"...V'yeekchoo Lee terumah/...and have them take for Me a terumah offering (Although trumah is usually translated as “offering,” Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch points out that the Hebrew root truma resh-vav-mem, means ‘elevation.’ By offering of one’s wealth to a Godly cause, the offering becomes a Divine service, and is thus elevated.). Shemos 25:2" Rashi states: Lee - l'Shmee / for the sake of My name. "V'asu Lee mikdash v'shachantee b'socham/They shall make a Sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. Shemos 25:8" Rashi states: They shall make for the sake of My Name a house of holiness.
It's amazing how the parshios about the Mishkan and the mitzvah of "V'asu Lee mikdash v'shachantee b'socham.", take such a special and sizely space in our holy Torah, more than any other mitzvah in the Torah. The Torah is eternal, yet we haven't had the Mishkan or Beis Ha'mikdash in 1937 years. So are we supposed to learn the five parshios about the Mishkan as a history lesson, a prayer for the future? Chas v'shalom!! Oyyyyyy!!! The Torah is so deep! We should be zoche to understand it at any level! The Midrsh Tanchuma says (Pekudei 4) It comes to teach us that the Mishkan is "shakul keneged/parallel to " the whole world, and "keneged/parallel to" the creation of man who is called a small world." The students of the holy Baal Shem Tov z"ya, interpreted "b'socham/within them" as a divine instruction to prepare our inner selves as worthy sanctuaries for the Shechina, or Divine presence. That's why there is so much written about it in the Torah, and also for why it is so detailed when it's not even something that we do or have done for the longest of times. We went through it all, we got the Torah, and now we have to build the Mishkan, a house for the Torah, a house for Hashem." It also requires so many details because we learn from here how to build a shul, how to build a beis medrash, how to build a school, how to build a home, and most importantly these parshios teach us how to build ourselves. If we try and work on our Emunah that everything is Hashem and that He is the One who controls it all, we will find it much easier to build all of these things. The Ramban in his introduction to our parsha says "The idea and essence of the Mishkan is "V'amar v'atem tiheeu Lee mamleches Kohanim v'goy kadosh/and He said, and you shall be unto Me a kingdom of Kohanim (ministers) and a holy nation." (Shemos 19:6) We got the Torah, we got the mitzva of "...you shall be unto Me a kingdom of Kohanim (ministers) and a holy nation." How do we do that? Simple. By following the Torah. Ok, so we got the Torah at Har Sinai, Moshe & the zekainim explained it to us. Now we need a house for the Torah, a house for Hashem's Shechina. The gemara in Brachos says that from the day that the Beis Ha'Mikdash was destroyed, Hashem has no place in His world but the four "amos/cubits" of Halacha/Jewish law. This means that we do not have nourishment or comfort from Hashem, except by way of the four cubits of Jewish law, which is our holy Torah. According to halacha a person possesses the area measuring four cubits wherein he stands. This also applies to the four cubits in front of the entrance to his home. The four cubits that every Jew possesses parallels the four cubits of Torah. Therefore, every Jew, no matter what his situation, by the very fact that he at least possesses those four cubits, can always draw comfort from the words of the Torah. Furthermore, if one studies Jewish law it will help him break the forces of evil, creating a pathway to and enabling him to enter the house of Hashem. "V'tzapisa oso zahav tahor me'bayit u'mchutz tizapenu v'asisa alav zer zahav saviv/Cover it (The Aron) with a layer of pure gold on the inside and outside and make a rim of gold all around its top. (Shemos 25:11) It's a gemara (Yoma 72:) that learns from this pasuk that a Ben Torah must be pure inside as well as outside to be considered a Talmid Chacham. Nice, but we're not Talmidei Chachamim anyway, we're not Bnei or Bnos Torah, we're barely Jewish! Ah!! Gevalt!!! Ein Yeush!!! There is no despair!!! We really can be and are those ministers and that holy nation. We've quoted before from Rabbi Ezriel Tauber in his awesome book Choose Life; "In my opinion, the more commonly found root of depression and sadness in our day and age is a lack of appreciation for who we are and what we can acomplish." Nekudos Tovos!!! We all have our good points!!! We just have to have the desire to find them and then we will. Then we can start working on the building, of ourselves and all of that around us. It starts with Tzedaka, Teruma, of which Reb Nosson says "Through Tzedaka you merit that you need not do any work or any business. (Hilchos Kadish 1) Which everyone gave "kol ish asher yidvenu leebo tikchu es trumasi/from every man whose heart motivates him you shall take My portion." Each of us has to give something on our own level. Then we can start building. That voice that tells us we're not good enough, that tells us not to bother, that just the Yetzer Harah!!! We are good enough!!! And all of our deeds no matter how big or small count for something. "V'habariach a tichon bsoch a kerashim mivrach min hakatzeh el hakatzeh/The center crossbeam shall go through the middle of the beams, from one end to the other." (Shmos 26:28)
Targum Yonason says that the center crossbar was made with wood that came from trees that Avraham Avinu planted for the purpose of doing kindness for travelers. That should be the center of everything that we build. Chesed, kindness. No matter what we may think, or even what others may think. It must all be "L'Shmee" for the Name of Hashem, which is keneged the Torah which we are all included in.
The prayer is one of hope that our desires to build ourselves and everything around us in the Name of Hashem and for His honor be realized and actualized and in that merit we bring the Mashiach out of hiding to help us then build the Third and Final Beis Hamikdash!! Speadilly in our days!! Amen!!!
A gutt Shabbos!!!
Peace & Joy,
Etan
No comments:
Post a Comment