Hamaayan / The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Vayakhel-Pekudei: See Through the Fog Volume XVIII, No. 22 27 Adar 5764 March 20, 2004 Sponsored by Bobbi and Jules Meisler in memory of father Irving Meisler a"h Elaine and Jerry Taragin in memory of Asriel Taragin a"h Today's Learning: Taharot 1:3-4 O.C. 179:1-3 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Chullin 57 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Ketubot 44 In this week's two parashot we read of the construction of the Mishkan / Tabernacle. When it was completed, we are told, "The cloud covered the Ohel Mo'ed / Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Tabernacle." The cloud is a reference to the fact that Hashem's presence in our world is hidden, taught R' Zvi Yehuda Kook z"l (1891-1982; rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Merkaz Harav and mentor of the National Religious Party). He expounded further: When one sees a rainbow, he must recite a blessing. A rainbow is multicolored; so, too, G-d is revealed in the world in many different ways. [This is a play on the Hebrew word for "multicolored."] One is forbidden to diminish the greatness of G-d [i.e., His ability to reveal Himself in so many different ways], but unfortunately, this occurs both among the religious and among the heretics. Sometimes, a brilliant flash of the Divine light occurs in the physical world. When Avraham went to the akeidah, "he saw the cloud from afar." This means that Avraham saw a manifestation of the Divine with his physical eyes. It is possible to "meet" G-d even when He appears in a cloud; indeed, in the haftarah for Parashat Pekudei [which is not read today because it also is Parashat Hachodesh] we read, "Hashem has said that we should dwell in the fog." There also are clouds that lead us on the way, just as Bnei Yisrael experienced in the desert. It is easy to sanctify G-d's Name when one is among angels. The uniqueness of the Jewish people and its very purpose is to sanctify G- d in this world, amid its earthiness and materialism (including, writes R' Kook, being an active participant in the State [of Israel] and its armed forces). This ultimately demonstrates the sanctity of Torah study. Such is the meaning of the Vilna Gaon's teaching that a Jew's soul belongs to the earth. Man's mission is to relate G-d's greatness in this world, with all of its complications, as we say in the Rosh Hashanah prayers, "You are revealed in thick clouds of purity." (Sichot Harav Zvi Yehuda, p. 409) ******** "Moshe assembled the entire assembly of Bnei Yisrael and said to them: `These are the things that Hashem commanded, to do them'." (35:1) Why does it say "to do them"? In fact, what follows is a negative commandment - what one should not do on Shabbat! R' Chaim Meir Hager z"l (1888-1972; the VizhnitzerRebbe) explains: What Moshe was commanding them "to do" is what he did - "assemble the assembly." Only among a large group gathered for the purpose of singing zemirot and sharing Torah thoughts can Shabbat be observed to its fullest. (Quoted in Otzrotaihem Shel Tzaddikim) ******** "All the gold that was made for the work [of the Mishkan] -- for all the holy work . . ." (38:24) Should not the verse have said, "All the gold that was used for the work . . ."? R' Yisrael de Kureal z"l (rabbi in Tzefat) answers: Everything that was created, was created so that something of that type or species could be used to serve Hashem. For example, all gold was created so that some of it could be used to build the Mishkan and to perform other mitzvot. Thus, our verse is literally correct - "All the gold that was made for the work [of the Mishkan]." (Quoted in Otzrotaihem Shel Tzaddikim) ******** "And from the 1,775 [talents of silver] he made hooks for the pillars . . ." (38:28) The midrash relates that when Moshe finished building the mishkan and attempted to account for all of the donations, he forgot what he had done with 1,775 talents of silver, and he felt bad. Later he remembered and found peace of mind. Why did this happen to him? R' Chaim Aryeh Lerner z"l (died 1977) explains: Chazal teach that if Moshe had not broken the first luchot, no person would ever forget the Torah that he studied. Because Moshe's actions caused forgetfulness to exist, it was appropriate that Moshe himself suffer from forgetfulness. (Although the gemara says that Hashem congratulated Moshe for breaking the luchot, Moshe nevertheless had to share in the negative consequences of his action.) (Imrei Chaim I, p.58) ******** Pesach R' Shimshon David Pinkus z"l (died 2001) writes: There are two ways to pass Shabbat and Yom Tov - one can live the day, or one can be a bystander. By way of a parable: Two people go to the airport - one goes to watch the airplanes take off for distant and exotic lands, while the other buys a ticket and actually flies to one of those wonderful places. Obviously, airplanes were not built to give pleasure to those who watch them; they were built to carry those who board them and want to be lofted skyward. So it is with the holy days. One can stand by and admire the beauty of the day - the sparkle of the house newly-cleaned for Pesach, the beautifully set table, the many songs that are sung as the night progresses. However, the holidays were not given to us so that we can watch them pass by as a tourist watches a parade go by. Rather, the holidays, like the airplane, were given to us to elevate us. How do we accomplish this? How do we enable the spirit of the holiday to penetrate deep within us and affect our being? It is only by attempting to understand the essence of the holiday. This, in turn, requires us to study books about the holiday - both its laws and its philosophical aspects. R' Pinkus continues: The title "Yom Tov" alludes to the first thing that was ever referred to as "Tov" / "Good," i.e., the first light that G-d created (Bereishit 1:4). [Rashi writes that that verse does not refer to the light that we are familiar with, but to a Divine light that was put away for the righteous to enjoy in the future.] The holidays, however, can shine this Divine light on us, and the mechanism to achieve that is through the Torah, which is called (Mishlei 4:2), "Lekach Tov" / "A good teaching." This is why each Yom Tov (except for Shavuot) has its own tractate of the Talmud; the essence of each holiday's light is contained within its tractate. (Haggadah Shel Pesach Tiferet Shimshon) ******** "It is proper for every person who is capable to search through sefarim / Torah works with a fine tooth comb for details of the miracles and wonders of the Exodus, so that he may relate those details at the Seder." (Yesod V'shoresh Ha'avodah 9:6) ******** R' Yitzchak Ze'ev Soloveitchik z"l (the Brisker Rav; died 1959) used to say: One must take care to nap on Erev Pesach so that he can stay awake all night relating the story of the Exodus. He used to wonder aloud: "Why are so many people meticulous to stay awake on Shavuot night, which is merely a custom, while they neglect the halachah / law that one should try to stay awake all of Pesach night?" (Haggadah Shel Pesach Mi'Bet Halevi p. 34) ******** A Pesach Parable We read in the Haggadah: "If Hashem had not taken our forefathers out of Egypt, we, our children and our grandchildren would be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt." R' Chaim Elazar Shapira z"l (the "Munkatcher Rebbe"; died 1937) writes that the purpose of this statement is to answer the question: Why is our present exile so long and drawn out? Why doesn't Hashem redeem us in the same dramatic way that He redeemed our ancestors from Egypt? R' Shapira explains with the following parable: A doctor was once rushed to the bedside of a sick man and, seeing the condition of the patient, he performed an emergency appendectomy that saved the patient's life. Within days, the patient was up and about, and he thanked the doctor accordingly. Several years passed, and again this man took ill, this time with painful kidney disease. The same doctor was called, and he prescribed a regimen of diet and medication. "If you follow these instructions," he said, "you will be cured in several months." "A few years ago, I was sicker than this - was I not?" the patient asked. "You were," the doctor answered. "And on that occasion you operated and I was cured in a matter of days - was I not?" "Yes," said the doctor. "Then why have you chosen to give me a gradual cure that will leave me suffering for several months rather than operating and curing me immediately?" the patient inquired. The doctor explained: "Surgery is a drastic measure that is performed as a last resort. Had I not operated then, you would have died shortly. Now, however, there is no immediate danger to your life. Although you may suffer for a time, this diet and these medications will cure your illness at its source and you will remain healthy." The Exodus, R' Shapira explains, was a "dramatic rescue" because the Jewish people were on the verge of total assimilation. Even we and our children would have been lost. This is what the above excerpt from the Haggadah is teaching us. The present exile, though painful, can be "cured" more gradually and less dramatically. (Sha'ar Yissaschar: Ma'amar Aggadeta De'Pischa, No. 22)