bottom of the ladle. When you pour off the liquid on top, you are left with pure silver. However, the process is not complete. The solid impurities at the bottom still contain traces of valuable elements, such as copper, and often even gold. You must further refine the impurities to obtain the value that is hidden within.
So too, Moshiach will be revealed through a two-step process. The first step will be ma'asim tovim, good deeds (representing the victory of the yetzer tov, selfless inclination, over the yetzer hara, selfish inclination). The second step will be teshuvah, repentance that purifies and reveals the inherent goodness within each Jew.
Maamarei Admur HaEmtza'i, Devarim, vol. 1, pg. 70
