Category Archives: Pekudai

5784, AI art, Exodus, Kli Yakar 2, Parsha, Pekudai

Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

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Print Version: Kli Yakar Pekudei

Hazy Clarity (Pekudai)

 The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. -Henri-Frédéric Amiel

The modern world is fond of absolutes. People like to be absolutely sure that the course of action they are engaging in is both correct and will turn out as promised. Hence the success of both fast-food establishments and processed food, amongst a host of modern developments. A certain consistency, predictability, is built into a processed chicken part that looks eerily like the next and the next and the next.

Thankfully, in our inefficient world, there are daily reminders of the vagrancy and fickleness of those who attempt to provide us with goods or services. A serviceman who promises to come in half an hour arrives four hours later, or four days later, or not at all. If we would hold all and everyone around us to the standard of perfection, human endeavor would come to a screeching halt.

There is little in life, whether relationships, efforts, or dreams which we can see with absolute clarity. And apparently that is by design.

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Prague, the Kli Yakar (1550-1619), makes an interesting observation at the end of the Book of Exodus (40:34). The Divine Presence descends onto the newly constructed Tabernacle. It is surrounded by a cloud. According to the Kli Yakar, the cloud is there to enable us to see God. It is impossible for mortals to see the clear, unobstructed vision of God. Hence, a haze is required in order to enable our perceiving the Divine Presence.

May we enjoy the haze of our reality, which enables us to experience it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the completion of the renewal project of the Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem.

5783, AI art, Bat Ayin, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai, Vayakel

Found in Translation (Vayakel-Pekudei)

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Found in Translation (Vayakel-Pekudei)

God employs several translators; some pieces are translated by age, some by sickness, some by war, some by justice. -John Donne

This week’s Torah reading of Vayakel-Pekudei deals with the construction of the Tabernacle, what is called the Mishkan in the Torah. The Bat Ayin on Exodus 38:21 is surprised by the use of the word “Mishkan,” for he explains that it’s not etymologically a Hebrew word, but rather a translation. Part of his surprise is that the Torah is almost exclusively written in Hebrew with just a handful of non-Hebrew words included. Furthermore, Hebrew is the language of creation, for God used the Hebrew language to create the universe, our world and everything in it. It would seem ironic that the first creative effort of the Jewish people should be named with a translated word.

The Bat Ayin explains that the Hebrew word for “universe” or “world” has the same root as the word “hidden,” for God’s role in the creation and sustenance of our world is in fact hidden. It is easy to not see or to deny God’s hand in our existence. One of our missions in this world is to discover the hiddenness of God. To find God in the physical and mundane. To find God in the translation of the eternal and spiritual to the temporal and material. All of our world is, in essence, a translation of metaphysical concepts to our tangible reality. Therefore, the Bat Ayin concludes that it is particularly appropriate that the Mishkan is a translated word, for it hints at the role it plays and our mission to uncover and decipher God in our everyday lives.

By revealing that God is behind the scenes, by sharing that there is an active, benevolent, all-powerful Creator that was, is and will be the force that encapsulates all of reality, we bring light into the darkness of an otherwise random and meaningless existence. We promote the divine characteristics of lovingkindness, charity, truth, and all of God’s attributes. We translate the sacred and transcendent to human terms.

May we always be involved in the translation and transmission of good and noble efforts.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To our son, Yehuda, on his enlisting in the IDF’s Kfir infantry division next week.

5782, Chidushei HaRim, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai

Overabundance of Just Enough (Pekudei)

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Overabundance of Just Enough (Pekudei)

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little. -Franklin D. Roosevelt

In building the Tabernacle in the desert, at the foot of Mount Sinai, God directs Moses to take up a collection of materials from the people of Israel. They donate gold, silver, copper, wood, skins, cloth, thread and anything else that was needed. The people of Israel are so generous with their contributions that the artisans tell Moses they need to stop with the contributions. They have more than enough material to complete the construction of the Tabernacle.

The Chidushei HaRim on Exodus 38:21 reads a seeming contradiction in the verse. The verse can be read as saying that there was enough, meaning they received exactly the materials they needed and not more, but that at the same time they had too much. So, which is it? Was it enough or was it too much?

The Chidushei HaRim answers that because the people of Israel contributed to the Tabernacle for the sake of Heaven, without any ulterior motives, they reached a place over and above nature itself. They reached a place where there was no contradiction between “just enough” and “too much.” Having reached that supernatural place because of their selfless generosity, it empowered the people of Israel to have access to that supernatural state for all time.

