Friday, March 9, 2018

Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei-Parah Messages 5778

Parshas Vayakhel:

The Sages Say:

And Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the Bnei Yisroel…’ (Shemos 35:1)

[He assembled them] the day after Yom Kippur, when he descended from the mountain.

(Rashi HaKadosh from Seder Olam)

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A Helpful Hint:

And Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the Bnei Yisroel, and he said to them: “These are the words (אלה הדברים) that Hashem has commanded to do them:  Six days you shall do work and on the seventh day, it shall be for you holy…”’ (Shemos 35:1-2)

The division of labors [forbidden on the Shabbos]; from where [do we know them]?... Rabbi Nosson says: ‘You shall not kindle a fire in all your dwelling places on the day of Shabbos’, what does the verse [mean] to say?  [The answer is that] because it says ‘And Moshe gathered the entire assembly of the Bnei Yisroel, and he said to them: “These are the words (אלה הדברים), etc. Six days you shall do work’.  דברים -- ‘Words’ [are at least two things], הדברים -- ‘the words’ [make it three], אלה הדברים -- ‘these are the words’ [the numerical value of אלה is 36], these are [i.e. allude to] the 39 labors [that are forbidden on Shabbos] that were said to Moshe on Sinai.

(Gemara Shabbos 70a)

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A “Lamdanishe” Insight:

And they [the wise men] said to Moshe, saying: “The People were abundant in bringing, more than [is needed -- Rashi] for the work of the labor that Hashem commanded to do it.”  And Moshe commanded, and they passed a voice in the camp, saying: “Man and woman should not do further work for the Portion [for] the Holy,”; and the People restrained [themselves] from bringing.’ (Shemos 36:5-6)

[There are] four domains to Shabbos [i.e. with regards to the laws of carrying on it]:  A private domain, a public domain… (Gemara Shabbos 6a; brought in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 345:1).

Four Domains, etc.:  I will preface to this a short introduction.  And it is, behold, taking out [something] from a domain to [another] domain is in the category of the rest of labors that the Torah has forbidden [one] to do on the day of Shabbos, and it is like all the [rules in] the “body” of the Torah that was transmitted to Moshe from [i.e. on] Sinai.  

And our Sages brought upon this a proof also from a verse [Shemos 36:6 -- see above; this was after there had been contributed enough for everything in the Mishkan, and more]: ‘And Moshe commanded, and they passed a voice in the camp, saying: “Man and woman should not do further work for the Portion [for] the Holy,”; and the People restrained [themselves] from bringing.’ Hence, that bringing, for anyone from his [own] domain, which is a private domain, to the domain of Moshe, which is a public domain, because many [people] were [to be] found there, is in the category of ‘labor’ ([see] Rambam [Hilchos Shabbos], the beginning of Chapter 12[:8]).

(Mishnah Berurah 345:1)  

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Mussar Message:

And every man whose heart lifted him came, and all whose spirit inspired him, brought the Portion of Hashem for the work of the Tent of Meeting and for all its work, and for the holy garments.’ (Shemos 35:21)

It is known that the nature of people is that at times, there awakens in their heart the desire to do a good thing.  But after some time, the inspiration “cools down,” and in the end, the person may not even do the good thing they thought to.  

Explains the Chida {HaRav Chaim Yosef Dovid Azulai zt”l}:  It was not so with the Mishkan:  The Torah praises the contributors for the building of it that ‘every man whose heart lifted him came, and all whose spirit inspired him, brought the Portion of Hashem’.  The Bnei Yisroel actually upheld what they thought to do at first!

(Vi’karasa L’Shabbos Oneg)

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Chassidishe Vort:

And they brought to him [Moshe Rabbeinu] further voluntary-contributions every morning.’ (Shemos 36:3)

The Seforim HaKedoshim (Holy Books) tell us that the Bnei Yisroel brought their contributions early in the morning while people were still sleeping so as to not be noticed [and to give in the optimal form -- anonymously].

