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THE WEEKLY PARSHA

VAYAKHEL

[ Dvar Torah ] [ Passages on Prayer ]
[ Stories of the Sages ] [ Education ]

(Taken from a weekly publication of Hammaayan Institutes.
Translated by Rabbi Shabtai Teicher)

THE WEEKLY PARSHA
"The work was sufficient for all the work to be done to it (the mishkan); and there was a surplus" (Exodus 36:7). What work was sufficient?

Rashi explains that the "the work of bringing" donations for the construction of the mishkan was sufficient.

We must ask why giving donations or bringing voluntary offerings for the mishkan was called work?

We will see, G-d willing, that with this choice of words the Torah informs us about one of the foundations for the mishkan's construction, and the secret for the revelation of the Shechinah (Divine Presence) in Israel, as it is written, "Make for Me a Holy Place, and I will dwell within them" (ibid. 25:8).

It is obvious that if those who did the work had neglected even one small part, then the Shechinah would not have rested in her place. If they had shortened one of the designated measurements for any one of the vessels, or if they had left out some piece or required ornament like an engraved flower or button on the menorah, then the revelation of the Shechinah would not have been possible.

Moreover, the Torah stipulates that the donations for the construction had to come from "generosity of the heart." Our Rabbis emphasized that the construction demanded pure aspirations and internal will. That is why the Torah speaks repeatedly about wisdom of the heart in reference to the building of the Mishkan. Without the element of "heart," then the Mishkan would have been like a body without a soul, a construction without inspiration of the Shechinah. Therefore, the donations were called work.

A tremendous internal work on all the powers of the soul and upon the inclinations of the heart was necessary. It was not enough to merely provide the material substance for the Mishkan. It had to come as the result of internal confrontation and struggle in the inner being of every donor. For this reason G-d commanded, "Take from your midst an offering for G-d; each person from the generosity of his heart shall bring an offering for G-d..." (ibid. 35:5). It was not commanded that the people should bring or give, but the donations had to be taken, as if by force, from their midst, from the internal being of every donor. Each one had to penetrate to his soul, to reshape the tendencies of his heart, to contact an enormous yearning to come close to G-d. Only in this way, employing his will and inner strength, could a person make a donation for the construction of the Mishkan. And only in this way could the Shechinah inspire Israel.

In truth this is something required of every donor and every voluntary offering at all times. If a person is already opening his heart, then what he gives should come from his heart. This is the primary intention of ratzon Hashem and G-d's command. That is why Chazal have taught: "Rabbi Yitzchak said that anyone who gives a perutah to a poor person is blessed with six blessings; and anyone who also appeases the poor person with conversation is blessed with eleven blessings."

The conversation of the donor cannot be something external. In order to appease and console the poor person, it necessarily requires the empathy and identification of the donor with the receiver. Consequently, it must come from the depths of his heart. And that is exactly why it is the real will of G-d: because "G-d wants the heart."

THE PRAYERS OF OUR MOUTH

Everyone knows that it is written "...Call the Sabbath a delight" (Isaiah 59:13). However, the Gaon of Vilna, in his commentary to the Book of Isaiah, points out that in the Hebrew it is specifically written "for the Sabbath." Therefore, he writes, that eating and drinking and honoring the Sabbath with clean garments is to delight the Sabbath. The intention is that these are not done for personal pleasure, but in order "to delight the Sabbath." Similarly, the Talmud (Shabbat 118) writes, "All those who delight the Sabbath...."

The same idea is used in the order of prayers where it is written in Musaf (the Additional Prayer for Shabbat): "...Those who delight her will inherit glory forever."

The glory which is to be inherited forever refers to the extra, special soul which sabbath observers receive on the Shabbat.

When the Talmud discussed "all those who delight the Sabbath" (then the desires of their heart is given to them), it brings a proof from the verse, "Delight yourself over G-d, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4). In other words, "all those who delight the Sabbath" are equivalent to those who delight themselves over G-d.

However, the Bet Halevi, in his commentary on the Torah (Parshat Terumah), writes that even if a person eats and drinks for his own personal pleasure on the Shabbat, it is nevertheless considered a mitzvah. He explains. It is written, "...I will spread dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals" (Malachi 2:3). It is not written, the dung of your sabbaths. Even if a person eats and drinks on the Shabbat for his own personal pleasure, it is considered a mitzvah because it is written, "Call for the Sabbath a delight." It is a mitzvah to enjoy oneself on the Sabbath.

On the other hand, it is not written any place that the festival days are supposed to be a delight. It is written about them that they are to be honored and a joy, but if a person has kavanah for "delight" it is not a mitzvah. In that case, his delight must be in honor of the holiday and not for his own personal pleasure.

STORIES OF OUR SAGES

"Six days work will be done, and the seventh day will be a sabbath of rest, holy unto G-d..." (Exodus 32:15).

The Chofetz Chaim once spent time in Petersburg trying to convince the Jewish businessmen there to close their businesses on Shabbat. One of the wealthy merchants was influenced by his words and agreed to do it. He promised to begin to keep the Sabbath in a few weeks, because he needed some time to make new arrangements for those things that he usually did on Shabbat. Therefore, he asked the Chofetz Chaim for an "extension."

Upon hearing this, the Chofetz Chaim groaned, and he said, "My precious friend, it is written in the Torah, `Six days you will work and do all your business, and on the seventh day you will rest (shabbat) for the L-rd your G-d' (Exodus 20:9-10). In other words, G-d gave us six days to work and produce all that we need. He did not give us the Sabbath for this. Instead, He kept this day for Himself, and that is why we must sanctify it to be completely holy for G-d.

"If Shabbat were mine, I might relent in order to fulfill your request. However, it is not mine, but G-d's, and He is not relenting. I do not have the authority to relent on even one minute of the Shabbat."

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN

ANGER
Parents are obligated to educate their children from an early age not to be angry or severe or anything like it. As soon as they are old enough to understand, it should be made clear to them that these traits are iniquitous.

It is well known that the traits of anger and severity are to be found among little children even more than among adults. This is because their intellect is not yet developed, and they do not have anything else to hold these emotions in check. For this reason, if a quarrel breaks out among them, they would kill if it were possible.

For example, let us suppose a child makes a small fence from pieces of scrap wood. Then a friend comes and breaks his little fence. His anger will immediately burn. He will come to his father crying and screaming as if he had been killed. If the father is intelligent and has understanding, he will know that the entire matter is foolish. He will say, "Calm down, my son, be still. What did he do to you? There are many little pieces of wood lying around. Take them, and make a better fence, and it will be even more beautiful than the one beforehand." If he speaks calming words like these to his son, then the child will himself feel that the whole thing is foolish, and he will immediately restore friendly relations with the other child as well....

On the other hand, if the parent is not intelligent, but foolish, and a person who does not consider or care about what will be with his children, then he will behave in an entirely different way. In the context of our example, such a person will immediately begin to investigate his child. "Tell me, what did this awful kid do to you? Tell me, and I will go and beat him." The parent may even go to do this, and then the quarrel will break out among adults. May G-d have mercy.

Furthermore, in this way the parents themselves destroy the character of their children. When the child is older, at the slightest provocation, he will immediately begin to yell and curse and hit, whether with strangers or with his friends. The bad habit will have become natural as a result of bad education. In addition, his life will not be a life, as Chazal have said (Pesachim 113). There are three types of people whose life is not life, and one of them is a person with a bad temper. He will grow older with a hot temper, anger and severity towards everyone.

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