The Chidushei Harim continues to explain that what the people of Israel proceed to do with that eternal power is to construct the Mishkan L’edut “A Tabernacle for the Pact.” What exactly the Mishkan L’edut is and how it differs, if it does, from the simpler appellation of just Mishkan “Tabernacle” he doesn’t say. Though it is likely safe to suggest that it is directly related to the Tabernacle housing the Luchot HaBrit, the Tablets of the Pact with the Ten Commandments written on them by the hand of God. A Pact between God and the people of Israel that would last forever and that would survive the Tabernacle itself in its travels and various incarnations.

May we always feel that we have enough in the physical realm while always reaching to connect with more of God in the spiritual realm, via the eternal Pact, the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the many volunteers who are helping the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees and in particular to my friend Rabbi Avi Baumol of Krakow who is actively helping at the Ukrainian border. They are raising funds needed for the effort at this link: https://www.friendsofjcckrakow.org/ukraine

5781, Bechor Shor, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai, Vayakel

The Meaning of Work (Vayakhel-Pekudai)

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The Meaning of Work (Vayakhel-Pekudai)

My share of the work may be limited, but the fact that it is work makes it precious. -Helen Keller

Perhaps one of the commandments that are most repeated throughout the Torah is regarding observing the Sabbath. It has proven to be a central pillar of Jewish practice and tradition. The poet, Ahad Ha’am, famously stated that “More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews.” The Sabbath has undoubtedly been a major factor in keeping the Jewish people as an unbroken, cohesive entity throughout generations and millennia.

The Torah, in each mention of the Sabbath, adds another detail, another nuance, to flesh out what the Sabbath experience is meant to entail. The Bechor Shor on Exodus 35:2-3 teases out additional clues as to what the Torah is prescribing regarding Sabbath observance.

The verse states: “Six days shall you work and on the seventh day it shall be holy for you.”

The Bechor Shor explains that during the six days of the week we are commanded to do the work that God has ordered (in this context the work of building the Tabernacle). However, on the seventh day, on the Sabbath, you shall perform no labor, even sacred, divinely commanded labor that God Himself ordered is forbidden to be performed on this day of rest, much less any labor that was not directly ordained by God.

The next verse provides additional detail: “You shall not kindle a fire in all your dwellings on the Sabbath.”

The Bechor Shor explains that the act of transferring fire may not seem arduous. To move a flame from an existing fire and let it take hold someplace else cannot be considered strenuous and involves almost no exertion. Nevertheless, the Torah considers it a form of labor. The many prohibited labors of the Sabbath may not seem to be “work” nor would we classify them as toil by any stretch of the imagination. Nonetheless, it is not only “work” in the modern sense of the word that is prohibited on the Sabbath but any type of creative action which changes or transforms the world around us. The Sabbath is not only a day to hold back from affecting the world, but a day to recharge our physical, emotional, and spiritual beings by retreating from creative activities for a day. If we’re constantly busy, constantly active, constantly absorbing and transmitting bits and bytes, our souls will never know inner peace or quiet. Especially in our era, the sounds of modernity threaten to drown out what is left of our humanity.

May we each achieve the next level of peace that a Sabbath respite offers.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Pesach Haggadah. It boggles the mind how every year there seems to be an exponential number of commentaries on it being published.

5780, Exodus, Meshech Chochma, Parsha, Pekudai, Vayakel

Inherited Sensitivity (Vayakel-Pekudai)

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Inherited Sensitivity (Vayakel-Pekudai)

You don’t raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they’ll turn out to be heroes, even if it’s just in your own eyes. -Walter Schirra Sr.

Before Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, he tells the people of Israel that he’s leaving Aaron and Hur in charge. However, we never hear about Hur ever again. The Midrash says that Hur rejected the people’s request to construct the Golden Calf, and in their rage, they killed him. Aaron, understanding that he would be the next victim, and in an effort to prevent more bloodshed (his own), gave in to the request and made them the infamous Golden Calf.

When things eventually calm down, God chooses Hur’s grandson, Betzalel, as the main architect and designer of the Tabernacle, with the exclusive task of personally making the holiest piece, the Ark of the Covenant.

What is highly unusual about the Ark, and which likely raised eyebrows initially as it does in a sense to this day, is that God ordered that the Ark cover would have not only one but two figures, two little idols of cherubs facing each other.

How could it be that the same God who shows such abhorrence to graven images, who was ready to wipe out the entire nation of Israel because of their worship of the Golden Calf, could command the construction of figures to be placed on the holiest object, an object which symbolizes his most concentrated presence on earth?

