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 Torah Thoughts
This week, we read a double Torah portion.
The first is VaYakhel.
(Exodus 35:1-38:20) It contains 1 negative (“do not”) commandment and 122
verses.
VaYakhel is the
penultimate in a series of five Torah portions dealing with the construction
of the Tabernacle ("Mishkan" in Hebrew.)
The Torah thought below is a little more exigent than usual, but the message
is very important- so please accept the challenge! This piece, inter alia,
can be found on our web site www.jle.org
under "Torah Thoughts".
The idea that humans can create a "dwelling place" for the Divine
is truly awesome. G-d created man in His image and charged him with the
challenge of walking in His ways, imitatio Dei.
Nowhere is the concept expressed more tangibly than in the command to
construct the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Just as HaShem created a beautiful world to house His creatures,
so were we given the ability to weave and mould the elements of the physical
world and to fashion an abode for the Shechinah
(Divine Presence). The spirit of completion of the world and G-d's withdrawal from the creative process are echoed in
the command to desist from the construction of the Mishkan
on Shabbat.
The Mishkan serves as the source for the
thirty-nine categories of creative acts (melachot,
singular- melachah) prohibited on Shabbat. All
important acts required to build the Mishkan were
forbidden on Shabbat.
In the repetition of the Ten Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:12) the Jewish
People are exhorted to keep Shabbat "as HaShem
has commanded you". The Gemara (Sanhedrin 56b)
explains that the mitzvah of Shabbat was already commanded before the giving
of the Torah, soon after the exodus at Mara (see Rashi,
Exodus 15:25) We may ask how Bnei Yisrael (the Children of Israel) knew which acts were
forbidden on Shabbat before they knew about the Mishkan.
A possible solution may be found in Tosafot,
Medieval commentary on the Talmud, (Pesachim 117b).
Tosafot quoted a Midrash
(homiletic teachings of the Sages) that when Bnei Yisrael left Egypt; they were commanded to
keep Shabbat. What was the basis of this prohibition of melachah?
They were told that the thirty-nine types of backbreaking labor that they
performed as slaves in Egypt
were forbidden on Shabbat. We see that before the Mishkan,
Shabbat was defined by the negation of the slavery in Egypt.
There is an evolution of the Jewish People from a rabble of liberated slaves
to a Holy Nation which accepted the Torah and consummated the purpose of
creation with the construction of the Mishkan. We
thus see that these polar states of being of our People find expression in
the way in which the mitzvah of Shabbat was commanded. Perhaps we can learn
from this a deep lesson in terms of our relationship with Judaism.
Unfortunately
there are many Jews in America
who are connected to Judaism by bonds of barbed wire. The ghettos are their Jerusalem, the
gas-chamber- their Mishkan. The Holocaust defines
their Judaism; their raison d'etre is to negate
Hitler. Instead of building Yeshivot and
synagogues, they construct bleak monuments and memorials. The Holocaust and
the magnitude of its significance is not, Heaven forbid, to be minimized; but
if it becomes one's sole vision of Judaism, is it surprising that the next
generation is seeking more cheerful pastures?
In the early nineteen hundreds many Jewish immigrants exhibited tremendous
self-sacrifices in keeping Shabbat. Saturday was legally a work-day, and
those who did not come to work were fired. Many religious Jews were searching
for new jobs every week. In spite of their parents' fine example, many of the
next generation disappeared into the melting pot. Week after week they heard
the refrain "Es iz schver
tzu zain a Yid" -it
is difficult to be a Jew. They witnessed the sacrifice and the pain, without
being presented with the beauty and glory.
The Mishkan, the meeting-place of G-d and man,
possessed tremendous aesthetic beauty. It radiated light and splendor. It was
there that we rejoiced in our relationship with HaShem.
After the giving of the Torah and the construction of the Mishkan,
our Judaism became not merely a negation of oppression, but a positive
striving to build ourselves and fulfill our unique mission to reveal HaShem in the physical word.
We
should strive to imbue our every act, every mitzvah with joy. Shabbat should
not merely be a brief respite from the rat-race, but it should be a time for
singing zemirot, learning Torah, and basking in the
glow of our relationship with HaShem after the
completion of six days of creative construction of a great spiritual edifice,
the service of G-d.
May we soon merit participating, together with the entire Jewish People, in
the building of the final, everlasting physical-spiritual edifice.
#PikudeiThe second
portion read this week is Pikudei.
