ערב שבת פרשת ויקהל כא’
אדר א’ ה’תשע”ד
יארצייט רבנו ר’ אלימלך מליז’ענסק
זי”ע
פנינים מתוך ‘באר
בשדה’
פרשת ויקהל
In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Vayakhel, we learn about the importance of remaining
patient and encouraged until the salvation comes. We must remember that even
back then on Rosh Chodesh Nissan 3,325 years
ago –which was the second year the Jews were out of Egypt- not everything went
smoothly, quick or easy to the Jewish Nation.
We learnt in Parshas Ki sisa
that after the Chet Ha’Egel the Jewish Nation
fell to a very low spiritual level. This caused for the Shechinah
to leave them. They lost the Ananei Hakavod, and every individual felt a loss of the Shechinah, happiness and holiness.
Moshe Rabeinu did not give up. He prayed for 80 days,
until he was successful in having hashem say on Yom
Kippur “סלחתי כדברך” .
Right after Yom
Kippur Moshe was commanded to tell the Jewish Nation to bring their portion
for the building of the Mishkan. As we learn
beginning of this week’s Parsha<]> ” ויקהל משה את כל עדת
בני ישראל ויאמר אלהם אלה הדברים אשר צוה יהוה לעשת אתם… ויאמר משה אל כל עדת בני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר אשר צוה יהוה לאמר קחו מאתכם תרומה ליהוה כל נדיב לבו יביאה את תרומת יהוה זהב
וכסף ונחשת תכלת וארגמן” – “And
Moshe assembled the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and said to them:
“These are the things that Hashem commanded to do
them:… Moshe said to the entire assembly of Israel
saying: This is the word that Hashem commanded,
saying: Take for yourselves a portion for Hashem,
everyone who is generous of heart shall bring it, as the gift to Hashem: gold, silver, copper, turquoise wool and purple
wool…”
When the Jewish
Nation heard that the forgiveness of the Chet Ha’Egel
and the return of the Shechinah was dependent on the building of the Mishkan
– where the Shechinahh would rest – they all
rejoiced and immediately started to bring everything that was needed to the Mishkan.
Within two days of
bringing the necessities for the Mishkan there
was already enough of what they had to bring. The Torah teaches us that the
Jewish Nation were to told to st” ויאמרו אל משה לאמר
מרבים העם להביא מדי העבדה למלאכה אשר צוה יהוה לעשת אתה
ויצו משה ויעבירו קול במחנה לאמר איש ואשה אל יעשו עוד מלאכה
לתרומת הקדש ויכלא העם מהביא והמלאכה היתה דים לכל המלאכה לעשות אתה והותר” – “And they
(the wise men) said to Moshe, as follows, “The people exceeded in bringing more
than the labor of the work that Hashem has commanded
to perform”. Moshe commanded, and they proclaimed in the camp, saying, “Man and
women shall not do more work toward the portion of the sanctuary.” And the
Nation was held back from bringing. And the work was sufficient for them for
all the work, to do it and having a surplus.”
The Jewish Nation
made such great effort to build the Mishkan
immediately because they wanted to have the same feeling as when they left
Egypt the feeling of closeness to Hashem, because due
to the Chet Ha’Egel the Shechinah left them. They lost the light of the two
crowns they received when they said “נעשה
ונשמה”.
And now the Jewish
Nation wanted ”
לחזות בנעם יהוה ולבקר בהיכלו” – “To behold the delight of Hashem
and contemplate in His sanctuary”. Rebbe Nachman teaches that all this is alluded to in this Pasuk, because the סופי תיבות of this Pasuk is תרומה.
We see from how
great the Emunas Chachamim
of the Jewish Nation was. Right after Moshe told them that there is hope that
the Shechinah would come back they started to
do their part. They started bring everything that was necessary for the
building of the Mishkan as quickly as
possible. Therefore Bezalel and Aholiav
along with the other wise men started building the Mihskan
on the 15 of Tishrei which was half a year
after leaving Egypt.
The building of the
Mishkan was completed in Kislev that
year. The Jewish Nation was then waiting for Moshe to erect the Mishkan in order to restore the Shechinah.
They wasn’t a salvation both spiritually and
physically. However Moshe Rabeinu did not go
right away and erect the Mishkan.