There are multiple answers the rabbinic commentators provide to the question and I’ve given some of their answers in previous years (see Vayakel archive). However, according to the Meshech Chochma on Exodus 37:1, whatever the rationale, that Ark and those cherubs needed to be fashioned with the utmost purity of purpose, without any hint whatsoever of idolatrous intention.

That, according to him, is one of the reasons why Betzalel was such a perfect choice for the job. His grandfather, Hur, had fought, resisted and gave his life in the struggle against idolatry. By his upbringing and nature, Betzalel would have an abhorrence to idolatry. He would bring a complete purity of purpose in the creation of the Ark and its accompanying images, without a sliver of thought, without a notion of idolatry.

Hur’s heroic sacrifice helped form his grandson’s character. That grandson becomes a partner with God in the creation of the holiest items on earth.

May we see them returned, to the rebuilt Temple, speedily and in our days.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To all those on the front line of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

5779, Berdichever, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai, The Times of Israel

God is shadowing us (Pekudei)

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God is shadowing us (Pekudei)

Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences. -Robert Louis Stevenson

The main architect, the main builder of the Tabernacle was a young man by the name of Betzalel. The name Betzalel literally means “in the shadow of God.” The Midrash tells the tale of Betzalel’s extreme insightfulness as to the meaning behind God’s instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle. He was so insightful that Moses asks of him in wonder “were you in the shadow of God, that you know all of this?”

The Berdichever flips the wordplay around and explains that it is God that is in our shadow. Just as whatever act we do, our shadow mimics, so too with God. Any act that we do, God will mimic upon us. If we are kind to others, God will be kind to us. If we are cruel or indifferent to others, God will likewise be cruel or indifferent to us.

The Berdichever advises us further of the need to think well before we speak or act, for God does take note. We should never think that what we say or do has no meaning. The words we use, the actions we take are significant, they are impactful, they can heal or hurt, build or destroy. And whichever path we choose, God will make sure that we will reap the consequences of our actions.

It will be a natural reaction that we will be rewarded in kind for the good that we do, and that likewise, we will be punished measure for measure for the evil that we commit. God is shadowing us. He is watching and replicating our every word and act upon us. It may not be obvious to us, but it is as unmistakable and as undeniable as our very shadow copying our every move.

May we be cognizant of the words we use and the things that we do. May they be worthy of God’s “shadowing” and may we be the beneficiaries of only goodness and kindness.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To my travel buddy, Marc L. Always great to shadow you whenever possible.

5778, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai, Rabbeinu Bechaye, The Times of Israel, Vayakel

What goes up must not come down (Vayakel-Pekudei)

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What goes up must not come down (Vayakel-Pekudei)

For one who has been honored, dishonor is worse than death. -Bhagavad Gita

In the course of my career, I’ve had occasion to advise CEOs and directors of organizations as to personnel issues. Many of us are familiar with the “Peter Principle” which explains that often people are promoted to their level of incompetence. For example, just because someone is an excellent engineer doesn’t mean they’ll make a good engineering manager. However, a hopeful management will promote the individual, who will not perform, and the hapless engineer will be stuck at that level of the organization. They will not be moved further up the chain because of poor performance at their new level, nor will they be demoted, because, that’s just not done.

However, more enlightened organizations, realizing their mistake, may indeed return the unfortunate engineer to their former position. Rabbeinu Bechaye on Exodus 40:18 (Pekudei) explains why that may also be a mistake.

There is a principle in the Talmud (Tractate Menachot 99a) that states that “we raise things up (in holiness), but we don’t bring them back down.” We learn the “raise” part from the utensils that were used by Korach’s rebellious group when challenging Moses’ leadership. Even though their challenge was ill-considered, it seems there was some desire on their part for greater involvement in divine service. God struck them down, but their utensils survived and were “raised” to serve as the coating for the Tabernacle’s altar.

We learn “don’t bring them back down” from this week’s Torah reading. It states that Moses “raised” the Tabernacle. However, while it is clear that Moses raised and took down the Tabernacle multiple times, it never says that Moses “took down” the Tabernacle.

We learn from this the extreme sensitivity of not bringing down even objects, let alone people, once they’ve been raised to a certain position.

May we always be rising and raising others, and finding creative solutions for those that may be stuck.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To all the Yeshiva guys entering the army this week. May you have a safe and successful service.

5776, Exodus, Parsha, Pekudai, Sfat Emet, The Times of Israel

Masters of Time

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Masters of Time

Time stays long enough for those who use it. -Leonardo DaVinci

The Jewish people are extremely conscious of the passage of time, of the change in seasons, of the hour of sunrise and of sunset, of the ascendance of the full moon, of both the celestial and man-calculated markers that differentiate between one moment and other.

