5782 - Pekudei

Yahrzeit of the מהרי"ט אלגאזי

This Shabbos, ב' אדר שני, is the Yahrzeit of the מהרי"ט אלגאזי-Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi who lived in Yerushalayim, who was nifter in 1802. He authored a commentary on the הלכות הרמב"ן on בכורות and חלה. Reb Avraham Weinfeld came to the concentration camps when he was fourteen and he had already learned the מהרי"ט אלגאזי on בכורות. He said that it was such a popular לימוד that people would learn בכורות just in order to learn the מהרי"ט אלגאזי.

There is a Haskama written by the Chassam Sofer that he wrote to the publisher of this sefer who lived in his city, Pressburg, where the Chassam Sofer was the מרא דאתרא and it says the following:

הלכות רמב"ן על בכורות הל' חלה וסביביו נסעדה סעד גדול מגברא רבא ויקירא גאון עולם מהו' יום טוב אלגאזי זצ"ל, מכירו הייתי לשעבר בהיותו שליח וכו' והארץ האירה מכבודו, ואמנם עדיין לא הגיעו לחצי הכבוד הראוי לו לפי הנראה מחיבור זה הנקרא הלכות יום טוב על בכורות וחלה, כי הפליא לעשות הגדיל תושי', מיום חבור משנה למלך לא נראה כחיבור זה וכו' ע"ש.

Additionally, the Chida in the שם הגדולים when writing about the מהרי"ט אלגאזי uses the expression in the Gemara יום טוב ראשון דאורייתא.

Yahrzeit of the Levush

Tomorrow, ג' אדר, is the Yahrzeit of the Levush, Reb Mordechaim Yoffe, who died in 1612. In his Hakdamah, he writes how he originally tried to have Talmidim but they didn’t turn out the way he wanted them to. So he decided to write a sefer. After the Beis Yosef on the Tur came out, it was an immediate best seller and everyone learned it. The Levush felt that it was nevertheless too lengthy and there was a need for a more abridged version with clear conclusions and rulings. So he planned to write such a sefer but then when he moved from Prague to Italy, he heard that the Beis Yosef had put out the Shulchan Aruch which was clear and concise rulings so the Levush felt that his idea had already been done. But then he decided that the Mechaber was only based on the rulings of the Rambam as was the Minhag in Sephardi countries. So the Levush decided that he was going to write a Halacha sefer with clear and concise rulings for the people of Ashkenaz. But then he heard, that his Rebbe, Reb Moshe Isserlis had done such a work for the Bnei Ashkenaz. As a result, the Levush writes that he pushed off this sefer and focused on three other seforim that he was working on. Later on, after seeing the Shulchan Aruch and the Rama, he decided that they were too concise and that there was a niche for his sefer, the Levush, and he pursued it.

Chazak Chazak Vnischazak

When completing a Chumash, we said “Chazak Chazak Vnischazak.” Although most people probably say “Vnischazek”-and may we be strengthened, it makes more sense to say Vnischazak as it appears in the Pasuk in שמואל ב י:יב which says חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזַּק בְּעַד עַמֵּנוּ וּבְעַד עָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינו. Additionally, it doesn’t make sense to say to say “Vnischazek”-and may we be strengthened because that is something that happens automatically if we are “Chazak Chazak.” Therefore, it makes more sense to say “Vnischazak.” But either way, what is the meaning of this phrase? Why are we talking about Chizuk?

There is a שו"ת מהר"י מינץ ס' פה that discusses what happens if a shul misses Krias HaTorah on Shabbos. This happened because there was a minhag in shul that if there was a dispute between a תובע and נתבע, the נתבע had a זכות to be מעכב the קריאה (עיכוב הקריאה) until the argument was settled. In this particular incident, it went on the entire day and they didn’t end up doing Krias HaTorah. The Ohr Zarua, brought by the Rama in OH 135:2, ruled in such a case that the shul should read the Parshah they missed the following Shabbos along with the actual Parshah of that Shabbos. The Magen Avraham there quotes the מהר"י מינץ saying that is only if the Parshah missed was in the same Chumash because then they can be connected as opposed to if one was in one Chumash and the following week was in another Chumash. Like we see by פרשיות מחוברות that usually the fourth Aliyah connects the two Parshiyos as we read for him some of the first Parshah and some from the next Parshah. However if the missed Parshah was in one Chumash and the current Parshah is in another Chumash, then they do not read it together the following Shabbos. The reason is because you can’t connect Parshiyos from one Chumash to the next being that it’s a separate ענין and his proof is because we conclude with Chazak Chazak Vnischazak which is like we say הדרן עלך. It must be we got to an end if we are talking about review. (The Magen Avraham only brings the ruling from the מהר"י מינץ but in the מהר"י מינץ he elaborates on the reasoning written above.)

