vayakhelpekudei2021

vayakhelpekudei2021

Homes and Unity – Vayakhel-Pekudei

 

Vayakhel and Pekudei, the last two parshas in ספר שמות describe the actual building of the Mishkan.

The planning stages were in Truma and Tetzaveh, where Hashem reveals every detail of the construction to Moshe and continues in Ki Tisa with the appointment of Betzalel and Oholiav. Vayakhel details the actual construction process and Pekudei gives a final reckoning and summary after construction has been completed.

The Torah teaches us that a project on the scale of the Mishkan and the Beit Hamikdash cannot be impromptu. It requires meticulous, detailed planning ahead of time, recruitment of the most qualified personnel and meticulous and transparent adherence to the plan. It is diametrically opposite to the dogma of נעשה ונשמע uttered by עם ישראל before they received the Torah, a spontaneous willingness to get going before hearing all the details. Building the Mishkan was a process of נשמע ונעשה.

When it comes to building and running a Mishkan or a Mikdash, spontaneity is not part of the equation. It has to meticulously follow the Divine guideline without the slightest deviation. We see this when Nadav and Avihu tried to offer a קרבן spontaneously, they suffered the direst of consequences. If someone wants/needs to bring a Korban, there is a specific list of acceptable Korbanot that are rigorously defined. Nobody can arrive at the Mikdash and say “I feel like giving a Korban of orchids or a Mincha made with cornflour”.  Similarly the order of the Korban is unbending, for example the Lechem Hapanim may not be eaten until the Levonah is burnt on the מזבח.

The Divine plan for the Mishkan/Mikdash is rigid and inflexible because it represents uncompromising perfection in the service of Hashem. Even Shlomo Hamelech who added 10 Menorot and 10 Shulchanot in his Heichal and constructed two additional, large Kruvim alongside the Aron and its Kruvim in the Kodesh Hakodashim - did not do this of his own volition, it was pre-dictated תורה למשה מסיני. When the נשיאים brought their Korbanot for the חנוכת המזבח in parshat Naso, they all brought exactly the same Korban, albeit with different kavanot, but the same, fixed Korban nevertheless.

The only hint at spontaneity regarding the Mishkan was the outpouring of generosity among Am Yisrael to donate raw materials. But even here, there was a “cap” placed on the donations - when they reached the limit they were told to stop. In any public/national organization, NPO, if you collect more money than planned, that money is put to good use to further the aims of the organization or kept in reserve for a rainy day. I have never heard of an NPO that will refuse to accept more donations. In the Mishkan however there was a specific quota and that’s it! Just because there was a surplus of gold, silver or any other of the required materials, they didn’t build an extra מזבח (for the overflow minyan) or an additional כיור for washing your face.

After such a background of rigidity and specificity, we surprisingly find a glaring discrepancy, both in Hashem’s instructions as to the order of the construction of the Mishkan project and its relationship to Shabbat.

In parshat Truma, Hashem commands Moshe to first build the various כלים, the Aron, the Shulchan, the Menorah etc. followed by the Mishkan structure, the covers, walls, beams, etc.

However, in last week’s parsha (Ki Tisa) and again in this week’s (Vayakhel), the order is reversed - first the Mishkan with the covers, walls, beams and only then the כלים, the Aron, the Shulchan, the Menorah etc. and it is not Moshe who is commanded to build it, but Betzalel and Oholiav.

If the elements in the Mishkan are rigid and unchanging, surely the order of their construction and the identity of its builders should similarly be so?

In last week’s parsha (Ki Tisa) the description of building the Mishkan precedes the prohibition of work on Shabbat, hinting that the importance of building the Mishkan overrides Shabbat (as it does regarding the service in the Mishkan – Korbanot are sacrificed on Shabbat).

In this week’s parsha (Vayakhel) it starts with Shabbat and then proceeds to describe the building of the Mishkan, hinting the opposite – that the importance of Shabbat precedes the building of the Mishkan.

So what is going on here? With so much rigidity why do we encounter these uncharacteristic fluctuations?

Another question is what is the difference between making the כלים first or the Mishkan structure first?

Finally, which is more important, Shabbat or building the Mishkan?

The sefer Ohel Yehoshua explains that in fact Hashem had two distinct plans to build the Mishkan. The first, plan A, was prior to חטא העגל but because of Am Yisrael sinning, that was changed to the second plan, plan B.

The sefer Be’er Moshe compares the two “sections” of the Mishkan, the כלים and the Mishkan structure. There was only one of each of the כלים - one Aron, one Shulchan, one Menorah, one מזבח, etc. - corresponding to Hashem – One. The Mishkan structure on the other hand had many covers, many קרשים, many אדנים etc. – corresponding to Am Yisrael. The Be’er Moshe explains that the purpose of the single כלים was to give honor to HKB”H. while the purpose of the multiple parts of the structure was to give honor to Am Yisrael.

So using the שיטה of the Be’er Moshe, there were two plans. Plan A puts HKB”H first (all the single כלים) and Am Yisrael second (the multiple parts). When Am Yisrael sinned with the חטא העגל however, this was changed to plan B, Am Yisrael (the multiple parts) first and Hashem (all the single כלים) second.

I will attempt to interpret this “switch” on multiple levels. Firstly, on a historical level -

When Am Yisrael received the Torah on Har Sinai they were perfectly united ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר – כאיש אחד בלב אחד. Only when we are in a state of such perfect unity can we be totally and uncompromisingly focused on serving Hashem. This was plan A, creating a Mishkan with Hashem as the starting, focal point, built byעבד ה' , Moshe Rabeinu himself, and by him alone.

Then Am Yisrael sinned with the עגל, according to some commentaries - they all danced around the same עגל. According to other commentaries - each tribe made a separate “tribal” עגל, in addition to the central one. The men participated eagerly while the women refrained. Hur objected and was killed, Aharon tried to sway and delay, but was unsuccessful, the tribe of Levi did not participate at all……. Am Yisrael lost their perfect unity and became split into different כיתות. With everyone going off on their own tangent, no one had the time or inclination to totally focus on HKB”H. Under these circumstances, a nation divided, you cannot possibly build a Mishkan or Mikdash whose essence is שלום.

So Hashem had to resort to plan B, which began by rebuilding and restoring the unity in Am Yisrael and only when that was in place, then directing the focus to where it was originally intended – to HKB”H.

To restore the unity, you start by working on Am Yisrael, or the part of the Mishkan that corresponds to Am Yisrael – the בית, the multiple part structure. To build it you recruit all parts of the nation – the “high” tribe – Yehuda (Betzalel), the “low” tribe – Dan (Oholiav) and all others in between כל חכם לב. Only after unity has been restored can you begin filling the “house” with content, construction of the elements belonging to HKB”H, the כלים.

It is interesting to compare the lead characters “involved” with חטא העגל.

Hur paid with his life in his unswerving מסירות נפש to Hashem, but he did not attempt to sway Am Yisrael and unite them.

Moshe had taken no part in the sin, he was on Har Sinai learning Torah at the time, but he was seemingly punished – he did not end up building the Mishkan as originally intended in plan A. Why did Moshe deserve that?  Moshe ultimately was the leader, the people were his responsibility and if they had descended to such a low level, it was because of something lacking in his leadership that allowed that to happen. כי שחת עמך Hashem said to him – your people have sinned. How can you continue to sit here in Yeshiva learning Torah while your people are falling apart?

Moshe understood this and that is why he later begged HKB”H to forgive Am Yisrael at the cost of his completely being erased from the Torah! It was not only for the failing of Am Yisrael that he was entreating Hashem, like a רעיה מהימנא – a faithful shepherd of his flock, but as someone who shared culpability for their failing.

Of the three, Aharon, who played a “major” role in the sin, seems to have been treated least harshly. Perhaps because his one and only intention was to protect Am Yisrael and repair the crumbling unity.

The tribe of Levi never participated in the sin, but they never did anything to stop it either. After Moshe returned from the mountain they all rallied to him, but what about before Moshe returned? Why was the tribe of Levi not so zealous then to at least try prevent חטא העגל before it spiraled out of control? It was not as if they were outnumbered – only 3000 people were later killed, the main participants in the sin - while Levi numbered in the tens of thousands. The tribe of Levi was not exactly timid either.

I have not seen this aspect addressed anywhere. Perhaps because of this Levi was not given the primary role in the Mishkan, which was instead given to Aharon and his descendants the Kohanim - the same Aharon who was the only one who tried to preserve unity.

It is a “gevaldige” פשט with incredibly sobering contemporary ramifications. Unity within Am Yisrael is a prerequisite for גאולה, without unity – there will be no 3rd Beit Hamikdash!

The next level of interpretation is in a contemporary vein.

We believe the rebirth of our nation in the last century to be the אתחלתא דגאולה. Before the 3rd Mikdash is rebuilt however, the prerequisite is a בית, a return to ארץ ישראל and the restoration of our nation.

Interestingly enough HKB”H chose the contemporary rebuilders of Eretz Israel to be the secular, non-religious part of our nation. In fact the vast majority of the Torah/Rabbinic establishment at the time of Herzl was violently opposed to the idea. It was these secular Jews who HKB”H chose to rebuilt the בית. They were so singularly focused on their goal that they did not plan for what would happen after they were done! OK, we have our flat in Netanya by the sea, our villa in Savyon, now what?!!!

