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Parshat Vayakhel/Pekudei/Parah
By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron

בס"ד

לשכנו תדרשו

Inviting the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land

And All Those Wise of Heart of You Shall Come and Do What HaShem has Commanded

 

"And build it [the Temple] speedily in our days, a permanent sanctuary..."

On a superficial level, many would seem to have some difficulty understanding why the Torah describes at such length the measurements and various arts and craftsmanship of the Mishkan. Moreover, we find that the Torah describes in great detail both the commandment in making the various facets of the Mishkan and also the actual making of the Mishkan. Not only this, but also the inauguration of the Mishkan is described in considerable length three times in the Torah, in the books of Shemot (end of Tezaveh), Vayikra (p. Shmini), and the book of Bamidbar (Naso-Behaalotcha). In addition, much of the book of Vayikra describes in detail what is actually done in the Service of the Temple. Also, the Prophets and Scriptures describe even more the First, Second, and Third Temples (of the future), and in the Oral Tradition itself we find more than 200 Biblical commandments attached to the Temple. Why all this length in regard to the Temple?

The verb root of 'Mishkan' is sh.k.n, referring to the Shechina, the Holy Presence, which rests in the Temple. The Torah teaches us that seeking and striving for the Holy Presence to rest in our midst in the Temple is a major emphasis of the Torah. For this reason such detail is attached to all matters that pertain to the Temple. All means of connecting to the Holy Presence of the Temple are important: studying HaShem's command to build the Mishkan teaches one of the heavenly spheres to which the Mishkan's facets allude, and studying the actual building of the Mishkan teach us how to bring the resting of the Holy Presence into reality. The commandments of the Temple teach us how to bring the Holy Presence into our midst in an even more practical way, while studying the inauguration of the Mishkan in its various contexts teaches us various ways how to initiate connection with the Holy Presence of the Temple. The book of Vayikra teaches us the more internal methods of connection to the Holy Presence of the Temple, while the Prophets and Scriptures teach us various realms of connection that are manifest through the different Temples throughout the ages.

One example of finding Godly meaning in what may seem repetitious can be found in this parsha, in chapter 35 of Exodus which has a 'parsha petucha', a 'paragraph' in a Torah scroll, comprising of exactly 26 verses, from Exodus 35, 4 till 35, 29. In this 'paragraph', the first 6 verses describe the materials of the Mishkan, the next 10 verses describe what should be done with these materials (the Ark, Table, Menora, etc.), the next 5 verses describe the men who worked on the Mishkan, and the last 5 verses describe workers/sources of materials derived, from 'special' classes: women (sometimes alongside men) and the princes or the miraculous 'winds' ['nesiim'] that brought materials according to our Sages. Obviously, the numbers of verse here correspond to a variation of the Tetragrammaton, 'vav, yod, heh, and heh'. According to the Kabbalists, this variation of the Tetragrammaton is one of twelve variations that correspond to the twelve months of the year, while this variation corresponds to the month of Kislev, when the Mishkan was rendered ready for inauguration, according to our Sages [although it was only actually built in Nisan]. An explanation why each section has such a number of verses is out of scope of our discussion, but those who wish, may ask for such an explanation by e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.." style="color: #000000;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A famous living artist of Hebron today, whose works reflect 'wisdom of the heart' and spiritual illumination that may give us a glimpse into the work of the craftsmen of the Mishkan, is Baruch Nachshon. Baruch Nachshon was encouraged to study art by the last Lubavitch Rebbe, and he was the only artist to exhibit at Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn. Baruch Nachshon was among the first Jewish settlers of Hebron in 5727 (1967) and opened a gallery next to the Maarat HaMachpela in the 1970s. In Baruch Nachshon's work one experiences a feeling of manifest mysticism and bright, colorful imagery. His favorite themes include the flow of divine benevolence through creation, and the joy of the creations- usually symbolized by dancing Hassidim, soaring angels or living animals. Baruch Nachshon's wife, Sarah Nachshon, is also famous for being responsible for triggering the opening of the Jewish Cemetery of Hebron, when she buried her baby there. Baruch Nachshon regularly signs his name with 'Hebron' in his works. Indeed, this is Hebron, Focal Point of the Holy Presence, the City from which King David made strides towards the Temple in Jerusalem according to the Arizal, City of Inspiration.

 

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Real Stories from the Holy Land #258

'One Erev Shabbat I didn't have enough money to make provisions for Shabbat, so I turned to HaShem in prayer for help. Soon after, someone turned to me and asked to give one of the avreichim in my yeshiva a 1000 NIS, and I 'happened' to fit in this category...'(A.B.S)  

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