How does the מהר"י מינץ read into the words “Chazak Chazak Vnischazak” the meaning of Chazarah, reviewing, which is the meaning of הדרן עלך?

An explanation could be based on the Gemara in Brachos 32b. The Gemara says ארבעה צריכין חזוק ואלו הן תורה ומעשים טובים תפלה ודרך ארץ וכו' תפלה מנין שנא' קוה אל ה' חזק ואמץ לבך וקוה אל ה', and the Gemara earlier says אם ראה אדם שהתפלל ולא נענה יחזור ויתפלל שנאמר קוה אל ה' חזק ואמץ לבך וקוה אל ה'. So we see that “chizuk” means that even if you tried once and failed that you try again, as we say קוה אל ה' refers toראה אדם שהתפלל ולא נענה יחזור ויתפלל. So also when we complete a Chumash, if we are smart enough to realize that we didn’t really understand it the way we should’ve, then we might be despaired. Therefore, we tell ourselves to be מתחזק and try again.

Giving by Mitzvos and Aveiros

In Parshas Pekudei, the Psukim talk about how Moshe Rabbeinu needed to explain where all the money went. The Medrash Tanchuma says that Klal Yisrael suspected Moshe Rabbeinu of taking the money:

ולמה עשה חשבון הקדוש ברוך הוא מאמינו שנא' (במדבר יב) בכל ביתי נאמן הוא ומשה נתן חשבון, אלא מפני ששמע ליצני הדור שהיו משיחין אחריו שנאמר והיה כצאת משה וגו' והביטו אחרי משה, ומה היו אומרים וכו' ור' חמא אמר לגנאי, היו אומרים ראה צואר, ראה שוקים, אוכל משל יהודים, ושותה משל יהודים, וכל מה שיש לו מן היהודים, וחבירו משיבו אדם ששלט על מלאכת המשכן אין אתה מבקש שיהא עשיר, כיון ששמע משה כך אמר להן חייכם משהמשכן נגמר אני עושה עמכם חשבון, שנאמר אלה פקודי המשכן וגו'

Therefore, he needed to show where and how each material, gold, silver, etc. was used in the Mishkan because they didn’t trust him. However when it came to the חטא העגל, none of the money needed to be accounted for and everyone readily gave the silver and gold without needing to know what became of it and where it went and it only produced a little עגל. They weren’t worried where the extra stuff went.

We see the reality of people is that when it comes to regular daily expenses and spending, people are willing to spend whatever it takes. But when it comes to Mitzvos, the Yetzer Hara gets involved and holds them back. Even more so, when it comes to Aveiros, the Yetzer Hara encourages them. So it’s particularly when it comes to Mitzvos that people have to know exactly how each dollar is being spent.

Regarding the donations of gold, silver, and copper, the Psukim describe that which the silver and copper were used for. However, the Pasuk doesn’t say what the gold was used for. The Ibn Ezra and Ramban discusses this at length. However, the realized explanation is that when it comes to big donors, they give the money without asking what it’s being used for. However, the small donors are very quick to ask what exactly their money is being used for. So when it came to the gold, the major donation, there was no need to explicitly state what it was being used for. But when it came to the silver and copper, the small donations, then the Pasuk needs to write specifically what it was used for.

Giving Conditionally

The Pasuk says אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות וכו'. On the words המשכן משכן, Rashi writes שני פעמים רמז למקדש שנתמשכן בשני חורבנין על עונותיהן של ישראל. The completion of the Mishkan and its inauguration was a festive and momentous time. Why should there be a mention here and now about the שני חורבנין, about the destruction of the two Beis HaMikdash?

One explanation could be that it’s a message that they should cherish the Mishkan and what they have now. It’s not something that will last forever and therefore they should appreciate and cherish the moment and do everything they can in order for it to last as long as possible.

Another explanation could be that as important as unconditional love is, it doesn’t reflect anything about the recipient of that unconditional love. The recipient can be unworthy and totally undeserving of that love. However, when a person is given something when he deserves it and is worthy, it gives him an empowering message about himself. It reflects positively about the receiver as opposed to if he is given something unconditionally. Therefore, in the moment of festive celebration, Klal Yisrael is told that there will be a destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, but it’s a positive thing, in the sense that it reflects positively on Klal Yisrael that it shows they are deserving of it when they have it.

