Today's Learning Sponsored by Bikkurim 3:9-10 Mr. Eli Rutstein Kitzur 182:9-13 in memory of his grandparents Bava Kama 10 Bessie and Nathan Rutstein Yerushalmi-- Rachel and Reuben Moses Shabbat 63 and in memory of Isadore Goldman PARASHAT VAYAKHEL / PARAH Vol. VIII, No. 22 (357), 22 Adar 5754, Mar. 5, 1994 In this week's parasha, we again find Shabbat juxtaposed to the building of the mishkan. However, whereas in last week's parasha, the mishkan was discussed before Shabbat was mentioned, here Shabbat is mentioned first. R' Tzadok haKohen explains that the difference is that last week's mention of the mishkan and Shabbat was before the sin of the golden calf. This week's parasha is after that sin. After the Torah was given, but before the sin, the world had returned to the state of before Adam and Chava's sin; therefore, Shabbat, the end of the week of creation, is mentioned last. After the sin of the golden calf, however, the world was again in the state of after Adam and Chava's sin; Shabbat, the first day of their new world, is therefore mentioned before the mishkan. (Pri Tzaddik, Sh'mot p.222) The world of after the sin is a completely different one from the world before. R' Zalman Rotberg shlita notes that not only man, but even the earth, was on a higher spiritual plane before man was expelled from Gan Eden. This is necessarily so because man is a microcosm of creation. When is the time that the earth returns to that higher plane? It is the shemittah, says R' Rotberg, and the mechanism for it is man's Torah study during this year. (Tuv Da'at: Imrei Da'at p.431) ************************************ This (Jewish) year marks a very unusual calendrical event: the parashot vaYakhel and Pekudei are read separately, although this year is not a leap year. Ordinarily, these two parashot are separated in a leap year, which has four or five "extra" Shabbatot, but are read together in a so-called "simple year." The reason that vaYakhel and Pekudei are separated this year is that this year has the most Shabbatot--particularly, the most non-yom tov Shabbatot--that a non-leap year can have. This occurs because the following two situations coincided this year: First, Rosh haShanah fell on Thursday and Friday. This means that Simchat Torah also fell on Friday (Thursday, in Israel), causing the first parasha (B'reishit) to be read on the earliest possible date. Second, the two months on the Jewish calendar which have variable lengths (Cheshvan and Kislev) were both at their longest (30 days) this year. Had one of those months been shorter, Pesach this year would have two Shabbatot within it, instead of only the one that it has. With that extra Shabbat, we separate vaYakhel and Pekudei. This situation has occurred once in the last 20 years, and will next occur in 38 years (unless the Sanhedrin is reestablished first.) (Note that, in theory, Cheshvan and Kislev can both be short months, i.e., with only 29 days. However, that could not occur this year, as it would cause Tisha b'Av to fall on Friday, a situation which our calendar is designed to prevent.) [Our thanks to Mr. Alan Sussman who pointed out this "phenomenon" and helped us decipher it.] ************************************ Chazal say that the mitzvah of Shabbat is juxtaposed to the mishkan (in our parasha and in other places) to teach that the mishkan may not be built on Shabbat. In addition notes R' Yaakov David Willowsky ("Ridvaz"), the creation of the world--which Shabbat commemorates--parallels the mishkan. On the first day, Hashem created the world as a place to interact with man; so, in the mishkan, Hashem "resides" among men. On the second day, Hashem separated water from water; the curtain in the mishkan separated the holy from the Holy of Holies. On the fourth day, Hashem created plants, which are used to bake bread to be sacrificed in the mishkan. On the fourth day Hashem created the sun; so the Menorah shone in the mishkan. On the fifth day, Hashem created birds; so the kruvim (cherubs) spread out their wings in the mishkan. On the sixth day, man was created; in the mishkan, Aharon, a perfect prototype of man served Hashem. (Nimukei Ridvaz) ************************************ Chazal say that when Hashem created the world it continued to spread out until Hashem commanded it to stop. Similarly, Bnei Yisrael had to be commanded to stop bringing donations to the mishkan. The purposes of these two commands were exactly opposite of each other, writes R' Gedaliah Schorr, zatzal. In the case of the creation of the world, if the world had been "over-developed," Hashem's glory would have been too hidden for us to perceive. If, on the other hand, the mishkan had been "over-developed," Hashem's glory would have to revealed and would have overwhelmed us. (Ohr Gedalyahu) ************************************ The verse states: "The nation was held back from bringing [donations]" (36:6). True, Moshe commanded them not to bring more donations, says R' Aharon Lewin, but what "held them back"? The sage Hillel said, "My legs take me where I want