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Chazak V’ematz:

This week we have the special Maftir and Haftarah of Parah.  The Maftir discusses the Parah Adumah, Red Cow, whose ashes served to purify one from ritual impurity from a corpse.  

Says Rebbe Aharon of Karlin zt”l, the Beis Aharon:  One must believe that just as the ashes of the Parah Adumah purify… today, everyone becomes pure [spiritually -- not from ritual impurity] when Parshas Parah is read, each person according to his level.

(Meoros HaParsha)

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Maaseh B’Rabbi…

You shall not kindle a fire in all your dwelling places on the day of Shabbos.’ (Shemos 35:3)

It is told that once, a bachur (young unmarried man) was caught smoking in secret on Shabbos.  This caused a great shock… They came to the Chofetz Chaim zt”l to ask him what should be done with the bachur; should they remove him from the Yeshiva, or let him stay?  The Chofetz Chaim invited the bachur to his room, and spoke to him for around ten minutes, and when the bachur left, he was crying and regretting what he had done.  No one else knew what had gone on in Rav Yisroel Meir’s room, and the matter remained hidden for a long time.  

After some years, a Rav told over the story before the congregation, and in conclusion of his words he said: “It is too bad, very much so, that we did not ask the bachur what the Chofetz Chaim said to him, in order that we will learn thereof how to deal with bachurim.” At the end of the Drosha (sermon), the congregation began to leave, each person going to their own house -- except for one person, who remained, and their head was inclined upon the chair.  The Rav approached him to wake him up because he thought that he was asleep, but he discovered, to his surprise, that the Jew had fainted!  Immediately, he poured water upon him and treated him.  

When the man came to, the Rav asked him why he had passed out; perhaps he wasn’t feeling well?  But the man answered that he had caused him to faint, when he told in his Drosha about the bochur who was with the Chofetz Chaim.  The Rav wondered and asked; what connection did the story have to him?

Answered the man, that he himself was the bochur whom the Rav had told about.  The Rav was very moved and begged the man to tell him what truthfully the Chofetz Chaim had said to him, and how did he succeed to influence him?  

The man replied and said: “When I entered next to the Chofetz Chaim, he took my hand and grabbed it with warmth with his two hands, he looked into my eyes with a gaze of compassion and abundant love, and he began to cry and to say: ‘Oy Shabbos Kodesh!  Oy Shabbos!’ Such did the Chofetz Chaim cry throughout ten minutes… I trembled and I felt a flow of holiness that passed in the midst of my body.  I broke into tears and I regretted from the depths of my heart upon what I did and I accepted upon myself complete repentance until this day.  Therefore, when you told the story, I was very moved, because I remember the moving state with the Chofetz Chaim, and therefore I fainted.”

(Ne’imos Netzach, quoted in Peninei HaTorah)

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Parshas Pekudei:


I apologize for the less Divrei Torah for Pekudei, but at least we have one Dvar Torah for it:

And the Cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan… And when the Cloud ascended from upon the Mishkan, the Bnei Yisroel would travel in all their journeys.  And if the Cloud would not ascend, and they would not travel, until the day that it ascended.  For the Cloud of Hashem was upon the Mishkan by day, and there would be fire on it [the Mishkan] at night , before the eyes of all the House of Israel, in all their journeys.’ (Shemos 40:34, 36-37)

With this topic we finish off the Book of Shemos.  That Hashem would lead the Bnei Yisroel, letting them know when they should travel and when they should not.

We must understand that this is true as well in our own lives:  Hashem leads us and helps us on the right path through life with certain signs and messages -- whatever they might be.  As we say in our morning Berachos (blessings), ‘Who prepares the footsteps of man.’

This assurance that Hashem guides our way through decisions, etc. and is always involved in our personal lives is a wonderful way to leave -- and thing to leave with -- from Sefer Shemos.  And B’Ezras Hashem, to go forward with in the Holy Torah.

(Tal U’Matar)

Chazak Chazak V’Nischazeik, and a Gut Shabbos to all!  May Hashem help us to continue to trek forward in the Holy Torah, together.

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