Another point is that Rashi says שנתמשכן בשני חורבנין על עונותיהן של ישראל. A משכון is a collateral that is being held until a loan is paid. The two Beis HaMikdash are collateral for the sins of Klal Yisrael and they are taken away from us until we do Teshuva. This expresses the idea that during the time where we don’t have a Beis HaMikdash, it’s not that we totally lost the connection, rather the connection is eternal and always there. Just there are times when the Mikdash is taken as collateral until and in order that we should improve to eventually get the Mikdash back.

5782 - Vayakhel

Necessity of Togetherness and Readiness

The Parshah begins ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל. Moshe Rabbeinu is congregating כל עדת בני ישראל to tell them the ציווי of בנין המשכן. The fact that the Torah emphasizes the ויקהל, in the context of the ציווי of בנין המשכן shows the importance of ויקהל- togetherness, for בנין המשכן.

Similarly, the Haftarah for Parshas Pekudei which discusses the Beis HaMikdash that Shlomo Hamelech built, writes אז יקהל שלמה את זקני ישראל וכו' ויקהלו אל המלך שלמה כל איש ישראל וכו'. So we further see an emphasis, by both the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdash, on the ויקהל-the togetherness.

The Rambam in Sefer HaMitzvos, Mitzvah 20, which discusses the Mitzvah of building the Beis HaMikdash, writes והמצוה העשרים היא שצונו לבנות בית עבודה. בו יהיה ההקרבה והבערת האש תמיד ואליו יהיה ההליכה והעליה לרגל והקבוץ בכל שנה. The Rambam ends off with והקבוץ בכל שנה which expresses this idea that a purpose of the Beis HaMikdash and Mishkan was to bring everyone together. The Churban of Bayis Sheni came about through שנאת חנם which was a break downs of the togetherness and unity. The Gemara in Sanhedrin 96b says when Hashem destroyed the Beis HaMikdash, it was קימחא טחינא טחינת-grinding ground flour, meaning the Beis HaMikdash already lost its spiritual meaning and purpose before its physical destruction.

The Pasuk in Tehilim 122:3 says ירושלם הבנויה כעיר שחברה לה יחדו. On this Pasuk, the Yerushalmi Chagigah 3:6 says א"ר יהושע בן לוי ירושלם הבנויה כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו עיר שהיא עושה כל ישראל לחברים. Although in this context, חברים is referring to תלמידי חכמים, it has also the meaning of חברים-friends. We see that Yerushalayim, the מקום המקדש, makes כל ישראל חברים. The continuation of the above chapter in Tehilim says יהי שלום בחילך שלוה בארמנותיך: למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך: למען בית ה' אלהינו אבקשה טוב לך. So we see that in order to access the בית ה', it’s all about שלום and togetherness.

Regarding the power of unity amongst Jews, the Sefer HaTanya in the Iggeres Hakodesh Chapter 23 writes the following:

ששמעתי מרבותי כי אילו נמצא מלאך אחד עומד במעמד עשרה מישראל ביחד אף שאינם מדברים בדברי תורה תפול עליו אימתה ופחד בלי גבול ותכלית משכינתא דשריא עלייהו עד שהיה מתבטל ממציאותו לגמרי

There is a level of השראת השכינה amongst ten Jews who are sitting together, even if they aren’t engaged in holy activities, but as long as they aren’t doing the wrong thing, there is השראת השכינה that even מלאכים are not privy to.

According this, can understand that the highest level of השראת השכינה which takes place in the Beis HaMikdash requires קיבוץ and ויקהל. Therefore, Moshe Rabbeinu begins the ציווי of בנין המשכן in such a fashion.

On the Pasuk ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל Rashi says למחרת יום הכפורים כשירד מן ההר that this happened the day after Yom Kippur, right after Moshe Rabbeinu had come down with the Luchos Shniyos. Why was Moshe Rabbeinu in such a rush? Could he not have waited a day or two to tell Klal Yisrael about the building of the Mishkan?

The Keli Yakar addresses this question and he says as follows:

שכל החניות היו במחלוקת ותרעומות חוץ מן החניה שקודם מתן תורה שנאמר (שמות יט ב) ויחן שם ישראל וגו' ואם כן איך אפשר להקהילם בזמן שהם מחולקים ואין דעתם שוה ואין זה זמן מוכן, לזה מצא משה להקהילם כרצונו למחרת יום הכפורים כי ביום כיפור השלום מתווך ביניהם ובעצם היום ההוא כולם באגודה אחת על כן היה בנקל להקהילם ביום המחרת כל זמן ששלום האתמול קיים, אבל אם יום או יומים יעמוד אז לא יוקם השלום כי כבר נתפרדה החבילה וכל איש לדרכו פונה וכו'.

The Keli Yakar explains that unity was required and the only time it would be possible to achieve such a unity was the day after Yom Kippur. After Yom Kippur when everyone forgives each other, now it’s possible to have such a unity, as it says in the Musaf of Yom Kippur יום שִׂימַת אַהֲבָה וְרֵעוּת, יוֹם עֲזִיבַת קִנְאָה וְתַחֲרוּת. Therefore Moshe Rabbeinu was in such a rush to tell over the ציווי of building the Mishkan because a day or two later, and that unity that was achieved over Yom Kippur would be lost. To physically gather all the people wouldn’t have been an impossible feat but to gather all of them that in their hearts they were all together, that was only possible the day after Yom Kippur.

However, in the beginning of Parshas Yisro, the Pasuk says ויהי ממחרת וישב משה לשפט את העם ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב (יח,יג) and Rashi says מוצאי יום הכיפורים היה, כך שנינו בספרי, ומהו ממחרת, למחרת רדתו מן ההר. According to this, the same day that Moshe Rabbeinu was ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל in order to tell them about the building of the Mishkan was also the same day that he was דן the people מן הבקר עד הערב. So even on the day after Yom Kippur which was the only day Moshe could reach the necessary unity in Klal Yisrael, there were still court cases among Jews going on and yet that was considered an unparalleled level of unity. It would seem that settling legal disputes in the proper context is not a contradiction to אחדות and as long as people aren’t physically attacking others, it was considered באחדות and the level of unity necessary for בנין המשכן.

Although the Mishkan was completed on כה כסלו, the inauguration wasn’t until Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Nevertheless, Moshe Rabbeinu didn’t hesitate and delay in building of the Mishkan. Even after a seemingly taxing experience where he received the Luchos Shniyos, over forty days and night, without eating and drinking, he gathered the people, told them the ציווי of בנין המשכן and got to work. This was an expression of Moshe Rabbeinus Midah of Zrizus and therefore, even though the Mishkan wasn’t going to be used until much later, nevertheless he did whatever could be done immediately.

After Moshe Rabbeinu goes through the instructions of building the Mishkan, the Pasuk says ויצאו כל עדת בני ישראל מלפני משה. It is obvious that they left so what is this Pasuk coming to teach us? It could be the idea that Moshe Rabbeinus Zrizus rubbed off on Klal Yisrael and therefore the Pasuk is emphasizing that the Jews immediately left Moshe after the instructions and began to build.

Building the Mishkan and Shabbos

The first Pasuk in the Parshah says ויאמר אליהם אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשות אתם. The next two Psukim begin to talk about Shabbos and the איסור מלאכה. Only afterwards do the Psukim continue to talk about the building of the Mishkan. It can’t be that the אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשות is going on the Mitzvah of Shabbos because the Psukim discussing Shabbos talk about not doing. Therefore, אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשות is really the ציווי of בנין המשכן. But why do the Psukim discussing the building of the Mishkan break to discuss Shabbos?

Rashi explains and writes הקדים להם אזהרת שבת לצווי מלאכת המשכן לומר שאינה דוחה את השבת. Based on the above, an explanation could be that since there was a tremendous Zrizus and readiness to begin building the Mishkan, there was a concern that they would just continue to work and build even on Shabbos. Therefore, right after the ציווי of בנין המשכן, the Torah interjects with the Mitzvah of Shabbos and the איסור מלאכה element of Shabbos to stress the importance of not building the Mishkan on Shabbos. The idea of Zrizus is to do something right away but not with בהלה-haste. Sometimes, an overemphasis of Zrizus turns in to בהלה which leads to mistakes and error. In the Hoshanos, we say הושענא נפש מבהלה that the נפש should be saved from בהלה because בהלה is not a good thing. Therefore, in the context of all the excitement and readiness to build the Mishkan, the Torah needs to pause to stress the pause of Shabbos.

Another answer could be as follows. The Ramban in the beginning of Sefer Shemos and Parshas Terumah says that the השראת השכינה that was at Sinai בגלוי is in the Mishkan בסתר. Meaning, the purpose of the Mishkan was to continue the השראת השכינה that was at Sinai.

לשון הרמב"ן בהקדמה לספר שמות: וכשבאו אל הר סיני ועשו המשכן ושב הקדוש ברוך הוא והשרה שכינתו ביניהם אז שבו אל מעלת אבותם וכו' ע"ש.