So obviously, based on the above, after construction of the בית, you start filling it with כלים, with values and ערכים – The Aron – Torah, the Shulchan, Menorah, Mizbeach – Middot, and Oh boy! do we have institutions for Torah, Yeshivas of all shapes and sizes, by the tens of thousands. We have unprecedented numbers of Ulpanot, Talmudei Torah, Kollelim, Seminars ……

But hold on a minute רבותי, you cannot start working on the כלים until the בית is finished and it is not finished! There is no unity in Am Yisrael, we are a house divided. Reform Jews in America, Charedim in Bnei Brak, Secular, left-wing Jews in Tel Aviv, Settler right-wing Jews in Bet-El. We are not only lacking unity, each one with our own “tribal” עגל, we are re-enacting the debacle that preceded the destruction of Bayit Sheini with an unprecedented level of שנאת חינם amongst us, which existed 2000 years ago, dissipated during the 1950 years of galut, but has reared its ugly head again! We all know what שנאת חינם resulted in 1950 years ago – we have not yet even rebuilt the בית and we are already on a slippery slope to destroying it, again?!  The year of COVID-19 has been a kind of a magnifying glass that has exposed and highlighted our weakest and most vulnerable point

So how do we, בני תורה, stop it and repair the unity in Am Yisrael? You don’t do it by segregating yourselves and studying Torah in Yeshivas! HKB”H reprimanded Moshe – לך רד כי שחת עמך. What are you doing sitting here in the ivory tower learning Torah, while Am Yisrael is falling apart? Yes, you have achieved incredible heights, almost the level of the angels, but to fix the ills of Am Yisrael you must רד, you must go down a level and look Am Yisrael in the eye – on their level and elevate them.

Those of us who live in a world of Torah need to go “down” and reconnect with the rest of Am Yisrael who don’t. We are trying to be a beacon of light to the entire nation, but in order to do so, you need to share that light, not just project it. Those who are deficient in Torah are not solely to blame, we are too – because we have not succeeded in mekareving them. I’m not Lubavitch and I am not suggesting that everyone become Lubavitch, but we should all try be a little more like them – then maybe our nation would look a little better.

Yes we need Yeshivas to teach our children Torah, but we are not in the גאולה  yet that we should all be sitting איש תחת גפנו ואיש תחת תאנתו studying Torah all day! The צו השעה right now is that after we have acquired Torah, not to repeat the sin of the מרגלים and continue to live in our own cocoon.  Armed with Torah, we need to go out of our cocoon and live and work amongst Am Yisrael – especially those who have not had the privilege of Torah, because of their environment, their upbringing, etc. and shine the light of Torah on them with love and chessed, bringing them truly back home to the real בית, to who we really are - the Twelve Tribes, sons of Yisrael, Yitzchak and Avraham – the Am Segulah.

HKB”H fixed the problem of disunity by bringing together ALL parts of Am Yisrael, from Yehuda to Dan and mobilizing them on a national project of building multiple beams, אדנים, coverings, all joined together, interlocking in a single unit that was the Mishkan. Only then did they start working on the כלים.

What feasible project could we possibly find today that could achieve that purpose? We need to look no further than the first psukim of this week’s parsha Vayakhel. Before the חטא העגל the issue of Shabbat follows the building of the Mishkan, but after the sin and the disunity in Am Yisrael, Vayakhel first begins with Shabbat and then moves on to the building of the Mishkan.

 I humbly think that in this specific time and place, the national project we need to all work on together is Shabbat – a nation-wide mobilization in which every facet of our nation, from Reform to Charedi and everything in between, all wrack our brains together, respectfully, as equals, trying to come up with an acceptable model for Shabbat  that is sustainable. We cannot expect a secular Jew in Tel Aviv to suddenly, tomorrow, start observing ל"ט מלאכות and all the תולדות. It’s just not going to happen. We have to define a baseline which is not ideal, perhaps not even acceptable halachicly, but that has room for upward growth and we, the בני תורה need to dedicate ourselves to ensuring that upward growth by being mekarev Am Yisrael with love and chessed.

We all need to apply pressure on our leaders that they make this project – of restoring unity to Am Yisrael, the highest priority.

The final level I would like to touch on briefly, to wrap up, is the personal level.

The Mishkan/Mikdash is just a reflection of our own personal Mikdash, the Mikdash שבתוכנו. To build a Mikdash, even within ourselves - we need unity, we need our own personal בית to have אחדות. There has to be unity between our physical bodies, the נפש and our spiritual נשמה. Our יצר הרע works 24/7 trying to prevent us from achieving that unity. Only when we have that unity, that בית, can we truly start to work on our כלים, our middot. Each כלי in the Mishkan/Mikdash addresses a different area of our middot, for example the Shulchan Lechem Hapanim addresses the מדה of איזהו עשיר השמח בחלקו and יושר in our business dealings and our interactions with others. But first we need to control our יצר and for everyone the challenge is different – anger, lack of patience, greed, dishonesty, pride, disloyalty, etc. etc. there is no shortage of things to fix in ourselves, each one with their personal challenge(s).

This Shabbat is Shabbat Hachodesh, where we herald the month of Nisan, the month of the גאולה, the month we were freed from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. Today baruch Hashem we are not physically in bondage, but we are all, in varying degrees, slaves to our יצר הרע. Let us all make an exceptional effort to cast off the shackles of our personal יצר הרע and our national יצר הרע, and enter חג הפסח truly as בני חורין in the knowledge that we are the privileged few, to be living in this unique day and age where we have the power in our hands (literally) to bring the גאולה, the mashiach and the rebuilding of the בית המקדש, בבי"א.

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