Category Archives: Vayakel

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, Vayakel

Being Smart is Secondary (Vayakhel)

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Being Smart is Secondary (Vayakhel)

Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the construction of the Tabernacle, God designates Bezalel as the master architect. The verse states:

“See, God has singled out by name Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, endowing him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft.”

The Chidushei HaRim on Exodus 35:30 highlights the fact that Bezalel is singled out by “name.” He then proceeds to quote the Mishnaic dictum of “It’s better to have a good name than good oil,” which is classically interpreted to mean that it’s better to have a good name as an upstanding person than wealth and riches.

He then draws a comparison between the good name the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi possessed versus the good oil, the anointing oil, that was used to anoint and consecrate Nadav and Avihu as Kohens, as priests in the Tabernacle.

Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron the High Priest, went too far in their roles when they brought the strange, unasked-for fire in the Tabernacle and were promptly struck down by God with a divine fire. Conversely, the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi were unharmed when they were thrown into a fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

The Chidushei HaRim interprets the analogy of “oil” as being wisdom. He would interpret the dictum as “It’s more important to first possess good character before wisdom.” He claims that while Nadav and Avihu were extremely intelligent, their characters were not yet developed and mature enough as compared to their intelligence. Therefore, their intelligence was on a rocky foundation.

Their father, Aaron, possessed both character and wisdom which is hinted at by the verse in Psalms:

“It is like fine oil on the head running down onto the beard, the beard of Aaron, that comes down according to his character traits.” -Psalms 133:2

May the strength of our character always be a foundation for whatever intelligence we’re blessed with.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the safety and wellbeing of our brothers and sisters in 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, The Times of Israel, Vayakel

Generational Baton (Vayakhel)

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Generational Baton (Vayakhel)

My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. -John Bunyan

For the construction of the Tabernacle, the Torah states that God bestowed wisdom on a variety of individuals. Suddenly, they had the knowledge, the expertise required for the woodwork, the metalwork, the tapestry-work, for the creation of the representation of God’s abode on Earth.

The Berdichever highlights that the creation of the Tabernacle parallels the creation of the world. The divinely-inspired artisans who constructed the Tabernacle found themselves with infinite understanding and capabilities, yet they circumscribed their efforts. They left something for successive generations to do.

The Berdichever explains that in every generation, the righteous of that generation create heaven and earth anew. By their delving in the Torah, by continually finding new understandings in the Torah, they are continuing the labor of the divinely-inspired artisans who constructed the Tabernacle. They are creating an abode for God on Earth. They are carrying the eternal baton that our ancestors left for us. They are continuing the race, relaying from one generation to the next the never-ending divine work.

There is something about the Torah in general, and the Tabernacle and its utensils in particular, which hides secrets of creation, secrets of the connection between heaven and earth, secrets as to the conduit between the upper worlds and the lower worlds, secrets of our very existence, purpose and future.

May we uncover some of those secrets and get a glimpse of what a heavenly earth looks like.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the Anglo community of Tzfat, for a very warm welcome.

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.

5777, Exodus, Hirsch, Parsha, The Times of Israel, Vayakel

Emotional Spectrum

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Emotional Spectrum

The depth of our despair measures what capability and height of claim we have to hope. -Thomas Carlyle

The first time God gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments engraved upon the two Tablets of the Covenant – it didn’t work out very well. They created and worshipped the Golden Calf – quite a slap in the face to God. God is ready to destroy the nation. Moshe destroys the Tablets and intercedes, saving the Hebrew nation from destruction. Before and after all this action, we have the instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle, the Sanctuary where the actual Tablets are meant to rest in the Ark of the Covenant, in the epicenter of the entire effort.

Rabbi Hirsch on Exodus 35:1 provides an analysis of the narrative from the point of the receipt of the second set of Tablets and the actual construction of the previously instructed Sanctuary:

“Now that the Testimony of the Law, the pledge of God’s special Presence in the midst of the people, had been given to Israel once again, the erection of a dwelling place for this Testimony had again become relevant. The grim events described previously, which had jeopardized the realization of this task, are of the most far-reaching significance for the task as such, for the Sanctuary and the purpose for which the Sanctuary is to be erected.”

“The construction of the Sanctuary was to take place under the impact of a completely new experience. The people and the priests had come to realize how weak and imperfect they still were, how much they still needed to work upon themselves incessantly and how greatly they were in need of uplift and atonement. Moreover, they had come to know God in all the severity of His judgment, but also in all the fullness of His grace. They had experienced all the nuances of our relationship with God, from the feeling of utter rejection by God up to the height of Divine favor regained.”

