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Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
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An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. The First Building Fund
The Parsha opens with the first fundraiser ever held in Jewish history. G-d tells Moshe to gather donations from the Jews toward the building of the Tabernacle, which would serve as a resting place for G-d?s Presence among the Jewish people. The request was met with an overwhelmingly positive response ? so much so that Moses later had to ask the people to stop bringing donations (see Chap. 36, verse 6). The Parsha then details the dimensions of each part of the Tabernacle and how it was to be built, introducing the section with the following verse: ?They shall make a Sanctuary (?mikdash? in Hebrew) for me, so that I may dwell among them? (Chap. 25, verse 8).
The question: Why does the Torah here refer to the Tabernacle as a Sanctuary (?mikdash?), whereas immediately afterwards and throughout much of the Parsha it is called a Tabernacle (?mishkan?)?
The answer: The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh (Rabbi Chaim ben Moshe Attar, 1696-1743) says that the Torah introduces the section with the word ?Sanctuary? to teach us that the commandment to build a House for G-d was not a temporary command applicable only in the desert. Rather, it is a commandment that is in force for all generations of Jews and includes the requirement to erect a Temple. At various stages of Jewish history, it was impossible to fulfill this commandment because the Jews were in exile and the Temple could only be built in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, says the Ohr HaChaim, the commandment itself remains in force. In other words, the law remained the law even if the Jews were unable to fulfill it.
The lesson: It is hard to believe that just several weeks ago, the fate of the Temple Mount hung in the balance. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak came perilously close to transferring the Jewish People?s holiest site to foreign control. The Oslo process, begun over seven years ago, ultimately climaxed exactly where its critics had always said that it would: in the heart of Jerusalem. But thankfully, the Israeli people were unwilling to tolerate such a far-reaching concession, one that would have been unprecedented in the annals of history. No other nation would ever contemplate voluntarily yielding its most sacred site. But even though the Temple Mount remains under Israeli sovereignty, its daily administration is in the hands of the Muslim Waqf, which does not allow Jewish prayer at the site and continues to carry out unsupervised archaeological digging. Priceless antiquities have been destroyed as the zealous Waqf tries to erase any evidence of a Jewish presence on the Mount. Let us hope that the incoming Israeli government will adopt a firmer approach and bring to an end this ongoing national humiliation. As concerned Jews, we must protest this blatant violation of the law and brazen desecration of our holiest site. We must all cry out and urge our elected representatives to enforce the law and stop the Waqf from carrying out its illegal and immoral activities. History will not forgive us if we remain silent.
2. You?re My Angel
The Parsha describes the construction of the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. It is to be made of pure gold with a length of two and a half cubits and a width of a cubit and a half. On the cover there are two cherubim (angelic figures) facing one another. The cherubim were not made separately from the cover; rather, the artisan had to hammer out the cover and the cherubim from one large block of gold. The Torah says, ?You shall make two cherubim of gold? The cherubim shall be with wings spread upward, sheltering the cover with their wings, with their faces toward one another?? (Chap. 25, verses 18, 20).
The question: Our verse states that the cherubim faced one another, yet this seems to contradict a verse in the Second Book of Chronicles (Chap. 3, verse 13), which says, ?and their faces were inward [lit. toward the House].? What is the meaning of the apparent disparity between the two verses?
The answer: The Talmud in Tractate Baba Batra (99a) answers by saying that the verse in our Parsha (?with their faces toward one another?) refers to when the Jews are performing G-d?s will, whereas the verse in Chronicles (?and their faces were inward?) refers to when they are not. Hence, the cherubim are a form of spiritual barometer, indicating whether the Jews are living up to their responsibility to fulfill G-d?s commands. Rabbi Yitzchok Elchanon Spector (Rabbi of Kovno, Lithuania in the late 19th century) says that the Talmud?s explanation contains an important lesson for us. According to Rabbi Spector, the cherubim facing one another (as described in our Parsha) symbolizes when the Jewish people turn towards one another and take an interest in their brethren, offering them assistance in times of need. At such a time, the Jews are performing the will of their Father in Heaven, because G-d?s primary wish is for people to be kind and generous to one another. But when ?their faces were inward [lit. toward the House]? (as in Chronicles)? that is, when each Jew is concerned only with himself and his family and not with others, then it can be said about Israel that they are not fulfilling the will of their Father in Heaven.
The lesson: The Jews of Judea, Samaria and Gaza are entering their sixth month of having to endure daily, life-threatening Palestinian violence. The stabbings, shootings and stonings continue unabated, with the routine trips to and from work having become far more dangerous. Daily life is disrupted, friends and relatives do not visit as frequently and the roads after dark have taken on an air of peril. The army no doubt does the best it can, but it can not be everywhere at all times. Among those worst hit by the violence are residents of the Jewish communities of Gaza, such as Netzarim and Kfar Darom, which have been primary targets of Palestinian terror and violence. Whatever one?s views are regarding the settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the Jews of these areas are Jews, and it is our obligation to reach out and help them in every way possible. Leave aside your political arguments for the time being and do not forget: They are mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. They are going through difficult times now, and the proper Jewish response is to try and alleviate their suffering as much as possible. We must do whatever we can to help them.