לשון הרמב"ן בריש פרשת תרומה: וסוד המשכן הוא, שיהיה הכבוד אשר שכן על הר סיני שוכן עליו בנסתר. וכמו שנאמר שם (לעיל כד טז) וישכן כבוד ה' על הר סיני, וכתיב (דברים ה כא) הן הראנו ה' אלהינו את כבודו ואת גדלו, כן כתוב במשכן וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן (להלן מ לד). והזכיר במשכן שני פעמים וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן, כנגד “את כבודו ואת גדלו”. והיה במשכן תמיד עם ישראל הכבוד שנראה להם בהר סיני.

These words of the Ramban align with what the Sforno says in the beginning of Parshas Terumah. He writes that before the חטא העגל, there was no need for a Mishkan and there was a reality of בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבוא אליך וברכתיך. But once Klal Yisrael sinned with the חטא העגל, now the שכינה was only able to exist and reside in the Mishkan. So if Klal Yisrael would be on the מדרגה of מתן תורה, which was before the חטא העגל, then there would be no need for a Mishkan because we would be experiencing a type of השראת השכינה that doesn’t require a Mishkan. It’s only because of the חטא העגל that we now need a Mishkan for השראת השכינה.

In the Zmiros on Shabbos it says אוהבי ה' המחכים בבנין אריאל that the אוהבי ה' are waiting for the building of the Beis HaMikdash and they are heartbroken by the lack of the Beis HaMikdash. But it continues ביום השבת שישו ושמחו כמקבלי מתן נחליאל that on Shabbos they can overcome that pain. The reason is because on Shabbos, we are כמקבלי מתן נחליאל-like those who were מקבל the Torah, and the people who originally were מקבל the Torah said נעשה ונשמע. And as the Sforno says, at that point, the Beis HaMikdash was not needed and it was only after the חטא העגל that the Mishkan was needed. Therefore although the אוהבי ה' long for the building of the Beis HaMikdash, on Shabbos they are שישו ושמחו like the מקבלי מתן נחליאל who didn’t need the Mishkan because בכל מקום אשר אזכיר את שמי. So what the Mishkan accomplished in space, is what Shabbos accomplishes in time. According to all this, we can understand the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbos.

It’s noteworthy that just like ויקהל is emphasized by the Mishkan and the Beis HaMikdash, so too also by Shabbos. The Rambam in Hilchos Shabbos 30:2 writesוחכמים הראשונים היו מקבצין תלמידיהן בערב שבת ומתעטפים ואומרים בואו ונצא לקראת שבת המלך. Just like the Rambam says a purpose of the Beis HaMikdash was עליה and קיבוץ, so also by Shabbos the Rambam emphasizes the element of קיבוץ when being לקראת שבת. Since Shabbos is the השראת השכינה in time and it accomplishes that which the השראת השכינה in the Mishkan accomplishes in space, therefore it requires קיבוץ just like it was required by the Mishkan and Beis HaMikdash.

Seeing till the end

The Pasuk says ויאמר משה אל בני ישראל ראו קרא ה' בשם בצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה (לה,ל). Why does the Torah list so many generations back when mentioning בצלאל, that it says בצלאל בן אורי בן חור. It would’ve been sufficient to either just say בצלאל or בצלאל בן אורי. Why does the Torah list all the way back to חור? Also, what is the meaning of ראו-“see”-what are the people supposed to “see”? Furthermore, Rashi writes חור - בנה של מרים היה. Why does Rashi need to explain here that חור was the son of מרים?

To answer these questions, a possible idea could be as follows. חור stood up for what was right when he protested the building of the עגל and because of that, he was killed by the people. Such a response, for doing the right thing, doesn’t put Judaism in the right light. Someone might be turned off by seeing such a thing.

Miriam and Yocheved were the מילדות in Mitzrayim and they were מוסר נפש to save the Jewish babies, against the command of Pharaoh. The Pasuk says ויעש להם בתים that they were rewarded with בתים. Yocheved ended up being the mother of Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader in Jewish history who changed the course of human history, and Aharon HaKohen, the high priest from who all the Kohanim come from. We immediately see the reward that Yocheved got for being מוסר נפש but we don’t find a fulfilment of ויעש להם בתים so quickly for Miriam. But not only do we not see an immediate fulfillment of ויעש להם בתים like we do by Yocheved, on the contrary we see that her son, חור, who was מוסר נפש for the right thing, ended up getting killed!