“The Sanctuary to be constructed was to become the place from which the ideal of their vocation would shine forth forever to individual and community alike. It was to be the place where, at any stage of error or weakness, they would find renewed strength to work their way up again and to persevere on the high level of their vocation, and where they would find God’s help and blessing for both objectives.”

“Thus, the experience that had been recorded forever in the history of the nation between the time it had been commanded to build its very first Sanctuary, and the actual execution of that command, is documentary proof that it is possible at any stage of error to return, and to regain the favor of God.”

May we remember that the full gamut of experiences and emotions can always bring us to God.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To our children Eitan and Rebecca, on your wedding! It’s finally here!

 

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

Too Generous

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 What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition, which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one. -Francois de la Rochefoucauld

money

Moses calls for the people of Israel to donate materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. Gold, silver, wood, precious stones, fine linens, skins and more, all flow as contributions. The donations become so extensive that Moses sends an order throughout the camp: Enough! We have more than enough to complete the work, please stop sending your contributions.

This is often presented as the classic example of Jewish generosity. However, the Sfat Emet in 5635 (1875) understands a possibly darker motivation to such lavishness. He claims that this was a case of inappropriate generosity. The donors gave more than they should have. Their motivation was no longer one of divine service, but rather had a very egocentric focus. Whether it was one-upmanship, the pride of attesting to a sizeable contribution or some other benefit, these donations were no longer for God’s sake and these types of gifts needed to be stopped.

The Sfat Emet further warns that there is a danger of becoming arrogant upon the completion of some effort. We may forget that God is truly the source of all wealth and success. If we attribute these matters solely to our own mortal efforts and forget the involvement of the Divine, we run the risk of receiving a harsh reminder that all is in God’s hands.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To the fundraising campaign to send Rivka Sirkin to school in Israel. A good cause.

5775, Baal Haturim, Exodus, Parsha, The Times of Israel, Vayakel

Wise Wives

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/vayakel-wise-wives/

Baal Haturim Exodus: Vayakel

Wise Wives

Marriage is the best state for man in general, and every man is a worse man in proportion to the level he is unfit for marriage.  -Samuel Johnson

Voluntary single-hood is at a historic high. People in countries all over the world, of their own free will are making the decision that they do not wish to marry, they do not wish to be joined in matrimony, to share their lives with a significant other. I am not talking about people who have been searching for a spouse for years. I am not talking about people who due to various constraints would have difficulty finding or keeping a mate. I am talking about healthy, well-adjusted, capable people, who seem to think that the best course of action for them and for the world is to remain single for the rest of their lives.

This is probably one of the worst decisions they will make for themselves and for humanity in general. The very first command of God to humanity is to marry and bear children. The Talmud states that a man that is not married is considered dead in some respects. The Baal Haturim on Exodus 35:25 goes a step further and states that one who is married to a wise woman, that woman is credited for giving life to her husband.

May we find, keep and cherish the wise wives we need and may our womenfolk always be the sagacious spouses we rely on.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Tamara

 

 

 

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

Spoils of the Sabbath

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First posted on The Times of Israel at: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/vayakel-spoils-of-the-sabbath/

Netziv Exodus: Vayakel

Spoils of the Sabbath

“What is without periods of rest will not endure.” –Ovid

A day of rest has become a fairly common phenomenon. This was not always so. For most people, the weekly day off is seen as a time to relax, to have fun, to bond with family and friends and to enjoy life after a hard work-week.

However, there are two types of people who don’t enjoy the Sabbath. The first are those that feel the economic distress that prompts them to continue working. The second are workaholics. However, Jewish tradition advises them to take a break as well. Rest is not optional – it’s a requirement.

The Netziv on Exodus 35:2 takes the business of rest seriously and explains that not only are those who work on the Sabbath committing a sin, but that they will see no gain, no satisfaction, no benefit from their work. He brings an unusual example from the Israelite conquest of the Canaanite city of Jericho more than 3,000 years ago. According to tradition, the city was conquered on the Sabbath and the Jewish leader, Joshua, disciple of Moses, commanded the Jewish army not to touch any of the spoils of war.

One man however, didn’t listen to Joshua and did abscond some of the Jericho treasure. The next Israelite battle was a disaster as a direct result of the infraction of the lone Israelite. The Sabbath-taken treasure was cursed and affected the entire nation. The man who had taken the treasure was subsequently killed together with his entire family.

According to the Netziv (and many others), Sabbath-gained gains will do no good, and may even be cursed.

Workers beware.

Shabbat Shalom,

Ben-Tzion

Dedication

To Kickstarter. They have a fantastic funding platform for making work projects fun, collaborative and successful.