Note: If you will be in the Ra?anana area this Saturday nite, you can make this lesson a reality by attending a special event on behalf of the Gaza Jewish community of Netzarim, which will be held at 8:30pm at the Lechu Neranena shul on Herzl Street. Residents of Netzarim will be there, as will retired general Effie Eitam and other prominent rabbis and community leaders. Please join us in helping our fellow Jews in their hour of need.
3. A People That Stands Forever
The Parsha describes the wooden planks to be used in constructing the walls of the Tabernacle. The dimensions of each plank are to be a length of ten cubits and a width of a cubit and a half. The Torah says, ?You shall make the planks of the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing erect? (Chap. 26, verse 15).
The question: Why does the Torah use the present tense of ?standing erect? ?
The answer: The Talmud in Tractate Yoma (72a) offers three different interpretations, one of which is particularly meaningful to us: lest the Jewish people despair one day and say that their hope of redemption and expectation for deliverance are lost, the Torah uses ?standing? in the present tense to indicate that the Jewish people will stand forever, never to be destroyed.
The lesson: Just five decades after the Holocaust, threats to Jewish survival continue to confront us, posing an increasingly menacing danger to the continuity of the Jewish people. The plagues of assimilation and intermarriage have swept through Western countries, leaving behind communities weakened numerically and spiritually. The Jews of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are still trying to recover from the ravages of communism and dictatorship. The Jewish people are divided as never before, split apart by internal feuds and discord that have generated deep and painful enmity. Israel?s enemies continue to grow stronger, with both Iran and Iraq drawing perilously closer to perfecting their ballistic missile capabilities along with obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, it is tempting some times to look at the situation and shake one?s head in despair, for how could any people possibly hope to overcome such dangers and ensure its survival? But in every generation, there have been prophets of doom who have predicted our people?s imminent demise. None have proved right, and for a very simple reason: we have a Divine promise that the Jewish people will never be destroyed. Just as the acacia wood used in the Tabernacle stood erect, so too will the Jewish people stand erect throughout history. Regardless of how alarming the threats may be, regardless of the blows we take or setbacks we suffer, the Jewish people will always endure.
Torah Thoughts Relating To Current Events
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Occasional Series by Michael Freund of Raanana, Israel
Comments/Feedback/Subscribe: parsha_sheet@hotmail.com
1. The First Building Fund
The Parsha opens with the first fundraiser ever held in Jewish history. G-d tells Moshe to gather donations from the Jews toward the building of the Tabernacle, which would serve as a resting place for G-d?s Presence among the Jewish people. The request was met with an overwhelmingly positive response ? so much so that Moses later had to ask the people to stop bringing donations (see Chap. 36, verse 6). The Parsha then details the dimensions of each part of the Tabernacle and how it was to be built, introducing the section with the following verse: ?They shall make a Sanctuary (?mikdash? in Hebrew) for me, so that I may dwell among them? (Chap. 25, verse 8).
The question: Why does the Torah here refer to the Tabernacle as a Sanctuary (?mikdash?), whereas immediately afterwards and throughout much of the Parsha it is called a Tabernacle (?mishkan?)?
The answer: The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh (Rabbi Chaim ben Moshe Attar, 1696-1743) says that the Torah introduces the section with the word ?Sanctuary? to teach us that the commandment to build a House for G-d was not a temporary command applicable only in the desert. Rather, it is a commandment that is in force for all generations of Jews and includes the requirement to erect a Temple. At various stages of Jewish history, it was impossible to fulfill this commandment because the Jews were in exile and the Temple could only be built in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, says the Ohr HaChaim, the commandment itself remains in force. In other words, the law remained the law even if the Jews were unable to fulfill it.
The lesson: It is hard to believe that just several weeks ago, the fate of the Temple Mount hung in the balance. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Barak came perilously close to transferring the Jewish People?s holiest site to foreign control. The Oslo process, begun over seven years ago, ultimately climaxed exactly where its critics had always said that it would: in the heart of Jerusalem. But thankfully, the Israeli people were unwilling to tolerate such a far-reaching concession, one that would have been unprecedented in the annals of history. No other nation would ever contemplate voluntarily yielding its most sacred site. But even though the Temple Mount remains under Israeli sovereignty, its daily administration is in the hands of the Muslim Waqf, which does not allow Jewish prayer at the site and continues to carry out unsupervised archaeological digging. Priceless antiquities have been destroyed as the zealous Waqf tries to erase any evidence of a Jewish presence on the Mount. Let us hope that the incoming Israeli government will adopt a firmer approach and bring to an end this ongoing national humiliation. As concerned Jews, we must protest this blatant violation of the law and brazen desecration of our holiest site. We must all cry out and urge our elected representatives to enforce the law and stop the Waqf from carrying out its illegal and immoral activities. History will not forgive us if we remain silent.