But now with בצלאל, a grandson of חור, we are seeing the fulfillment of ויעש להם בתים. בצלאל who was chosen to lead and instruct the building of the Mishkan, was reward for Miriam who was מוסר נפש. Although it wasn’t immediately seen and fulfilled by חור, with patience it eventually came to be. That is why the Torah emphasizes ראו, that “see” how in the end it was fulfilled and that is why Rashi writes בנה של מרים היה to emphasize this point.

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Pleasantness Throughout The Week

וירא משה את כל המלאכה והנה עשו אתה כאשר צוה יקוק כן עשו ויברך אתם משה (לט,מג)

Rashi explains אמר להם יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם, (תהלים צ יז) ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו וגו. Moshe Rabbeinu gave a Brachah that the Shechina should reside in the Mishkan. The Pasuk says that the Mishkan was erected on Rosh Chodesh Nissan and the Gemara in Shabbos 87b says that day was the first day of the week-ראשון למעשה בראשית. The Rokeach explains this is one of the reasons we say on Motzei Shabbos at the end of Maariv ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו וגו' because Moshe Rabbeinu said it at the completion of the building of the Mishkan which was on the first day of the week.

But why should Moshe Rabbeinu feel the need to give a Brachah that the Shechina should be שורה in the Mishkan if the Pasuk says ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם that by building a Mishkan the Shechina will be שורה. So why was it necessary for Moshe to give such a Brachah?

A possible explanation could be based on the Seforim that say ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם, the בתוכם is said plural because it is referring to each individual in Klal Yisrael that the Shechina should reside within them. So it could be Moshe Rabbeinu’s Brachah wasn’t only referring to the Shechina being שורה in the Mishkan but also referring to the idea that the Shechina should be שורה in כל אחד ואחד בישראל.

The meaning of נועם in the request of ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו is the sweetness, the pleasantness, meaning it’s something that accompanies something else. This meaning is found in Megilah 32a when the Gemara says כל הקורא בלא נעימה ושונה בלא זמרה - עליו הכתוב אומר וגם אני נתתי להם חקים לא טובים וגו'. מתקיף לה אביי: משום דלא ידע לבסומי קלא משפטים לא יחיו בהם קרית ביה? אלא כדרב משרשיא, דאמר: שני תלמידי חכמים היושבים בעיר אחת ואין מנעימין זה את זה בהלכה וכו'-they sweeten each other in Halacha. So the נועם ה' אלקינו עלינו is about Hashem’s presence in our doing, lending his sweetness and pleasantness in our doing. ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו is said on Motzei Shabbos because although on Shabbos we refrain from מלאכה and there is no מעשה ידים, but now we are entering the work week and reengaging מלאכה and we don’t want to lose contact and therefore we say ויהי נועם ה' אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו that Hashem should be מכונן our מעשה ידים and accompany us throughout the week.

Giving By the Mishkan VS The חטא העגל

It is interesting to contrast the giving of all the money and material by the Mishkan to the giving of all the gold and silver by the חטא העגל. In Parshas Pekudei, the Psukim talk about how Moshe Rabbeinu needed to explain where all the money went. The Medrash Tanchuma says that Klal Yisrael suspected Moshe Rabbeinu of taking the money:

ולמה עשה חשבון הקדוש ברוך הוא מאמינו שנא' (במדבר יב) בכל ביתי נאמן הוא ומשה נתן חשבון, אלא מפני ששמע ליצני הדור שהיו משיחין אחריו שנאמר והיה כצאת משה וגו' והביטו אחרי משה, ומה היו אומרים וכו' ור' חמא אמר לגנאי, היו אומרים ראה צואר, ראה שוקים, אוכל משל יהודים, ושותה משל יהודים, וכל מה שיש לו מן היהודים, וחבירו משיבו אדם ששלט על מלאכת המשכן אין אתה מבקש שיהא עשיר, כיון ששמע משה כך אמר להן חייכם משהמשכן נגמר אני עושה עמכם חשבון, שנאמר אלה פקודי המשכן וגו'

Therefore, he needed to show where and how each material, gold, silver, etc. was used in the Mishkan because they didn’t trust him. However when it came to the חטא העגל, none of the money needed to be accounted for and everyone readily gave the silver and gold without needing to know what became of it and where it went and it only produced a little עגל. They weren’t worried where the extra stuff went.

One perspective when contrasting this is this is how people are when it comes to Averios. They are willing to just give and throw any amounts of money at it in order to achieve what they are looking to do. But when it comes to a Mitzvah, then people are meticulous and need to know exactly how each dollar and cent is being spent.

