“It was on the day that Moses finished erecting the Tabernacle that he anointed it and sanctified it and all its utensils, and the altar and all its utensils, and he anointed them and sanctified them."
Rashi informs us that during the entire seven days of the inauguration of the Tabernacle, Moses would set up the Tabernacle and dismantle it at the conclusion of the day’s service, but on that day he set it up and did not dismantle it. This is why it says "on the day that Moses finished erecting", to imply that on that day, the repeated erection of the Tabernacle was finished. It was on the first of Nissan that the Tabernacle was finally erected for good.
But how was Moses able to erect and dismantle the Tabernacle all by himself? When the Tabernacle was complete, Hashem commanded Moshe to erect it in its place. Moshe said to G-d: How is it possible, I cannot lift one beam, so how can I lift the entire Tabernacle? G-d answered: Busy yourself with it and I will do the rest.
We may ask a far greater question: How was the Divine Presence able to dwell inside the Tabernacle? At the outset G-d created His world so that His Divine Presence could dwell within. However, when Adam, the first man, sinned, the Divine Presence retreated from this world. With the evil deeds of the following generations, the Divine Presence continued to ascend to the various levels of Heavens.
It was only with the construction of the Tabernacle by the Jewish people that Hashem’s Divine Presence returned to the world. The construction of the Tabernacle was dearer to Hashem then the creation of the world. The world emerged through mere pronouncements emanating from G-d’s lips. But the Tabernacle came about through the handy work of the Jewish people. Moshe said before G-d: How can we build a House for You? G-d said: Place some beams around and I will dwell within.
As simple as that. The Jewish people do all in their power, and G-d takes it from there, so to speak. So great are the deeds of the Jewish people, that we find that the holy Ramchal writes in his classic work, Mishknei Elyon: “It is Israel who are commanded to offer sacrifices since they are entrusted with the task of rectifying all the worlds on all their different levels. This is because all the worlds were created for the sake of Israel, whose service gives them merit before the King. Here in the lower world, the people of Israel offer animal sacrifices, through which the angels are rectified. After this, they offer the incense, which brings about their own rectification.
An impossible task, fixing the world. Nevertheless, this is the task at hand that was given over to the Jewish people. When Hashem descended to His world to give over the Torah, the nations stuttered and made excuses why not to accept it, while the children of Israel rose to the occasion, saying: We will do and then we will listen. The greatness of the hour was at hand. The Jewish people accepted, then and there, the impossible task of rectifying the world, to be a priestly nation, a light to the nations. Surely without Hashem's help we could not succeed.
Isn’t this true with all our endeavors in this world? Aren’t all of our deeds in this world impossible tasks, and that first we must do our utmost effort, and only then Hashem will make it happen? We go out to work as if we are the ones "bringing home the bacon” but in reality, it is all from Him. Once we do all we can, Hashem, Who holds the key of parnassa, brings it on.
This, then, is the lesson to be learnt here. Like Moses holding on to that one beam in order to raise the Tabernacle - a quite impossible task - we, too, in our generation, face impossible tasks - the settling of our Jewish homeland against all odds, the rebuilding of our Holy Temple, living in the Holy Land surrounded by 22 crazed and extremist Islamic states, all of which seems impossible, but still, here we are - for if we will do our utmost, Hashem will make it happen. But only when we do all in our power; anything less will not work. The bottom line is that the only reality in this world is G-d’s reality.
Today, the weak-minded leaders that we have see the hardships, see the impossible tasks, and run, run from Hashem, from His Torah and into the hands of the waiting gentile, from whom there will be no salvation, no answers. It is by picking up that fisrt beam - making that move - that will make the impossible task very possible!
With love of Israel, and Chag Shavuot Sameach to one and all.