2. You?re My Angel
The Parsha describes the construction of the cover of the Ark of the Covenant. It is to be made of pure gold with a length of two and a half cubits and a width of a cubit and a half. On the cover there are two cherubim (angelic figures) facing one another. The cherubim were not made separately from the cover; rather, the artisan had to hammer out the cover and the cherubim from one large block of gold. The Torah says, ?You shall make two cherubim of gold? The cherubim shall be with wings spread upward, sheltering the cover with their wings, with their faces toward one another?? (Chap. 25, verses 18, 20).
The question: Our verse states that the cherubim faced one another, yet this seems to contradict a verse in the Second Book of Chronicles (Chap. 3, verse 13), which says, ?and their faces were inward [lit. toward the House].? What is the meaning of the apparent disparity between the two verses?
The answer: The Talmud in Tractate Baba Batra (99a) answers by saying that the verse in our Parsha (?with their faces toward one another?) refers to when the Jews are performing G-d?s will, whereas the verse in Chronicles (?and their faces were inward?) refers to when they are not. Hence, the cherubim are a form of spiritual barometer, indicating whether the Jews are living up to their responsibility to fulfill G-d?s commands. Rabbi Yitzchok Elchanon Spector (Rabbi of Kovno, Lithuania in the late 19th century) says that the Talmud?s explanation contains an important lesson for us. According to Rabbi Spector, the cherubim facing one another (as described in our Parsha) symbolizes when the Jewish people turn towards one another and take an interest in their brethren, offering them assistance in times of need. At such a time, the Jews are performing the will of their Father in Heaven, because G-d?s primary wish is for people to be kind and generous to one another. But when ?their faces were inward [lit. toward the House]? (as in Chronicles)? that is, when each Jew is concerned only with himself and his family and not with others, then it can be said about Israel that they are not fulfilling the will of their Father in Heaven.
The lesson: The Jews of Judea, Samaria and Gaza are entering their sixth month of having to endure daily, life-threatening Palestinian violence. The stabbings, shootings and stonings continue unabated, with the routine trips to and from work having become far more dangerous. Daily life is disrupted, friends and relatives do not visit as frequently and the roads after dark have taken on an air of peril. The army no doubt does the best it can, but it can not be everywhere at all times. Among those worst hit by the violence are residents of the Jewish communities of Gaza, such as Netzarim and Kfar Darom, which have been primary targets of Palestinian terror and violence. Whatever one?s views are regarding the settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the Jews of these areas are Jews, and it is our obligation to reach out and help them in every way possible. Leave aside your political arguments for the time being and do not forget: They are mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. They are going through difficult times now, and the proper Jewish response is to try and alleviate their suffering as much as possible. We must do whatever we can to help them.
Note: If you will be in the Ra?anana area this Saturday nite, you can make this lesson a reality by attending a special event on behalf of the Gaza Jewish community of Netzarim, which will be held at 8:30pm at the Lechu Neranena shul on Herzl Street. Residents of Netzarim will be there, as will retired general Effie Eitam and other prominent rabbis and community leaders. Please join us in helping our fellow Jews in their hour of need.
3. A People That Stands Forever
The Parsha describes the wooden planks to be used in constructing the walls of the Tabernacle. The dimensions of each plank are to be a length of ten cubits and a width of a cubit and a half. The Torah says, ?You shall make the planks of the Tabernacle of acacia wood, standing erect? (Chap. 26, verse 15).
The question: Why does the Torah use the present tense of ?standing erect? ?
The answer: The Talmud in Tractate Yoma (72a) offers three different interpretations, one of which is particularly meaningful to us: lest the Jewish people despair one day and say that their hope of redemption and expectation for deliverance are lost, the Torah uses ?standing? in the present tense to indicate that the Jewish people will stand forever, never to be destroyed.
The lesson: Just five decades after the Holocaust, threats to Jewish survival continue to confront us, posing an increasingly menacing danger to the continuity of the Jewish people. The plagues of assimilation and intermarriage have swept through Western countries, leaving behind communities weakened numerically and spiritually. The Jews of eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are still trying to recover from the ravages of communism and dictatorship. The Jewish people are divided as never before, split apart by internal feuds and discord that have generated deep and painful enmity. Israel?s enemies continue to grow stronger, with both Iran and Iraq drawing perilously closer to perfecting their ballistic missile capabilities along with obtaining weapons of mass destruction. Indeed, it is tempting some times to look at the situation and shake one?s head in despair, for how could any people possibly hope to overcome such dangers and ensure its survival? But in every generation, there have been prophets of doom who have predicted our people?s imminent demise. None have proved right, and for a very simple reason: we have a Divine promise that the Jewish people will never be destroyed. Just as the acacia wood used in the Tabernacle stood erect, so too will the Jewish people stand erect throughout history. Regardless of how alarming the threats may be, regardless of the blows we take or setbacks we suffer, the Jewish people will always endure.