But another perspective and outlook could be that deep inside a Jews heart, he doesn’t want to sin as the Rambam says in the end of הל' גירושין פרק ב that every Jew in his heart of hearts wants to do the right thing. Therefore, even though they stumbled in that moment and gave their jewelry for the חטא העגל, immediately after they didn’t want to know if their money was actually given for the חטא העגל and they wanted to believe that what they gave didn’t actually contribute to the creation of the עגל. However, when it came to the Mitzvah of building the Mishkan, each Jew wanted to know exactly how their contribution was contributing to the Mitzvah. They wanted to know where their portion of the Mitzvah was and therefore they wanted Moshe Rabbeinu to tell them what was each item donated being used for.

The truth is that both these perspectives are simultaneously true. When a person tries to extrapolate ideas from biblical stories and מאמרי חז"ל, there is one approach which is to put down human nature and human inclination and the other approach is to talk about his greatness. Both of these approaches are important for different people and for different times. But one needs Siyata Dishmaya to apply the right method to the right moment. This idea is really the idea behind יש דורשין לגנאי ויש דורשין לשבח. A person has to be דורש from himself and sometimes it needs to be לשבח and sometimes it needs to be לגנאי. It all depends on what a person needs at that given moment.

Unity

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל ויאמר אלהם אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה' לעשת אתם (לה,א)

The Parsha begins with Moshe Rabbeinu congregating כל עדת בני ישראל to tell them the ציווי of בנין המשכן. Rashi says למחרת יום הכפורים כשירד מן ההר that this happened the day after Yom Kippur, right after Moshe Rabbeinu had come down with the Luchos Shniyos. Why was Moshe Rabbeinu in such a rush? Could he not have waited a day or two to tell Klal Yisrael about the building of the Mishkan?

The Keli Yakar addresses this question and he says as follows:

שכל החניות היו במחלוקת ותרעומות חוץ מן החניה שקודם מתן תורה שנאמר (שמות יט ב) ויחן שם ישראל וגו' ואם כן איך אפשר להקהילם בזמן שהם מחולקים ואין דעתם שוה ואין זה זמן מוכן, לזה מצא משה להקהילם כרצונו למחרת יום הכפורים כי ביום כיפור השלום מתווך ביניהם ובעצם היום ההוא כולם באגודה אחת על כן היה בנקל להקהילם ביום המחרת כל זמן ששלום האתמול קיים, אבל אם יום או יומים יעמוד אז לא יוקם השלום כי כבר נתפרדה החבילה וכל איש לדרכו פונה וכו'.

The Keli Yakar explains that unity was required and the only time it would be possible to achieve such a unity was the day after Yom Kippur. After Yom Kippur when everyone forgives each other, now it’s possible to have such a unity, as it says in the Musaf of Yom Kippur יום שִׂימַת אַהֲבָה וְרֵעוּת, יוֹם עֲזִיבַת קִנְאָה וְתַחֲרוּת. Therefore Moshe Rabbeinu was in such a rush to tell over the ציווי of building the Mishkan because a day or two later, and that unity that was achieved over Yom Kippur would be lost. To physically gather all the people wouldn’t have been an impossible feat but to gather all of them that in their hearts they were all together, that was only possible the day after Yom Kippur. Similarly, by מתן תורה, the Pasuk says ויחן שם ישראל נגד ההר and Rashi says כאיש אחד בלב אחד that they became united as one.

It would seem that whenever we are talking about connecting to the divine, whether it’s the one time revelation at Sinai or the ongoing presence of the Shechina in the Mishkan, there is an emphasis on unity. Why is unity so essential when talking about connecting to the divine presence?

It could be that as long as we are locked into our own ego and into our selfish self, we are blocked from experiencing the divine presence. It’s only when we break out of the shell of self-interests do our eyes open to see the creator. One who hears and feels for his fellow man can experience the presence of the divine. This is why unity is the key to the revelation at Sinai and the presence of Shechina in the Mishkan, to השראת השכינה.

However, in the beginning of Parshas Yisro, the Pasuk says ויהי ממחרת וישב משה לשפט את העם ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב (יח,יג) and Rashi says מוצאי יום הכיפורים היה, כך שנינו בספרי, ומהו ממחרת, למחרת רדתו מן ההר. According to this, the same day that Moshe Rabbeinu was ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל in order to tell them about the building of the Mishkan was also the same day that he was דן the people מן הבקר עד הערב. So even on the day after Yom Kippur which was the only day Moshe could reach the necessary unity in Klal Yisrael, there were still court cases among Jews going on and yet that was considered an unparalleled level of unity. As long as people aren’t physically attacking others, it was considered באחדות. But where exactly did Moshe Rabbeinu find the time to tell Klal Yisrael about the בנין המשכן if he was judging the people from morning until night?

