Rav Hirsch explains this pasuk as meaning that unlike the false gods of the nations, Hashem is not jealous of man’s most glorious prosperity. Man may appear before Hashem’s presence in both glory of person and majesty of power. Actually it is only before Hashem’s countenance that man can truly attain these attributes.
The moral courage to deprive himself of that which is forbidden as well as the glory of the development of man’s full potential can only truly be acquired in Hashem’s sanctuary. The word tiferes, splendour is the fullest development of the glory that lies within any being. Tiferes comes from the root פאר which itself is related to the word באר, which means ‘to become clear, lucid or visible’. Although Rav Hirsch does not mention this, the word באר also means ‘well’ through which one draws up water that lies deep beneath the surface.
Hashem’s sanctuary is not a place of destruction, rather it is an environment where all of man’s moral and spiritual greatness can unfold. It is from this place that man can derive all the salvation that is within his ability to attain.
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