Slowly the Months
of Kislev, Teves and Shvat
passed and they still did not receive their salvation. They didn’t know that
Moshe was commanded to erect the Mishkan only
on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Many
Jews started to say to themselves we thought Moshe
would bring us a salvation we thought Moshe would bring us forgiveness, we
thought Moshe would restore the Shechinah. We thought
we would have a salvation and find shidduchim, shalom
bayis, parnasa , health, success, and we didn’t receive anything. All he
did was take gold and silver from us and not bring about any salvation.
The Mishkan was ready to be erected on the 25th
of Kislev. From then till Rosh Chodesh Nissan
the Jewish Nation kept questioning Moshe as to why he did not yet erect the Mishkan.
Chazal teach us that from the 23rd of Adar the seven days of
inauguration started. Moshe Rabeinu was
dressed in the garments of the Kohen Gadol. He himself would work on putting up the Mishkan those seven days. Nonetheless the Shechinah did not come down. The salvation did not
come.
During all the
seven days of inauguration, during which Moshe put up the Mishkan
and officiated in it, and dismantled it each day, the Shechinah
did not rest in it. And Israel was ashamed and said to Moshe “Moshe Rabeinu, all the trouble we went to that the Shechinah should rest among us, and that thus we
should know that the sin of the Golden Calf was atoned for on our behalf. Now
we see that it was all for nothing.
It was very hard
for Moshe and Aaron to finish the Mishkan and
to restore the Shechinah. It is taught in Parshas Shmini that
Aaron didn’t want to work in the Mishkan
because he was afraid that he wouldn’t be successful in restoring the Shechinah to the Jewish Nation.
Many of the fools
in the generation said to others, Nu you already went to Uman
and gave a Pidyon – you donated gold and silver to
the Mishkan-. You accepted upon yourself to Daven with a Minyan three times a
day. Nu did you receive your salvation yet or it became worse?
Besides for the
delay of the erection of the Mishkan from Kislev
to Nissan, a terrible tragedy occurred also. The children of Aaron
passed away while trying to restore the Shechinah
in order that their father should not be embarrassed.
Once Aaron saw that
all the offerings had been brought and all the acts of the Mishkan
service had been performed but the Shechinah
had not descended to Israel, he was distressed, and said, “I know that the Holy
One, Blessed is He, has become angry with me and because of me the Shechinah did not descend to Israel. He said to
Moshe “Moshe my brother! Thus have you done to me, that I entered the matter of
performing the service because you asked me to and I was embarrassed, because
the Shechinah did not descend.” Thereupon
Moshe entered with him and they prayed for mercy and the Shechinah
descended to Israel]>.
After all the work
Moshe did during the seven days of inauguration in trying to bring the
salvation and to restore the Shechinah to
among the Jewish Nation. There were certainly people mocking Moshe Rabeinu look each day he puts up the mishkan and does all the Karbanos
and the Shechinah still did not come down. Then
through broken heartedness and pain Moshe and Aaron prayed to Hashem and they merited having the Shechinah
restored.
There is a great
lesson we must learn from all this. That after so much work from Moshe and
Aaron the Shechina still did not come down; however
they did not give up. They continued to Daven
and they were answered. We must learn never to give up hope. Even when we
are trying our best to be good people and to merit a salvation we must remain
patient and encouraged that it will come and not to give up hope.
אל תתייאש!
גם כאשר נדבת כבר נדבות… וגם כאשר שילמת כבר נדרים…
גם כאשר כבר קיבלת עליך קבלות טובות והנהגות ישרות… כי גם כאשר הצדיקים הבטיחו
ישועות אחרי מתן פדיונות… וגם אחרי שכבר בנו מכספך בתי כנסיות ובתי מדרשות… ובכל
זאת הינך רואה שעדיין לא ירדה שכינה… ועדיין לא נושעת… וגם כאשר עדיין יש ביזיונות… וגם
כאשר אתה מרגיש את ההרגשה של אהרן הכהן שצעק ממעמקי לבו: ‘ביישתני אחי’… וגם
כאשר אתה מרגיש את צעקת בני ישראל שצעקו לעבר משה רבנו: מה לנו ולכל הטורח הזה…
כל הטורח שטרחנו בחינם טרחנו… ואז, הרי הייאוש והעצבות ורפיון הידיים מאיימים
להשתלט על כל כולך ולהפיל אותך לגמרי חלילה… לא ולא! – תמשיך להיכנס לפני ולפנים…
תמשיך לבקש רחמים… ואז תרד האש, תתלהב, תדלק, תתעורר, תיוושע…
א ליכטיגער
שבת
מוטה