The Torah continues, in our parsha, to teach us the laws of the priestly service in the Tabernacle. After telling us in detail of the make-up of the Tabernacle and of its vessels, the Torah now goes on to teach us about the holy

Why does the Torah spend so much time on a topic that is irrelevant?

clothing worn by the priest. In fact, the next three weeks will also discuss the Tabernacle - making a total of five parshiyot that deal with this topic.


One may ask: Why does the Torah spend so much time on a topic that is irrelevant? The Tabernacle will not be coming back anymore, for the Tabernacle that followed the Jewish people throughout the forty years in the desert, and that entered with us into the Land of Israel, was taken down for the last time when the Temple was built in Jerusalem. As is known, the Torah, with its 613 commandments, is eternal, and even the commandments that deal with the sacrificial service, which unfortunately have not been fulfilled for the past 2,000 years, when the Temple is rebuilt, will once again be relevant. But the Tabernacle is gone for good, never to return. Why, then, does the Torah spend so much time dealing with it, much more than on many relevant daily topics?


Our parsha opens up with the answer: "And you shall command the children of Israel that they shall bring pure olive oil for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always." The key phrase here is: "You shall command," i.e., an action that needs doing. In fact, the common denominator that runs throughout all of these parshiyot that deal with the work of the Tabernacle is: "You shall do." This theme is found over and over again; so much so that in last week's parsha alone, the Torah says it 140 times. One hundred and forty times, HaShem commands us to do actions, make things, produce. You shall build a menorah, you shall build the altar, you shall build the table, and our parsha continues this theme by starting off with: "You shall command."


One must be totally unconnected spiritually not to understand what HaShem wants from us in these parshiyot, for it is crying out to us. The Torah, more than anything else, is a book of deeds, of commands. One does not stay home and wait for tefillin to be placed on him; rather, he gets up and does it. One does not stay home and hope that he will have food to eat on the Shabbat day; rather, he prepares it on Friday and then he has what to eat on the Shabbat. In this world, one must perform - as our rabbis taught us - today to do them (the commandments) and tomorrow (in the next world) to receive the reward.


This is the reason that the dealings of the Tabernacle are included in our Torah, even though their day has gone. It

When it come to the commandment of living in the Land of Israel, then we all have excuses.

is to teach us the importance of actions and fulfilling the word of G-d. The rabbis teach us: "I (HaShem) will not enter into the Heavenly Jerusalem until the Jews first enter the Earthly Jerusalem." The fire of the altar does not come down from Heaven until first Aharon the High Priest lights it below. This is clear to every thinking person.


Interestingly, though, when it come to the commandment of living in the Land of Israel, then we all have excuses from here to eternity: wait for Messiah; it's not the right time; when it comes to building the Temple, that's not our deed to do - Let G-d build His own House; etc., etc., etc.


Understand well: all the commandments of the Torah are for us to do. That is why they are called commandments, for it is up to us to do them. All aspects of the Torah are for us to do - from tefillin to Shabbat, to the Tabernacle to the Temple to living in the Land. Let us act, for this is what HaShem requires from us. Actions speak louder than words.