Jewish law and the Jewish calendar are particularly sensitive to the movement of the moon. The new moon signifies the start of the Hebrew month. Some of our major holidays (Passover, Sukot and Purim) coincide with the full moon, and the monthly blessing of the moon also must be done as the moon waxes.

The Sfar Emet in 5636 (1876) explains that the Jewish affinity to the ever-changing moon mirrors a deeper connection with a fluid time stream. It is common to imagine time as the uniform ticking of the clock. The seconds, minutes, hours and days rush by with regimented, unstoppable force. It neither slows down nor speeds up when we would want it to. Time marches on its inexorable path, giving no heed to mortal desires.

However, the Sfat Emet hints that we indeed can exert some control over time. He states that in the merit of the Jewish people submitting themselves to God’s will, God in turn allows us a certain malleability of time. Perhaps those sweet moments last longer than they would otherwise. Perhaps the painful times are shorted and their memories dulled faster. Perhaps time respects the special moments and allows us to capture them well in our minds and in our hearts, making them eternal.

In short, there is some divine allowance that in essence makes us masters of time.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the memory of Manuel Tenenbaum z”l, one of the greatest teachers and community leaders of Uruguay, who constantly promoted and defended our eternal traditions.

To the memory of David Fremd hy”d, brutally slain in Paysandu just for being Jewish. May his memory be a timeless blessing and may his family and the entire community be consoled amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

5774, Exodus, Netziv, Parsha, Pekudai, The Times of Israel

Blessed Intuition

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 First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/pekudai-blessed-intuition/

Netziv Exodus: Pekudai

Blessed Intuition

“Intuition comes very close to clairvoyance; it appears to be the extrasensory perception of reality.”  -Alexis Carrel

There is a space in any creative work where one finds oneself “in the zone”. The “zone” is an almost mythological place for creators, a location in time and space where ones mind, hands and heart are unified and focused in a blissful moment of purpose and concentration of such ease and effortlessness that one becomes unified with the universe at that moment. There is a rightness about such an instant that is heavenly, and affirms our place in the cosmos, if only for a few fleeting minutes.

Bezalel, the head architect of the desert Tabernacle, is credited with having received divine wisdom which allowed him the insights necessary to construct the unique and complex Tabernacle with its multiplicity of parts, components and utensils. At the end of the Book of Exodus, during the description of the completed structure, there is an unusual repetition of the fact that the Tabernacle was constructed according to divine instructions.

The Netziv comments on Exodus 39:43 that the reason for the repetition was because of a sense of surprise. Moses is surprised that Bezalel got all the details right, without having received the minute instructions and subsequent corrections that Moses thought he would have to convey. The Netziv further explains that Bezalel was able to figure out the correct details by looking within himself and having pure intentions. That combination gave him the insight and the intuition to know exactly what to do.

May we learn to tap into our own blessed intuitions.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Ryan and Jordan Brenner and their new art business: La Sombra Gallery

In memory of famed Uruguayan artist, Carlos Páez Vilaró.

5771, Exodus, Kli Yakar, Parsha, Pekudai

Hazy Clarity

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Kli Yakar Exodus: Pekudai

Hazy Clarity

“The man who insists on seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides.” Henri-Frédéric Amiel

The modern world is fond of absolutes (and I am not referring to the vodka brand by that name). People like to be absolutely sure that the course of action they are engaging will turn out as promised. Hence the success of both fast food establishments and processed food, amongst a host of modern developments. A certain consistency, predictability, is built into a processed chicken part that looks eerily like the next and the next and the next.

Thankfully, in our inefficient world, there are daily reminders of the vagrancy and fickleness of those that attempt to provide us with goods or services. A service man who promises to come in half an hour arrives four hours later, or four days later, or not at all. If we would hold all and everyone around us to the standard of perfection, human endeavor would come to a screeching halt.

There is little in life, whether relationships, efforts or dreams that we can see with absolute clarity. And apparently that is by design.

The Kli Yakar makes an interesting observation at the end of the Book of Exodus (40:34). The Divine Presence descends onto the newly constructed Tabernacle. It is surrounded by a cloud. According to the Kli Yakar, the cloud is there to enable us to see God. It is impossible for mortals to see the clear, unobstructed vision of God. Hence, a haze is required in order to enable our perceiving the Divine Presence.

May we enjoy the haze of our reality, which enables us to experience it.

Shabbat Shalom,

Bentzi

Dedication

To the occurrences of haze and heavy fog of Gush Etzion. It reminds me that sometimes you don’t know what’s right around the corner…