The answer could be based on the Gemara in Shabbos 10a that says as follows:

תנא להו רב חייא בר רב מדפתי: ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב, וכי תעלה על דעתך שמשה יושב ודן כל היום כלו? תורתו מתי נעשית? אלא לומר לך כל דיין שדן דין אמת לאמיתו אפילו שעה אחת - מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו נעשה שותף להקדוש ברוך הוא במעשה בראשית. כתיב הכא ויעמד העם על משה מן הבקר עד הערב, וכתיב התם ויהי ערב ויהי בקר יום אחד וכו'.

According to this Gemara, Moshe Rabbeinu wasn’t actually דן כל היום כלו rather the Pasuk was coming to teach us כל דיין שדן דין אמת לאמיתו אפילו שעה אחת - מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו נעשה שותף להקדוש ברוך הוא במעשה בראשית. Therefore, there was time in the day for Moshe Rabbeinu to tell Klal Yisrael about the ציווי of בנין המשכן. But if this is the case, what was the נבל תבל that Yisro was claiming? How does this fit with the Gemara above?

It could be that to be a דיין who is דן דין אמת לאמיתו takes a tremendous effort and it takes a lot out of a person. Therefore, although Moshe Rabbeinu’s efforts and energy were not being used up in quantity, in quality they were and that’s why Yisro exclaimed נבל תבל.

Connection Between the Mishkan and Shabbos

In the beginning of Vayakhel, the Psukim mention Shabbos in the context of building the Mishkan. What is the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbos?

The Ramban in the beginning of Sefer Shemos and Parshas Terumah says that the השראת השכינה that was at Sinai בגלוי is in the Mishkan בסתר. Meaning, the purpose of the Mishkan was to continue the השראת השכינה that was at Sinai.

לשון הרמב"ן בהקדמה לספר שמות: וכשבאו אל הר סיני ועשו המשכן ושב הקדוש ברוך הוא והשרה שכינתו ביניהם אז שבו אל מעלת אבותם וכו' ע"ש. לשון הרמב"ן בריש פרשת תרומה: וסוד המשכן הוא, שיהיה הכבוד אשר שכן על הר סיני שוכן עליו בנסתר. וכמו שנאמר שם (לעיל כד טז) וישכן כבוד ה' על הר סיני, וכתיב (דברים ה כא) הן הראנו ה' אלהינו את כבודו ואת גדלו, כן כתוב במשכן וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן (להלן מ לד). והזכיר במשכן שני פעמים וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן, כנגד “את כבודו ואת גדלו”. והיה במשכן תמיד עם ישראל הכבוד שנראה להם בהר סיני.

These words of the Ramban align with what the Sforno says in the beginning of Parshas Terumah. He writes that before the חטא העגל, there was no need for a Mishkan and there was a reality of בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבוא אליך וברכתיך. But once Klal Yisrael sinned with the חטא העגל, now the שכינה was only able to exist and reside in the Mishkan. So if Klal Yisrael would be on the מדרגה of מתן תורה, which was before the חטא העגל, then there would be no need for a Mishkan because we would be experiencing a type of השראת השכינה that doesn’t require a Mishkan. It’s only because of the חטא העגל that we now need a Mishkan for השראת השכינה.

The אריז"ל says (in the סידור האריז"ל on the wordsישמח משה במתנת חלקו ) that the כתרים that we got when we said נעשה ונשמע but that were taken away from us by the חטא העגל are given back to us on Shabbos. The reason being is because on Shabbos, we revert back to a level of before the חטא העגל.

In the Zmiros on Shabbos it says אוהבי ה' המחכים בבנין אריאל that the אוהבי ה' are waiting for the building of the Beis Hamikdash and they are heartbroken by the lack of the Beis Hamikdash. But it continues ביום השבת שישו ושמחו כמקבלי מתן נחליאל that on Shabbos they can overcome that pain. The reason is because on Shabbos, we are כמקבלי מתן נחליאל-like those who were מקבל the Torah, and the people who originally were מקבל the Torah said נעשה ונשמע. And as the Sforno says, at that point, the Beis Hamikdash was not needed and it was only after the חטא העגל that the Mishkan was needed. Therefore although the אוהבי ה' long for the building of the Beis Hamikdash, on Shabbos they are שישו ושמחו like the מקבלי מתן נחליאל who didn’t need the Mishkan because בכל מקום אשר אזכיר את שמי. According to all this, we can understand the connection between the Mishkan and Shabbos.

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