(Exodus 38:21-40:38) It contains no commandments and 92 verses. Pikudei is the last of a series of five Torah
portions dealing with the construction of the Tabernacle ("Mishkan" in Hebrew.) This is the final portion in
the book of Exodus. Next week we begin the book of Leviticus in our annual
cycle of reading the Torah.
There is a jingle on the radio advertising an academy offering skills to
promote upward mobility in the business world. They ask, “Are you tired of
working a job?” Then enticingly they say, “Would you like a career?” This
distinction can help us understand a perplexing paragraph in our Torah
portion.
The Torah, in describing the conclusion of the construction of the Tabernacle
states (Exodus 39:42-43):
"In accordance with everything that G-d commanded Moses, so the Children
of Israel did all the WORK ('Avodah').
And Moses saw all the WORK ('Melacha')
and behold, they had done it as G-d commanded, even so they had done it; and
Moses blessed them."
Why did the Torah have to repeat itself? We understood the first time that
the Jewish people did the work according to G-d's
specifications!
My mentor, Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik
of blessed memory, explained that a careful reading of the text will reveal
that two different Hebrew words for work are used. The first, 'Avodah',
implies work that is extraneous to the person executing the work- he is
performing an act in order to achieve a certain expected outcome, a purely
utilitarian function. The second word, 'Melacha',
connotes work which is art, a 'labor of love'. It is the expression of the
innermost thoughts and emotions of its producer.
In completing their mandate to build the Mishkan
(Sanctuary), the Israelite craftsmen carried out their project in accordance
with all the specifications ordered by G-d - they completed the 'Avodah'.
In addition to meeting the specifications, the artisans also imbued the
Tabernacle with their own personalities. The vessels and walls were saturated
with their love of G-d, just as a great artist pours his soul into his
creations, which are an expression of his innermost passion. Thus, the
functional 'Avodah'
was elevated to the level of passionate 'Melacha'.
It was only when Moses perceived both the Avodah
and the Melacha
aspects in the fruits of their labor that he bestowed his blessing.
When a parent or teacher is trying to educate a child, s/he is, in essence,
dedicating that child to G-d by imbuing the child with the values that we
hold so dear. In fact the Hebrew word for education, "Chinuch", is the same word used to describe the
dedication ceremony of the Tabernacle.
Parents
and teachers can follow all the rules and teach the child "by the
book" and yet still fail. It is possible to invest endless hours in a
child's education and still fail to see the blessing. "Avodah" is a starting point, but it is not a
guarantee for success.
Parents and teachers must educate children by expressing their innermost love
and by imbuing their lessons with passion for G-d and with the utmost
sincerity. They must ensure concord between their personal behavior and their
homilies. Educators must vanquish fatigue incurred with the rigors of
life, renew their own passion and strength, and inspire their young charges
with fiery enthusiasm. Only then will the beautiful 'melacha'
unfold before our eyes and be worthy of eternal blessing.
Parshat HaChodesh
Maftir
Exodus 12:1-20. On the Shabbat before the new Hebrew
month of Nisan, two Torah scrolls are taken out for the Torah reading.
The weekly portion is read from the first. A special section is read from the
second- the Maftir. This section describes the
mitzvah of sanctifying the New Moon. This was the first commandment given to
the Jewish People as a nation. The Jewish People were bequeathed the power to
declare the beginning of the month and thus determine which day the divinely
ordained festivals would be celebrated. We thus become G-d’s
“partners” in sanctifying time.
The celebration of Rosh Chodesh (the
New Moon) and the lunar component of the complex Jewish calendar are
emblematic of our People. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, the famed “singing rabbi” referred to the Jews
as the “Moon People”. There are times in our history when it seems as if we
are about to disappear completely, just as the moon does every month. Just
when it has all but vanished, the moon starts waxing once more. Throughout
the vicissitudes of Jewish history, our people glance at the moon once a
month and remember that we will always exist as people. There are times when
the light of G-d that we reflect is more detectable in the world, and there
are other times too.
This lesson applies in the life of the individual too. We can
experience serenity and equanimity in the face of adversity if we remember
that G-d’s light is constant and that
times of darkness pass and usher in increasing light.
Rosh Chodesh Nisan is observed on
Monday night and Tuesday, March 20.
The special Maftir also serves as a
reminder that Pesach is coming soon.
Haftara
Since we read the special Maftir
of HaChodesh, the Haftara
reflects its theme. The Haftara is Ezekiel
45:16-46:18. Rosh Chodesh (the new month of)
Nisan is mentioned in the Haftara. Its sacrifices
and those brought by the nassi (“prince”)
are mentioned.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Baruch Price
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