to go"--as if on their own. Similarly, when a person is in control of his inclinations, that which he is commanded not to do becomes impossible to do. Moshe command held Bnei Yisrael back. (haD'rash v'haIyun  296) ************************************ PESACH "They baked the dough which they had taken out of Egypt into matzah cakes, for it did not leaven, for they were thrown out of Egypt and they couldn't wait. . . ." (Sh'mot 12:39) Is this the reason that Bnei Yisrael baked matzah? Actually, Hashem had commanded them earlier to eat matzah on Pesach! Chazal teach that Hashem took the Jews out of Egypt early because they were about to assimilate. In fact, however, the Jews had not been enslaved the full 400 years that Hashem had told Avraham they would be strangers in a foreign land. Because of this, Chazal say, the Jews had to suffer future exiles, to complete the unfinished work of the Egyptian exile. Because the Jews "were thrown out of Egypt and they couldn't wait," therefore there was still reason to "bake[] the dough which they had taken out of Egypt into matzah cakes." If the first exile had been a closed chapter in Jewish history, there might be no reason for us to eat matzah, the bread of suffering. However, when Hashem commanded Bnei Yisrael to eat matzah, He "already" knew that there would be future exiles, and future opportunities to eat the bread of suffering. Thus, there is no inconsistency between the timing of the commandment and the reason that our verse gives. (based on R' Chaim Halberstam of Sanz's Divrei Chaim, Pesach) ************************************ One explanation that is often given for how Hashem "justified" taking Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt after fewer than 400 years is that Bnei Yisrael were worked harder. But harder than what? asks R' Avraham Shmuel Binyamin Sofer (the Ketav Sofer). There is no record that Hashem ever specified how hard the Jews would work. Any work that the Jews had to do for the Egyptians was harder than doing the same work for any other nation, the Ketav Sofer answers. After all that Yosef had done for Egypt, the Egyptians' turning against the Jews was more than Bnei Yisrael could bear. Thus, by enslaving the Jews in Egypt, even though Hashem had never told Avraham that he would do so, it appeared as if Hashem was making them work harder than He had told Avraham they would. (Ketav sofer, Parashat Bo) ************************************ CORRECTION Two weeks ago, we misquoted the Ba'al haTurim not once, but twice. The d'var Torah should have read: The Ba'al haTurim notes: The gematria of "tetzaveh" ("Command!") equals the gematria of "nashim tzaveh" ("Command the women"). This is the Torah's hint that women should light Shabbat candles. [Note also that the gematria of "ner tamid" ("eternal light") equals the gematria of "beShabbat."] Our thanks to Aharon Segal (age 12) of Silver Spring, Md. who noticed that the numbers didn't quite add up. ************************************ R' Yosef Shaul Nathanson born 5568 (1808) - died 27 Adar I 5635 (1875) R' Yosef Shaul, a prolific author (best known as the author of the responsa Sho'el u'Meishiv) and Rabbi of L'vov for 18 years, was born in Brezan. He married the daughter of R' Yitzchak Ettinger, and together with his brother-in-law, he wrote a commentary on tractate Bava Kama. As Rabbi of L'vov, R' Yosef Shaul accepted no salary. To the contrary, he supported many poor members of the community from his own pocket. Halachic questions came to R' Yosef Shaul from all over the world, and many of his responses are published in the 14-volume work mentioned above. Among R' Yosef Shaul's numerous other works are Divrei Shaul on the Torah, Divrei Shaul on the aggadic parts of the Talmud, and Edut b'Yehosef on Rambam. In Divrei Shaul--Mahadura Tinyana, R' Yosef Shaul explains the famous midrash that Moshe commanded that the aron hakodesh (the "Holy Ark") be built before the mishkan, and Betzalel convinced him to reverse the order, lest they have no where to place the aron. How could Moshe agree to change that which Hashem had commanded based on Betzalel's logic? The midrash in fact states that Betzalel knew what G-d had commanded. His name, "Betzalel," signifies that he was "b'tzel E-l"- "in G-d's shadow"--as if he had eavesdropped on Hashem's command to Moshe. R' Yosef Shaul explains that Moshe reversed the order, not after talking to Betzalel, but beforehand, in order to test Betzalel. Why? Because Betzalel was Moshe's great-nephew (Miriam's grandson) and Moshe wanted to show the Jews how qualified Betzalel really was. Betzalel's unique qualifications, adds R' Yosef Shaul, are borne out by the Torah's description of Betzalel as the one who "thought thoughts," while the other artisans of the mishkan merely worked with their hands. ************************************ Hamaayan / The Torah Spring, Inc. 11633 Lockwood Drive #103 Silver Spring, MD 20904 (301) 593-2272 ************************************ DONATIONS TO HAMAAYAN ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE