Transcript
Okay, good morning. This שבת *Shabbos* we have the privilege of reading a double פרשה *parsha*, both ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei*. And of course, the obvious question when one looks at, reviews ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei*, the question that begs to be asked is, why are we reading this again? We've just read all of this with פרשיות *parshios* תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh*. We just saw all the dimensions and the details and the architecture and the engineering and the utensils and their placement and the garments of the כהנים *kohanim* and so on and so forth. We just studied all of this. Why are we revisiting it? Why are we back, why are we back here? Why are we back here again? So this is obviously a very pressing question. And the answer to it, or not the, there are a number of answers to it, um, can, can be understood in the context of the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel* in כי תשא *Ki Sisa*. We spoke about it a little bit last שבת *Shabbos* afternoon with the fact that at least for רש\"י *Rashi*, chronologically it's out of order. The חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel*, the sin of the golden calf, occurred before God rewarded us with the משכן *Mishkan*. And yet the Torah chooses to place the giving, the building of the משכן *Mishkan*, of the tabernacle, before the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel*. And whenever, whenever there's a deviation from the chronological order and instead Hashem chose to organize the Torah thematically, one can't help but ask, why did he want the theme to unfold in that way? We talked about that last שבת *Shabbos* afternoon at length, בית הלוי *Beis Halevi*, the משך חכמה *Meshech Chochma*, the כוזרי *Kuzari*, and putting them all together to create an approach and an answer. We're not going to take the time this morning, but I want to share that with you because it is the pressing question. And in fact, this question that obviously bothered our מפרשים *meforshim* to the extent that they say very little on ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei*. Essentially they offered their comments, they offered their insights on תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh*. If you turn the pages, if you flip through even of the stone חומש *Chumash*, which only includes comment of רש\"י *Rashi*, you'll see an inordinate amount of text and very little רש\"י *Rashi*. Because רש\"י *Rashi* and with him most of the מפרשים *meforshim* said what they had to say on תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh*. ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei* seems almost entirely extraneous. I'll just tell you one quick insight that I've shared before from רב פאם, זצ\"ל *Rav Pam, zatzal*. He says one major difference between תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh* and ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei* is in תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh* it says so shall you do. וכן יעשה *V'chein ya'aseh*, so shall you do. And here it says וכן עשו *v'chein asu*, so they did. So the רב פאם *Rav Pam* says it is so unusual, it is so unusual for someone who starts out on a project to see it through to its fruition. It's so unusual to set out on a journey to complete a goal, to arrive at a destination, actually to follow through, to finish what you started, that the very fact that the Torah had this monumental project of building a place where God's presence would be felt and Moshe finished, completed that project, that in itself is worthy of repeating the entire story. And that's a message for all of us, the importance of המתחיל במצוה אומרים לו גמור *matchil b'mitzvah omrim lo gemor*, the concept of finishing what you started. The concept of going from from so shall you do, so they did. How many of us go from that and how many of us have half-finished projects sitting in our garage, all kinds of projects around the house that we started but never finished. That's one approach. The בית הלוי *Beis Halevi* has a different approach. בית הלוי *Beis Halevi* says, if you notice in ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei*, the expression of כאשר צוה ה' את משה *ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe* appears over and over and over again. תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh* we just had the commandments of the details. Here are the utensils, here's how to build them, here's the construction, here are the dimensions, here's what to do. In ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei* when all of that is given again, but it is, includes the phrase as God commanded. And says the בית הלוי *Beis Halevi*, רב יוסף בער סולובייצ'יק *Rav Yosef Ber Soloveitchik*, the Rav's great-grandfather, why do we have that expression used over and over again? Because the core violation of the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel* was that the Jewish people sought to connect to God. Their intention was noble. They sought a, a tangible physical intermediary through which they could connect to the divine. And Hashem's answer to them is, you know what? It's nice that you have noble intentions, you want to have an even stronger relationship with me. It's great that you were waiting, expecting the לוחות *luchos* to arrive and when Moshe did not descend on your timetable with the לוחות *luchos*, you tried to replace it with another physical means through which you could connect to me. That's a nice noble intention. But says God, it's not for you to design. It's for me. It's not your world, it's my world. It's not your relationship, it's our relationship. And so Hashem says, if you want to connect to me, you got to do it on my terms, not yours. Of course, genuine spirituality requires a person's investment, requires a person's effort, requires the person to contribute. But ultimately the rules and the boundaries and the details of the relationship come from the divine, they come from Hashem. So Hashem says, the need to connect to me through something tangible, that's valid and legitimate. To create it on your own is not. And so he says, if you want to connect to me through something physical, no problem. I'm going to give you something called a משכן *Mishkan*, a tabernacle. You'll cross the threshold, the entrance of that enterprise, you'll be in the חצר *chatzer*, the courtyard of this place and you'll feel my presence. You'll have a physical embodiment, a tangible place that you can feel me. But you have to do it on my terms. And says the בית הלוי *Beis Halevi*, that's why, but Hashem gives, רבינו בחיי *Rabeinu Bachya* says, Hashem gives the רפואה קודם למכה *refuah kodem l'makkah*. Hashem gives the cure, the, the, the medicine before he even inflicts the damage. So so too he gave us the משכן *Mishkan* in תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh* before the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel* and כי תשא *Ki Sisa*. But then afterwards when it repeats it, it says כאשר צוה ה' את משה *ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe* over and over and over again to tell us that the משכן *Mishkan* reflects our legitimate need to connect to something tangible, but only כאשר צוה ה' *ka'asher tziva Hashem*, only on God's terms. It can't be our own imagination. It can't be our own ruminations. It can't be our own creativity, designing a new way of connecting to Hashem, a radical new method. You know, for me, as I said, for me, rest on שבת *Shabbos* is driving to the beach and doing yoga. For me, rest on שבת *Shabbos* is, is getting a massage. For me, rest, so I'm going to, God, I like your idea, but I'm going to tweak it. For me, a minyan is not 10 men over bar mitzvah, for me it's, let's include women. For me, a rabbi is not this, anyone could be a rabbi. For me, but rather it has to be כאשר צוה ה' את משה *ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe*. The need to connect, to be spiritual is legitimate, but the rules, the boundaries have to be respected. And says the בית הלוי *Beis Halevi*, that's why, because if you give in in one way, who knows where it's going to end? So. And that's why it has to be כאשר צוה ה' *ka'asher tziva Hashem*. We have to follow Hashem. One other word of introduction. One other word of introduction. And it's an introduction that brings us full circle. The רמב\"ן *Ramban*, נחמנידיס *Nachmanides*, if you remember a number of weeks or months ago, when we began ספר שמות *Sefer Shmos*, I don't know if I mentioned it, I likely did, because I like this רמב\"ן *Ramban*. But the רמב\"ן *Ramban* in his introduction to the book of Exodus, to the book of שמות *Shmos*, says this is a story of גלות לגאולה *galus l'geulah*. Right? The רמב\"ן *Ramban* introduces each of the volumes of חומש *Chumash* by telling us what the transition of the story is, that the narrative is going to take us on a journey from point A to point B. For example, ספר במדבר *Sefer Bamidbar*, says the רמב\"ן *Ramban*, is the journey from נס *neis* to טבע *tevah*. One is going from a miraculous lifestyle to a natural lifestyle. So each of the books, the רמב\"ן *Ramban* takes us on a journey from point A to point B. There's a development, a progression of our birth as a people. Right? We talked about this. The book of בראשית *Breishis* is the birth of a family. Book of שמות *Shmos* is the birth of a people. Birth of the book of ויקרא *Vayikra* is going to be the book of the birth of a holy sacred people with a sacred mission. and so on and so forth. So the רמב\"ן *Ramban* in his introduction to שמות *Shmos* says it's the story of going from גלות לגאולה *galus l'geulah*, exile to redemption. Now, if I ask you to define exile to redemption, normally a person would define it as going from outside of Israel to Israel. Going from outside of Israel to Israel. I know a person who lives in Israel who once shared with me, he says, you know, Jews who live in גלות *galus* outside of Israel, refer to themselves as diaspora Jews. I live in the diaspora. It makes them feel much better to say diaspora. But you live in the exile, he said to me. He said, so don't console or comfort yourself by saying you live in the diaspora, you live in the exile. Now, my response to him is, my response to him is that he's 100% accurate, it is true, we do live in the גלות *galus*. It's incumbent on every one of us to be planning and struggling and thinking about how and when we are going to move to Israel. As I often try to say, it's legitimate to not be living in Israel, it's not legitimate to not be struggling with when one can move to Israel. And every one of us needs to be or should be doing that. So גלות *galus* is outside of Israel, but he's not entirely accurate. He's wrong in some ways. And let me explain to you what I mean. Because that's the question on the רמב\"ן *Ramban*. What do you mean this is a story of גלות לגאולה *galus l'geulah*, a story of exile to redemption? ויקהל פקודי *Vayakel Pekudei*, this coming week's two פרשיות *parshios* we'll read. ספר שמות *Sefer Shmos*, the book of Exodus ends and where are the Jewish people? They're in the desert. So how could you say the book ends with גאולה *geulah*? How could you, how could you describe this as a journey from exile to redemption? As if the book ends with redemption, where are the people geographically? We're not yet in Israel. We don't get into Israel of course until the book of יהושע *Yehoshua*, till after חומש *Chumash*. So how could there, it's a story of גלות *galus* to less גלות *galus*. We're out of Egypt. But how can you say it's a story of גלות *galus* to גאולה *geulah*? That's the רמב\"ן's *Ramban's* statement. And רב שכטר *Rav Schechter*, like to quote in שיעור *shiur* often, has this question on the רמב\"ן *Ramban*. What do you mean it's גלות לגאולה *galus l'geulah*? Where is the גאולה *geulah*? So, understand that in, in the language of our prophets, if you look in the נביא *Navi*, they use the terms גלות *galus* and גאולה *geulah* to refer to geographic locations. Israel is גאולה *geulah* and outside of Israel is גלות *galus*. But the truth is that there's a, and that's a, a second tier of understanding those terms. But the primary way of understanding those terms is not a geographic description, but a metaphysical description. A spiritual description. What do I mean by that? Look at the words of חז\"ל *Chazal*. In the beginning of the Torah, in the beginning of ספר בראשית *Sefer Breishis*, God creates a world and in the beginning of that world, והארץ היתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהום *v'ha'aretz hay'sa tohu vavohu v'choshech al pnei sehom*. The world was empty and desolate and darkness on the surface of the deep. Our rabbis understood that each of these terms, חז\"ל *Chazal* in בראשית רבה *Breishis Rabbah*, in the מדרש *Medrash*, understood that each of these terms represents one of the four גליות *galios*. We as a people have experienced four exiles. Four periods we were in exile. And these words are hints to those exiles. תהו *tohu*, בהו *vohu*, חשך *choshech*, פני תהום *pnei tehom*. Which one was חשך *choshech*? The third exile, darkness? Say חז\"ל *Chazal* in the מדרש רבה *Medrash Rabbah*, the dark, the חשך *choshech*, the exile of חשך *choshech* of darkness is גלות יון *Galus Yavan*. was the Greek, the Greek exile. Now where were the Jews living during the Greek exile? In our homeland. What was the Greek exile? We were under Greek oppression, was the Hellenist period, it was the time of Chanukah, they defiled the temple. Where were we living under the Greek exile? We were living in ירושלים *Yerushalayim*. We were living with access to הר הבית *Har HaBayis*. So for חז\"ל *Chazal*, they understood the concepts of גלות *galus* and גאולה *geulah*, of of exile and redemption, not as geographic descriptions, but descriptions of השראת השכינה *hashra'as ha'Shechina*. Descriptions of God's intense dwelling, of the ability to feel God's presence in our midst, of a metaphysical description, of an access to the Almighty in an almost tangible fashion. So they could describe that חשך *choshech* is גלות יון *Galus Yavan*. Darkness is the Greek exile, despite the fact that we lived within the boundaries of Israel during the Greek exile. So if you understand that, now you can understand what the רמב\"ן *Ramban* was saying. The רמב\"ן *Ramban* is not suggesting that the book of שמות *Shmos* is a book that goes from exile to redemption, that we should be expecting in our פרשיות *parshios* this week of ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei* to end up in Israel. That's not necessarily גאולה *geulah*. That's one understanding, a geographic understanding of גאולה *geulah*. But what the רמב\"ן *Ramban* intends is השראת השכינה *hashra'as ha'Shechina*. Because at the end of this volume, at the end of this book of שמות *Shmos*, the משכן *Mishkan* has been built. Its walls have been assembled, curtains hung, utensils fashioned, בגדי כהונה *bigdei kehuna* sewn. Everything is in place, everything's ready to go. Hashem is ready to bring his dwelling down. And what's the final verse of פקודי *Pekudei*? that we'll read the last verse. What happens? Even a few verses before that. ויכס הענן את אהל מועד וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן *Vayechas ha'anan es ohel moed u'chvod Hashem male es ha'Mishkan*. The glory of God filled the משכן *Mishkan*. ולא יכל משה לבוא אל אהל מועד כי שכן עליו הענן וכבוד ה' מלא את המשכן *V'lo yachol Moshe lavo el ohel moed ki shachan alav he'anan u'chvod Hashem male es ha'Mishkan*. In fact, God's presence was kind of almost too intense if one can say such a thing. The משכן *Mishkan* was overflowing with God's presence, such that Moshe couldn't even approach the משכן *Mishkan* the end of פרשת פקודי *parshas Pekudei*. Of course, you have to understand exactly what that means and there seems to be a contradiction. Elsewhere it says Moshe did enter the משכן *Mishkan*. But what one sees clearly is that the book of שמות *Shmos* concludes with God dwelling on earth by entering his משכן *Mishkan*, feeling his presence, השראת השכינה *hashra'as ha'Shechina*. So understand that for the רמב\"ן *Ramban*, this book that we are concluding today, this שבת *Shabbos*, שמות *Shmos* is the journey from a people in exile, living among a pagan, idolatrous nation, unfamiliar with the unity of God's existence, influenced by their secular, paganistic, idolatrous surroundings. And it ends with redemption. Redemption, not geographic redemption of being in Israel physically, but ends with the redemption of a knowledge and certainty of one God, having experienced his miracles in Egypt, the splitting of the sea, hearing his voice at הר סיני *Har Sinai*, understanding and embracing his commandments of נעשה ונשמע *naaseh v'nishma*, and finally welcoming his presence down to this world through his dwelling in the משכן *Mishkan*. That is גלות לגאולה *galus l'geulah*. Okay? That's by way of introduction. Now, ויקהל *Vayakel* and פקודי *Pekudei* are a little bit difficult to study, as I alluded to, because so few commentaries on them. Essentially, they are rehashing what we saw in תרומה *Terumah* and תצווה *Tetzaveh*. So what I'd like to do is in the second of the two פרשיות *parshios* we're going to read, in פקודי *Pekudei*, I want to rather than analyze in depth any few specific verses, I want to share a few miscellaneous comments of the מפרשים *meforshim*, of the commentators, in the פרשה *parsha* of פקודי *Pekudei*. Okay? So פקודי *Pekudei* begins in the stone חומש *Chumash*, page 530, 531. 530, 531. אלה פקודי המשכן, משכן העדות, אשר פוקד על פי משה, עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר בן אהרן הכהן *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan, Mishkan ha'eidus, asher pukad al pi Moshe, avodas ha'Leviim b'yad Isamar ben Aharon ha'kohen*. These are the פקודים *pekudim*. What are פקודים *pekudim*? The countings. This is the accounting, this is the reckoning of the משכן *Mishkan*. Which משכן *Mishkan* you might ask? משכן העדות *Mishkan ha'eidus*. Now why would you ask which משכן *Mishkan*? You would never ask which משכן *Mishkan*. There only ever has been one משכן *Mishkan*. This was commandment, the origin, the first time a משכן *Mishkan* was commanded. So right away we're troubled. אלה פקודי המשכן, אשר פוקד *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan, asher pukad*. What do you mean? Why does it repeat the word משכן *Mishkan* to to be able to qualify it and specify it as משכן העדות *Mishkan ha'eidus*? Anyway, these are the accountings that Moshe had done of the funds, of the budget, of the campaign necessary to build the משכן *Mishkan*, the משכן העדות *Mishkan of eidus*, that were reckoned by Moshe, the efforts of the לוים *Leviim* was under the authority of איתמר *Isamar*, the son of אהרן הכהן *Aharon ha'kohen*. And who was the architect of the משכן *Mishkan*? ובצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה עשה את כל אשר צוה ה' את משה *U'Vetzalel ben Uri ven Chur l'mateh Yehuda asa es kol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe*. Again, it's unusual. The Torah is introducing it to us as if we didn't know that. We've already heard about בצלאל *Betzalel* before. This is not the first time we're hearing בצלאל *Betzalel*, or איתמר *Isamar* for that matter. ואתו אהליאב בן אחיסמך למטה דן חרש וחשב ורוקם בתכלת ובארגמן ובתולעת השני ובשש *V'ito Ahaliav ben Achisamach l'mateh Dan, charash v'choshev v'rokeim b'scheiles uv'argaman uv'solaas hashani v'shes*. אהליאב *Ahaliav* who's from the tribe of Dan, a carver, a weaver, and an embroiderer, turquoise, purple, scarlet wool with linen. He is חרש וחשב *charash v'choshev*. חשב *choshev* here means even more, מלאכת מחשבת *melaches machsheves*. This is a skill that takes, it's a skill with a certain acumen. So that's what's happening here at the beginning. רש\"י *Rashi* tells us, why is the term משכן *Mishkan* repeated twice? אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan Mishkan ha'eidus*. What do you, what do you have to clarify which משכן *Mishkan*? There only ever was one משכן *Mishkan*. Says רש\"י *Rashi*, משכן, משכן, שני פעמים, רמז למקדש שנתמשכן בשני חורבנין על עונותיהן של ישראל *Mishkan, Mishkan, shnei p'amim, remez l'mikdash she'nis'mashkein b'shnei churbanan al avonoseihem shel Yisrael*. This is a allusion to the fact that there will be two בתי מקדש *batei mikdash* that will be destroyed because of the Jewish people's unworthiness. So the double reference, אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan Mishkan ha'eidus*, the משכן *Mishkan* of course is the predecessor of the בית המקדש *Beis HaMikdash*. So the double language of משכן *Mishkan* is to tell me, says רש\"י *Rashi*, that there will be two בתי מקדש *batei mikdash* that will be destroyed. Now you'll say, if you look at the שפתי חכמים *Sifsei Chachamim*, he asks a question. I don't understand how you could learn that. Why, what's the question? How could you tell me that the double usage of משכן *Mishkan* is to tell me that there'll be two בתי מקדש *batei mikdash* that will be destroyed because of the unworthiness of the Jewish people? How many extra משכן *Mishkan* words do you have? Only one. Only one of them is extra. So you should only be able to learn one thing, not two things. רש\"י *Rashi* says you learn two things, that there'll be two בתי מקדש *batei mikdash* that will be destroyed. Says the שפתי חכמים *Sifsei Chachamim*, in the name of the תורה *Torah*, הלא מיותר לדרשא אלא חד משכן, דחד איצטריך לגופיה *halo m'yutar l'drasha ela chad Mishkan, d'chad itztarech l'gufei*. Only one of the usages of משכן *Mishkan* is extra. The first time it says it, you need it to know what we're talking about. ויש לומר, מדשנה הקרא בלשונו וכתב המשכן משכן, ולא כתיב שניהם בהא או בלא הא, ודאי ההא קאי על המשכן המיוחד דהיינו בית עולמים שהוא בית המקדש. אם כן קשה למה מהנהו סתם קרא בלשון משכן אלא רמז *v'yesh lomar mi'd'shina hakra b'loshono v'kasav ha'Mishkan, Mishkan, v'lo ksiv sh'neihem b'hei o b'lo hei, vadai ha'hei ko'i al ha'mishkan ha'meyuchad d'haynu beis olamim she'hu beis hamikdash. im kein kasha lama me'hanhu stama kra b'lashon Mishkan ela remez*. So he answers because it says אלה פקודי המשכן משכן *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan Mishkan*. So it should either be said אלה פקודי המשכן, המשכן העדות *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan ha'Mishkan ha'eidus* or אלה פקודי משכן משכן העדות *Eleh pekudei Mishkan Mishkan ha'eidus*. Why does it have a ה *hey* once? So to tell me that the usage of one of the משכן's *Mishkan's* is for the actual משכן *Mishkan*, the ה *hey* and the extra משכן *Mishkan* teach me the two בתי מקדש *batei mikdash* that will be built and ultimately will be destroyed because of the Jewish people's unworthiness. But a fair question of the שפתי חכמים *Sifsei Chachamim*. Why do we refer to it as the משכן העדות *Mishkan ha'eidus*? Says רש\"י *Rashi*, who, what is the משכן *Mishkan* of testimony? What, what's the testimony here? What's the testimony? Says רש\"י *Rashi*, עדות לישראל שויתר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא על מעשה העגל, שהשרה שכינתו ביניהם *eidus l'Yisrael she'viter lahem HaKadosh Baruch Hu al maaseh ha'eigel, she'hishra shchinaso b'neihem*. Why do we call the משכן *Mishkan* the משכן העדות *Mishkan ha'eidus*? The tabernacle of testimony. What is it testifying to? He's with us. Says רש\"י *Rashi*, it's testifying to the fact that God forgave the Jewish people after the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel*. Because the fact that he chose to live with them, he moved in with us. He came down to this world and brought his presence, his השראת השכינה *hashra'as ha'Shechina*, even after he was prepared to wipe us out and eliminate us, shows שויתר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא *she'viter lahem HaKadosh Baruch Hu*. He was מוותר *m'vater*, he, he overlooked. He was forgiving. He was able to dismiss it and move on, שהשרה שכינתו ביניהם *she'hishra shchinaso b'neihem*. Right? So very beautiful רש\"י *Rashi* that every time we mention the word משכן *Mishkan*, it should remind us of God's capacity to forgive. Now again, it particularly makes sense within the בית הלוי *Beis Halevi*, the משך חכמה *Meshech Chochma*, the כוזרי *Kuzari* I mentioned, that the משכן *Mishkan* was the perfect antidote to the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel*. חטא העגל *Chet ha'eigel* was the people's need for something tangible. God says, fine, legitimate you have that need, you got to do it on my terms, here is a משכן *Mishkan*, something tangible through which to connect to me. So if we understand the משכן *Mishkan* as the perfect response or antidote to the חטא העגל *chet ha'eigel*, then we can understand why the משכן *Mishkan* is called a משכן העדות *Mishkan ha'eidus*. Because it testifies to the fact that God was willing to forgive us and gave us a proper channel, an outlet for this legitimate need. Which was incredibly gracious of Hashem who could have said, even if it was a legitimate need, the bottom line is what you guys did was egregious, it was terrible, it was horrible. It's unforgivable, it's intolerable. But instead, Hashem says, I'm willing to, I'm willing to forgive. Forgive, not only forgive. He could have said I'm willing to forgive, but I'm not building you anything. And I'm not giving you anything, because your need for something tangible is what got you into trouble in the first place. But Hashem is gracious and kind and compassionate. So not only does he forgive, A, but B, then he provides for that, what he obviously feels is a legitimate need, for us to have a tangible means through which to connect. Please hold your questions. The כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*, hold your questions. The כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*, but before we get to the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*. The בעל הטורים *Baal HaTurim*, רב יעקב בן אשר *Rav Yaakov ben Asher*, says, אלה פקודי *Eleh pekudei*, the word פקודי *pekudei* is spelled complete with a ו *vav*. You could have spelled פקודי *pekudei* sans the ו *vav*, without a ו *vav*. Why do you have a ו *vav*? That's not such a great question to me because פקודי *pekudei* could be spelled with the ו *vav* or without the ו *vav*. It's not, I don't know that it's compelling that it should have been without the ו *vav*. Okay. מלא ו' שפיקד לכל ו' וו' מאות אלפים, שלא יחשדו שלקח מן הכסף *Maleh vav she'piked l'chol vav v'vav mei'os alafim, shelo yachshedu she'lakach min ha'kesef*. What, what's, what, what, what accounting is going on here? Why is there an accounting taking place? So the מדרש ילקוט שמעוני *Medrash Yalkut Shimoni* fills in. The ילקוט שמעוני *Yalkut Shimoni* says that they completed the משכן *Mishkan*. You know, at the end of the Megillah reading, you know what the most inspiring part of Megillah reading is for me? The last line. That Mordechai was רצוי לרוב אחיו *ratzui l'rov echav*. Mordechai was beloved to most, not everybody. The Megillah doesn't say he was beloved to everybody. The Megillah says that this man who was the catalyst for their salvation, who almost single-handedly displayed the courage, the strength of resolve, the tenacity, to encourage Esther to stand up, that Mordechai himself who refused to bow down, that Mordechai who almost single-handedly was the catalyst for their salvation, saved the lives, saved the Jewish people, was רצוי לרוב אחיו *ratzui l'rov echav*. In the next vote for him, for the Sanhedrin, he still only received the majority. He wasn't unanimous. There were still people who said we could do better. That to me is, you know, as a rabbi, as a community leader, is inspiring. To remember that even Mordechai was רצוי לרוב אחיו *ratzui l'rov echav*. I find that very inspiring. So Moshe Rabbeinu also. Moshe who leads them out of Egypt. Moshe who challenges Pharaoh and introduces the plagues. Moshe who takes them across the sea. Moshe who begs to Hashem, how many times already in ספר שמות *Sefer Shmos* have the Jewish people disappointed God and Moshe begs for forgiveness? And you know what happens? The משכן *Mishkan* is complete. It should be a, excuse me, a time of unbridled joy and happiness. And what do the people come and do? says the ילקוט שמעוני *Yalkut Shimoni*. Say to Moshe, you know, we've been reviewing the budget and we're reviewing the capital campaign. And there's a lot of money that came in and where is it? Where is it? Moshe, empty your pockets. Moshe, we're searching your tent. Could you imagine? Auditing Moshe. We're auditing you, Moshe. We're calling for an audit. Ah, we're a slave nation, אושר ונבאך *osher v'nebach*, nothing, good for nothing, complaining, reject, ignoramuses, you are Moshe Rabbeinu, we're auditing you. says the ילקוט שמעוני *Yalkut Shimoni*. So Moshe started to do the accounting. And he starts to add it all up. And Moshe is short. 1,000 something something. Moshe is short. And he panics. What's he going to do? He knows he didn't pocket one penny. He knows that his integrity is impeccable. He knows that his bookkeeping is transparent. But he starts to panic. And then he remembers, says the ילקוט שמעוני *Yalkut Shimoni*, the ווים *vavim*. The hooks. The hooks that bind the curtains together that hang the משכן *Mishkan*, he forgot to include them. Rav Moshe Sternbuch writes, Rav Moshe Sternbuch writes, why did he forget the hooks? Because he thought they're negligible. They're insignificant. They're unimportant. Right? A little hook, you go to Home Depot, a hook costs גורנישט *gornisht*. It's less than a dollar. It's 20 cents a hook. It's גורנישט *gornisht*. But you can have an entire building and without the hooks you have nothing. So the planks and the walls and the curtains, the everything could be worth tremendous amounts of money. And the גורנישט *gornisht* insignificant hooks that cost nothing are the necessary part of holding everything together. And says Rav Moshe Sternbuch, what Moshe drew from there, what we are to draw from there is that sometimes it is the acts, it's the hooks that bind us with others that we dismissed and neglect and feel are negligible and insignificant, that are the most important things because they bind us together. The ווים *vavim*. And that's the letter ו *vav*. Rav JJ Schachter, one of my rabbeim and teachers has a beautiful Torah on why it's the letter ו *vav*. You know, ו *vav* is the letter of, the ו *vav* and the hooks are called ווים *vavim*. The ו החיבור *vav ha'chibur*. The ו החיבור *vav ha'chibur* is the ו *vav* that unites, that brings together. קין *Kayin* when he kills הבל *Hevel*, the מדרש *Medrash* says, you know, we we talk about the scarlet letter. קין *Kayin* the מדרש *Medrash* says had to wear a letter on his forehead. What was the letter he wore on his forehead? The ו *vav*, because he didn't have a hook. He didn't understand what it meant to connect with his brother. Rav Schachter points out. So here the the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar* is going to talk about this. We'll mention this in a moment. So the בעל הטורים *Baal HaTurim* says, why is the, why is פקודי *pekudei* spelled with the ו *vav*? Because all 600,000 Jews should not suspect him that he took money. That they are not to suspect him that he took any of the silver. All 600,000 alluded to by the letter ו *vav*. Within this ילקוט שמעוני *Yalkut Shimoni* you could say it's spelled with the ו *vav* for another reason, אלה פקודי *Eleh pekudei* because it was the ווים *vavim* that Moshe had neglected in the פקודי *pekudei*, in the accounting, it's what he remembered last minute that made the accounting complete. Since it was the ווים *vavim*, the ו *vav* that made the accounting complete, maybe that's why פקודי *pekudei* is spelled complete with the ו *vav*. Spelled complete with the ו *vav*. By the way, the שולחן ערוך *Shulchan Aruch* quotes a custom, some have a custom that from the ספר תורה *Sefer Torah*, that every column of the ספר תורה *Sefer Torah* should begin with the letter ו *vav*. To organize the layout of a ספר תורה *Sefer Torah* that every column is written that begins with the letter ו *vav*. Let's look at the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar* for a moment. Also here on פסוק כ\"א *pasuk chaf aleph*, this opening pasuk of the second פרשה פקודי *parsha Pekudei*. Says the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*, נחלקו המפרשים בדבר, אם אלה קאי על מעשה המשכן שהזכיר בסדר ויקהל, או אם קאי על מה שיזכיר בפרשה זו *nechleku ha'meforshim b'davar im eleh koi al maaseh ha'Mishkan she'hizkir b'seder Vayakel, o im koi al ma she'yazkir b'parsha zo*. Right, our פרשה *parsha* begins, אלה פקודי המשכן *Eleh pekudei ha'Mishkan*. These are the accounting, the reckoning. Well, what's אלה *eleh*, these? Is these going on what we just completed at the end of ויקהל *Vayakel*? Or is אלה *eleh* meaning what we're about to read in פקודי *Pekudei*? What is the אלה *eleh* referring to? asks the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar*. ועוד הקשו, למה עשה משה חשבון מה שעשה מן הכסף והנחושת ולא עשה חשבון מה שעשה מן הזהב *V'od hikshu lama asa Moshe cheshbon ma she'asa min ha'kesef v'ha'nechoshes v'lo asa cheshbon ma she'asa min ha'zahav*. And furthermore one could ask, why is Moshe doing an accounting, an audit of all that he collected from the silver and the copper but not from the gold? Why isn't he doing an accounting and audit of all the gold that was collected and what happened with it? על כן לבבי ימלא לי לומר שאלה פקודי קאי על מעשה המשכן שהזכיר למעלה *Al kein levavi yimalei li lomar she'eleh pekudei koi al maaseh ha'Mishkan she'hizkir l'mala*. He says אלה פקודי *eleh pekudei* is not going on what's about to appear in our פרשה *parsha*, but it's referring back on what was just read in ויקהל *Vayakel*. לפי שכבר גמרו כל מלאכת המשכן בכלל ופרט, וכל מה שהיה להם לעשות מן הכסף והנחושת כבר עשו הכל *L'fi she'kvar gamru kol melaches ha'Mishkan b'chlal u'prat v'chol ma she'haya lahem la'asos min ha'kesef v'ha'nechoshes kvar asu hakol*. Because they had now in ויקהל *Vayakel*, which parallels תרומה *Terumah*. פקודי *Pekudei* parallels תצווה *Tetzaveh*, which is all about the clothing, the garments of the כהנים *kohanim*. So the beginning of פקודי *Pekudei* is right in between the completion of describing the building of the tabernacle and the introduction to the description of the weaving of the garments of the כהנים *kohanim*. So all of the silver and the copper was used for the משכן *Mishkan*, which was now complete. על כן היה משה שמח, שנישלמה מלאכת הכסף והנחושת, ובידו לתת חשבון ולהוציא עצמו מן החשד *Al kein haya Moshe sameach she'nishlema melaches ha'kesef v'ha'nechoshes v'yado l'ten cheshbon v'l'hotzi atzmo min ha'chashad*. And because ויקהל *Vayakel* signifies the conclusion of the building of the משכן *Mishkan*, Moshe was happy and joyous and was able to submit the audit to show that all the money was used properly. ולא רצה להמתין עד אחר שנעשו גם בגדי כהונה הנזכרים בפרשה זו ולתת חשבון מן הכסף והזהב והנחושת כאחד *V'lo ratza l'hamtin ad achar she'naasu gam bigdei kehuna ha'nizkarim b'parsha zu, v'l'tein cheshbon min ha'kesef v'ha'zahav v'ha'nechoshes k'echad*. Now, why didn't, essentially the כלי יקר *Kli Yakar* is asking, why didn't Moshe wait until the end of פקודי *Pekudei*? Let the last פסוק *pasuk* of all of book of שמות *Shmos* be אלה פקודי המשכן והבגדי כהונה Eileh pekudei ha'mishkan v'ha'bigdei kehuna. Why didn't he wait to submit the audit till after the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna also? Because some of what was raised and gathered and solicited was used for the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna also. So why does he sigh, why does he breathe this sigh of relief that the משכן mishkan is complete and he's beyond reproach and submit the audit then? Why not wait till after the completion of the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna?Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, לפי שבכל מה שנזכר בפרשה זו לא היה בו כסף ונחשת. ואחר שכבר כלתה המלאכה מן הכסף והנחשת ראוי לתת חשבון מיד. אבל הזהב לא היה יכול לתת חשבון עדיין, לפי שעדיין לא עשו כל בגדי כהונה האמורים בסדר זה, והיה בהם גם כן זהב L'fi she'b'chol mah she'nizkar b'parsha zu, lo haya bo kesef v'nechoshes. V'achar she'kvar kalsa ha'mlacha min ha'kesef v'ha'nechoshes, ra'ui l'tein cheshbon miyad. Aval ha'zahav lo haya yachol l'tein cheshbon adayin, l'fi she'adayin lo asu kol bigdei kehuna ha'amurim b'seder zeh, v'haya bahem gam kein zahav. Because silver and copper, their use was completed with the משכן mishkan. But the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna also includes gold. So he couldn't yet give the full accounting because some of it was necessary for the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna. ולפי שהיה צריך עוד על הזהב, לא היה יכול משה לתת חשבון עדיין מן הזהב V'l'fi she'haya tzrich od al ha'zahav, lo haya yachol Moshe l'tein cheshbon adayin min ha'zahav. So he couldn't yet submit the complete accounting of everything. He waits for the gold. ואם תאמר עדיין קשה, למה לא עשה חשבון מן הזהב אחר שנגמר גם בגדי כהונה V'im tomar adayin kasheh, lama lo asa cheshbon min ha'zahav achar she'nigmar gam bigdei kehuna? So if that's the case, one would expect to find at the end of פרשת פקודי parshas Pekudei, one would expect to find giving an accounting for the gold, just as he did for the silver and the copper. At the end of פקודי Pekudei, give an accounting for the gold, now that the בגדי כהונה bigdei kehuna are done. תשובה לדבר, לפי שאמרו במדרש Tshuva la'davar, l'fi she'amru ba'Midrash, the answer says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar appears in a מדרש Midrash. הביאו רבנו בחיי בפרשה זו, וזה לשונו Hevi'u Rabbeinu Bachya b'parsha zu, v'zeh l'shono, רבנו בחיי Rabbeinu Bachya alludes to it. כשבא משה לתת חשבון חסר לו נשקל אלף ושבע מאות וחמישה ושבעים שקלים K'sheba Moshe l'tein cheshbon, chasar lo nishkal elef v'shva mei'os v'shivim v'chamisha shkalim. This is the ילקוט שמעוני Yalkut Shimoni I referenced a moment ago. Also appears in שמות רבה Shmos Rabbah. That when Moshe did this accounting, he was short 1,775 שקל shekel. ושכח ולא היה יודע מה עשה בהם V'shachach, v'lo haya yodea ma asa bahem, and he forgot, and he couldn't remember what it was spent on. יצתה בת קול ואמרה, האלף ושבע מאות וחמישה ושבעים עשה ווים לעמודים, וקיים מה שנאמר לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, עד כאן לשונו Yatzsa bas kol v'amra, ha'elef v'shva mei'os v'chamisha v'shivim asa vavim la'amudim, v'kayam mah she'ne'emar lo kein avdi Moshe b'chol beisi ne'eman hu, ad kan l'shono. The מדרש Midrash says because Moshe struggled to remember where that last 1,700 and what was the number? 1,575 where it went, therefore a בת קול bas kol, a heavenly voice emerged saying to Moshe, it was used for the ווים vavim. And that is a fulfillment of the verse that Moshe is בכל ביתי נאמן b'chol beisi ne'eman, that God trusts Moshe and his integrity remains intact. ונראה, שבעל המדרש הזה הרגיש בשני ה\"א יתרים שנאמר, ואת האלף ושבע המאות V'nir'eh, she'baal ha'midrash hazeh hirgish bishnei hei'in yeseirim she'ne'emar, v'es ha'elef v'shva ha'mei'os. But what he would have to say is ואלף ושבע מאות v'elef u'shva mei'os. Why does it say האלף ושבע המאות ha'elef u'shva ha'mei'os? The thousand and the seven hundred. Should say thousand and seven hundred. Why the and the? Why the two ה\"א *hei's*? כמו שנאמר למעלה, מעלה משכורת ולא המעלה משכורת K'mo she'ne'emar l'maalah, ma'aleh maskores v'lo ha'ma'aleh maskores, בה\"א הידיעה b'hei ha'yediah. ולמה הזכיר ה\"א הידיעה באלף ומאות שנזכר כאן V'lama hizkir hei ha'yediah b'elef u'mei'os she'nizkar kan? אלא ודאי שמשה שכח ולא ידע מה נעשה מהם Ela vadai she'Moshe shachach v'lo yada ma na'asa mehem, וישראל מריעים אחריו לאמר, משה לקח לעצמו v'Yisrael meri'im acharav leimor, Moshe lakach l'atzmo. Moshe at first couldn't remember what happened to this 1,700 plus שקל shekel, and the Jewish people were chasing after him saying, hurling all kinds of accusations at him. ויצאה בת קול ואמרה, שאותו האלף הידוע שאמרתם ושבע המאות הידועים שאמרתם שמשה לקח, לא כן הוא אלא עשה אותם ווים לעמודים V'yatz'a bas kol v'amra, she'oso ha'elef ha'yadua she'amartem, u'shva ha'mei'os ha'yedu'im she'amartem she'Moshe lakach, lo kein hu, ela asa osam vavim la'amudim. ואם כן, אחר שראו ישראל שמן השמים מעידים עליו, על כן לא רצו עוד לקבל ממנו חשבון על הזהב. כי אמרו, אילו היה מעכב דבר לעצמו מן הזהב, לא היו מעידים עליו מן השמים אפילו על הכסף, שהרי סוף סוף לידי חשבונו הוא V'im kein, achar she'ra'u Yisrael she'min ha'shamayim me'idim alav, al kein lo ratzu od l'kabel mimenu cheshbon al ha'zahav. Ki amru, ilu haya me'akeiv davar l'atzmo min ha'zahav, lo hayu me'idim alav min ha'shamayim afilu al ha'kesef, she'harei sof sof l'yedei cheshbono hu. So essentially what's the כלי יקר Kli Yakar answering? Moshe never had to come back and complete the audit on the gold. Why? Because once they accused him on the audit of the gold, of the copper and the silver, and a heavenly voice proclaimed that Moshe is beyond reproach, every ounce is accounted for, so now that he was beyond reproach, no further audits were necessary. והוא שבת קול אומר בכל ביתי נאמן הוא V'hu she'bas kol omer, b'chol beisi ne'eman hu. When a heavenly voice gives you the endorsement that Moshe is trusted in all my house, גם הזהב בכלל, על כן לא נתן חשבון מן הזהב Gam ha'zahav b'klal, al kein lo nasan cheshbon min ha'zahav. The gold is included in that endorsement. And therefore it was unnecessary to complete the audit. ויש לומר שגם לא התחילו לבקש ממנו משה חשבון, אלא משה מעצמו רצה לנקות עצמו, לכך נאמר אשר פקד על פי משה V'yesh lomar she'gam lo hischilu l'vakeish mimenu Moshe cheshbon, ela Moshe mei'atzmo ratza l'nakos atzmo, l'kach ne'emar asher pukad al pi Moshe. Or suggests the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, that maybe the people never ever gave an accusation. Maybe they weren't the ones who pressured Moshe to do an audit. Maybe it was Moshe on his own. It's a powerful lesson for somebody who runs the communal funds, the פושקא pushka, the discretionary fund, that even without being asked, you should have regular reports on the funds so that you can remain beyond suspicion, beyond reproach. ומה שנאמר עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר, יש אומרים שדרך הכסף והזהב לחסר ממנו כשמתיכין אותו. על כן נאמר כאן שכל מה שפקד על פי משה, הוא נמצא ביד איתמר במשקלו ממש, וזה היה מצד הנס U'mah she'ne'emar avodas ha'levi'im b'yad Isamar, yesh omrim she'derech ha'kesef v'ha'zahav l'chaser mimenu k'she'matichin oso. Al kein ne'emar kan she'kol mah she'pukad al pi Moshe, hu nimtza b'yad Isamar b'mishkalo mamash, v'zeh haya mitzad ha'neis. וזהו שנקרא משכן העדות, כי זה עדות לישראל ששכינה בתוכם V'zehu she'nikra mishkan ha'eidus, ki zeh eidus l'Yisrael she'shchina b'socham. So listen to what the כלי יקר Kli Yakar ends with. He says normally when you melt metal, it loses some of its volume. Anyone work with metal here? There are impurities. Okay, I've never worked with metal, I don't know, but apparently says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, maybe in למברג Lemberg, רב לונשיץ Rav Lunczitz did work with metal. He says that apparently when you melt the metal, it loses its volume or its weight, not its volume, its weight. So what should have happened is when Moshe provided it to, to איתמר Isamar, and they weighed it, when he was fashioning the utensils themselves, it should have been less than he collected, because now it's been, but you know what happened? There was a miracle. It weighed the same. And why did it weigh the same? To be able to keep Moshe to, for Moshe to be beyond reproach. Because it was a miraculous thing to melt it down and fashion utensils and not have it lose weight from the original amount that was given, was miraculous. But why? So that Moshe would be beyond reproach, that he didn't pocket any of these metals. And says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, that's why it's called משכן העדות mishkan ha'eidus. It's called the משכן העדות mishkan ha'eidus because it is a testimony that God endorses Moshe as a leader. It's a testimony to God's presence because he performed this miracle when it came to the fashioning of the utensils. Okay, so that was the first thing I wanted to see, this notion, the מדרש Midrash, the ווים vavim, the accounting, the משכן Mishkan twice, and this statement of the כלי יקר Kli Yakar.Next. בצלאל Betzalel. פרק ח פסוק כב Perek chaf pasuk chaf beis. בצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה Betzalel ben Uri ben Chur l'mateh Yehuda, בצלאל Betzalel was the architect, came from the tribe of יהודה Yehuda. עשה את כל אשר ציוה ה' את משה Asa eis kol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. The Torah now endorses בצלאל Betzalel. He's a good guy. He did everything exactly the way God commanded whom? משה Moshe. Now, I would have written what? He did everything the way Moshe told him. Why would you write he did everything the way God commanded Moshe? You leave out a step. He did everything the way God commanded Moshe. Well, when did Moshe command him? So Rashi says, אמר, אין כתב כאן Amar, ein ksav kan, אלא כל אשר ציוה ה' את משה ela kol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. Rashi picks up on this. It does not say as Moshe commanded him, but rather it says as God, he did as God commanded Moshe, but he's not Moshe. So what does it tell us this? אפילו דברים שלא אמר לו רבו Afilu devarim she'lo amar lo rabo. Even things that his teacher did not tell him. הסכים דעתו למה שנאמר למשה מסיני Hiskim da'ato l'mah she'ne'emar l'Moshe m'Sinai. He anticipated what God told Moshe even if it wasn't the same thing that Moshe told him. What do you mean? כי משה ציוה לבצלאל לעשות כלים תחילה ואחר כך משכן Ki Moshe tziva l'Betzalel la'asos keilim techila v'acharei kach mishkan. Moshe told בצלאל Betzalel, what was the order as the chief on this construction site? What was the order he should follow of building? So Moshe said, first build the vessels and then build the משכן Mishkan. First build the furniture and then build the house. אמר לו בצלאל, מנהג עולם לעשות תחילה בית ואחר כך מכניס כלים בתוכו Amar lo Betzalel, minchag olam la'asos techila bayis v'acharei kach machnis keilim b'socho. What are you talking about? You don't go buy furniture and leave it on the front lawn while you're building the house. You build the house and then you get the furniture. אמר לו, כך שמעתי מפי הקדוש ברוך הוא Amar lo, kach shamati mipi ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu. אמר לו משה, בצל אל היית Amar lo Moshe, b'Tzeil Eil hayisa. כי בוודאי כך ציוה לי הקדוש ברוך הוא וכן עשה, משכן תחילה ואחר כך עשה כלים Ki b'vadai kach tziva li ha'Kadosh Baruch Hu, v'chein asa, mishkan techila v'acharei kach asa keilim. בצלאל Betzalel says to Moshe, and so, first of all, it's better, it's more appropriate to first build the house and then the furniture. He says, and secondly, of all, I think that's what God wants. So Moshe says to him, בצל אל היית B'Tzeil Eil hayisa. What's בצל b'tzeil? צל Tzeil is shade or shadow. You are in the shadow of God because you're right, that's what God told me. So even though I didn't tell you, I didn't relate it to you the same way God told it to me, you anticipated what God wanted, you live in the shadow of השם Hashem. בצל אל B'Tzeil Eil, that's your name. You anticipated what השם Hashem wanted, and you were prepared to do that above and before even what I told you. Now it doesn't address why would Moshe deviate from what השם Hashem told him to do. It doesn't address that. But the point is Rashi is explaining why does the פסוק pasuk say that בצלאל Betzalel listened to all that God commanded Moshe? It should have said בצלאל Betzalel listened to all that Moshe commanded him. To tell us that he even listened to things that God commanded Moshe different than what Moshe commanded him. If there was a conflict between what Moshe told him to do and what he believed God told Moshe, he followed what God told Moshe. That's Rashi. Look at the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, not satisfied. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, פירוש רש\"י, אשר ציוה אותו משה לא נאמר, ונראה, שבחינם דחק רש\"י לומר כן, כי לדעתי פירוש המקרא כך הוא Peirush Rashi, asher tziva oso Moshe lo ne'emar, v'nir'eh, she'b'chinam dachak Rashi lomar kein, ki l'da'ati peirush ha'mikra kach hu. He says, you know, Rashi got into this whole thing that Moshe told him something different than he heard, furniture, house, what people do. He says Rashi came on to all this unnecessarily, totally unnecessarily. He says here's how I understand it. יען כי לא מצינו בכל מלאכת המשכן שמשה ציוה אל בצלאל כך וכך תעשה Ya'an ki lo matzinu b'chol meleches ha'Mishkan she'Moshe tziva el Betzalel kach v'kach ta'aseh. You don't find anywhere in תרומה, תצוה, ויקהל, פקודי Trumah, Tetzaveh, Vayakhel, Pekudei, anywhere that Moshe told בצלאל Betzalel what to do. כי בפרשת כי תשא כתוב ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל, ולא נכתב שם שמשה הגיד שום דבר אל בצלאל Ki b'parshas Ki Sisa ksuv, re'eh karasi b'shem Betzalel, v'lo nichtav sham she'Moshe higid shum davar el Betzalel. All we find is that Moshe recruits בצלאל Betzalel to be the architect, appoints him to be the architect, but we never find that he actually gives him the plans, the drawings, tells him what to do. וכן בפרשת ויקהל, אמר משה כל דעת ישראל וכל חכם לב בכם יבואו ויעשו את משכן אהלו, ולא פירט שם שום דבר איך יהיה בניין המשכן ולאיזה אופן יבנה V'chein b'parshas Vayakhel, amar Moshe kol da'as Yisrael v'chol chacham lev bachem yavo'u v'ya'asu es mishkan ohlo, v'lo peirat sham shum davar eich yihiyeh binyan ha'mishkan ul'eizeh ofen yivneh. He never actually gives the specs for what to do. ומה שנאמר שם, ויקרא משה בצלאל דקרוא למלאכה, גם שם לא פירש דרך עשייתם ואיך יסדרים U'mah she'ne'emar sham, vayikra Moshe Betzalel d'kro la'mlacha, gam sham lo peireish derech asiyasam v'eich yesadrim. אם כן ודאי משה לא ציוה כלל אל בצלאל איך יעשה המשכן וכליו Im kein vadai Moshe lo tziva klal el Betzalel eich ya'aseh ha'mishkan v'keilav. Moshe never gave בצלאל Betzalel the details. All he did was the appointment, but he never actually transmitted the details. ובכל מקום בצלאל ידע הכל U'v'chol makom Betzalel yada hakol. Nevertheless, בצלאל Betzalel knew exactly what to do. How did he know? wonders the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. ברוח הקודש שעליו B'ruach ha'kodesh she'alav, as כמה שציוה ה' את משה k'mah she'tziva Hashem es Moshe. He knew through divine inspiration. He knew as if he received it from השם Hashem. And that's what the פסוק pasuk means, כאשר ציוה ה' את משה ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. ואם כן הוצרך לומר כאן עשה את כל אשר ציוה ה' את משה, כי לא היה יכול לומר שעשה את כל אשר ציוה אליו משה, שהרי משה לא ציוה לו דרך עשייתם V'im kein hutzrach lomar kan asa es kol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe, ki lo haya yachol lomar she'asa es kol asher tziva eilav Moshe, she'harei Moshe lo tziva lo derech asiyasam. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, I don't know why Rashi needed to get into this whole thing. Maybe there was a conflict between the two, he listened to השם Hashem, but otherwise, you're right, he listened to Moshe. Says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, it couldn't say he built according to what Moshe told him, because Moshe never ever told him. He anticipated. ומה שפירש רש\"י שמשה ציוה לו לעשות כלים תחילה, לא ידעתי מהיכן למד רש\"י זה U'mah she'peireish Rashi she'Moshe tziva lo la'asos keilim techila, lo yadati mei'heichan lamad Rashi zeh. And the fact that Rashi says that Moshe told בצלאל Betzalel first build the כלים keilim, the utensils, the furniture, only then the house, he says I have no idea where Rashi got it from. Now if you look at our Rashi at the end it quotes גמרא ברכות דף נה Gemara Brachos daf nun hei. I didn't look up the גמרא ברכות Gemara Brachos, but if that's where Rashi got it from, I'm going to go with Rashi. כי אדרבה, בפרשת ויקהל הזכיר משה המשכן תחילה וכן בכל מקום מזכיר המשכן תחילה, זולת מה שנאמר בפרשת תרומה, ועשו ארון עצי שיטים קודם למשכן. וזה לפי שסדר המלאכות אין כחשש. ואם למד זה מקושיה זו אשר ציוה אותו משה לא נאמר, כבר אמרנו שאין זה קושיא Ki adraba, b'parshas Vayakhel hizkir Moshe ha'mishkan techila, v'chein b'chol makom mazkir ha'mishkan techila, zulas mah she'ne'emar b'parshas Trumah, v'asu aron atzei shittim kodem la'mishkan. V'zeh l'fi she'seder ha'mlachos ein ka'chashash. V'im lamad zeh m'kushya zu asher tziva oso Moshe lo ne'emar, kvar amarnu she'ein zeh kushya. The כלי יקר Kli Yakar says, I, he says, I don't believe that Moshe ever told בצלאל Betzalel that, first build the furniture then the house. He says because every time that Moshe relates the order in the Torah, Moshe always references the house first. So we have no reason to believe that. And if Rashi arrived at that conclusion because of this question, why doesn't it say as Moshe commanded בצלאל Betzalel? I already gave a good answer to that, says the כלי יקר Kli Yakar. So here you have a debate between Rashi and the כלי יקר Kli Yakar on the relationship of בצלאל Betzalel and Moshe. Did Moshe give him the details, and there's a case of a conflict that בצלאל Betzalel went with השם Hashem anyway? Or according to the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, Moshe gave בצלאל Betzalel no details, but בצלאל Betzalel had רוח הקודש ruach hakodesh. He was an architect with divine inspiration, and he, he anticipated what השם Hashem wanted, and that's why the פסוק pasuk relates that בצלאל Betzalel built את כל אשר ציוה ה' את משה es kol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe, according exactly to what God commanded Moshe. Hold your questions, please. Next comment.If you go to פרק לט פסוק א Perek lamed tes, pasuk aleph. Chapter 39 verse 1. Now we have the beginning of Aharon's clothing. ומן התכלת והארגמן ותולעת השני עשו בגדי שרד לשרת בקדש U'min ha'tcheiles v'ha'argaman v'solas ha'shani asu bigdei srad l'shareis ba'kodesh, ויעשו את בגדי הקדש אשר לאהרן כאשר ציוה ה' את משה vaya'asu es bigdei ha'kodesh asher l'Aharon ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. The turquoise, purple, scarlet, they made clothing to serve in the מקדש mikdash, in the משכן mishkan, they made holy clothing for Aaron just as השם Hashem commanded. כאשר ציוה ה' את משה Ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. Just as השם Hashem commanded. Says the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim ha'kadosh, טעם אמרו כן בכל פרט ופרט Taam omro kein b'chol prat u'prat. Why do we keep revisiting this expression, as God commanded Moshe? I mentioned at the outside one reason, the בית הלוי Beis HaLevi says, because it's an antidote for the חטא העגל cheit ha'eigel. When it came to the עגל eigel, they didn't do what God commanded. They applied their own creativity and did their own, what they wanted. That's why now in ויקהל פקודי Vayakhel Pekudei over and over and over says the בית הלוי Beis HaLevi, כאשר ציוה ה' ka'asher tziva Hashem, as God commanded, as God commanded, as God commanded. But the אור החיים Or HaChaim is also bothered by this question. Why with every detail? על פי מה שכתבנו בפרשת תצוה, כי חילק ה' למשה חלק בכל מלאכת עבודת הנעשה במקדש. כי חלקו במאמר המצוה שציוה ה' על הדבר ידוע, וזה מאזכיר בכל פרט ופרט שלגם שהעושים אינו ראוי למצוה לעשות Al pi mah she'kasavnu b'parshas Tetzaveh, ki cheilek Hashem l'Moshe chelek b'chol meleches avodas ha'na'asos ba'Mikdash. Ki chilko b'ma'amar ha'mitzva she'tziva Hashem al ha'davar yadua, v'zeh mazkir b'chol prat u'prat she'l'gam she'ha'osim eino ra'uy l'mitzva la'asos. So the אור החיים Or HaChaim gives an answer. He says, you know, Moshe really had nothing to do with the actual construction. Moshe was a little left out. So in order to give Moshe a portion of the building of the משכן mishkan, with every act of building, of sewing, of embroidering, of constructing, it mentions as God commanded Moshe. By including Moshe in as the recipient of the commandment, Moshe gains a חלק chelek, Moshe gains a portion in the building of the משכן mishkan. עוד ירצה שאומרים בשעת המלאכה, הרי אנו עושים דבר זה כאשר ציוה ה' את משה Od yirtzeh she'omrim b'shaas ha'mlacha, harei anu osim davar zeh ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. He says furthermore, the people, this was given for them to say out loud. You know, some people have a מנהג minhag to say הנני מוכן ומזומן לקיים מצוה זו Hineini muchan u'mezuman l'kayem mitzva zu. You know, that's the, that's the, the politically correct version. מקובלים, חסידים Mekubalim, Chasidim at the birth of חסידות Chasidus would introduce before doing a מצוה mitzva, they say, what do they say? Not the הנני מוכן ומזומן Hineini muchan u'mezuman. No, what do they say? לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא L'shem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu. That's what they say. לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא L'shem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu. This was introduced by early חסידים Chasidim. The חתם סופר Chasam Sofer by the way writes, חתם סופר Chasam Sofer who was an early opponent, writes that this לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא l'shem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu, we don't find it anywhere, and one should not be saying it before a ברכה bracha. We already have the ברכה bracha to precede the מצוה mitzva, and he has a very strong language, which was actually censored out of some versions of the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer, where he speaks in very harsh language of חסידים Chasidim. He quotes a פסוק pasuk, but he replaces, he inserts the word חסידים Chasidim instead of the word that's there in the פסוק pasuk to describe those who distort and pervert the way of השם Hashem. And he calls that חסידים Chasidim who say this לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא l'shem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu. So it's, it's interesting, this, this תשובה teshuva of the חתם סופר Chasam Sofer. But anyway, nevertheless, the אור החיים הקדוש Or HaChaim ha'kadosh says, as they would actually be building, they would say, כאשר ציוה ה' את משה ka'asher tziva Hashem es Moshe. They would use those words out loud. Like we say, הנני מוכן ומזומן לקיים Hineini muchan u'mezuman l'kayem. We give a context to the מצוה mitzva that we're doing. We're not laboring in some mundane act of sewing, building, construction, embroidering, but rather it's לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא l'shem yichud Kudsha Brich Hu, it's for the sake of השם Hashem. They would say these words out loud. הרי אנו עושים דבר זה Harei anu osim davar zeh, we are doing this. Like when you make מצה matzah, you say לשם מצות מצה l'shem mitzvas matzah. You're sewing ציצית tzitzis, לשם מצות ציצית l'shem mitzvas tzitzis, to do something לשמה lishma, to be dedicating it for the proper and right way.עוד נראה Od nir'eh, and the אור החיים Or HaChaim gives another reason, but we don't have time for it. Let's look at just maybe one or two more comments. Um, there's a beautiful אור החיים Or HaChaim here. Oh, there's no more time. Okay, let's try to do quickly. There's a beautiful אור החיים Or HaChaim on פסוק למ\"ב pasuk lamed beis. פרק לט פסוק Perek lamed tes, chapter 39 verse 32. ותכל כל עבודת משכן אהל מועד Va'techal kol avodas mishkan ohel moed, they finished everything. ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר ציוה ה' את משה כן עשו Vaya'asu Bnei Yisrael k'chol asher tziva Hashem es Moshe, kein asu. They did everything as God commanded Moshe. כן עשו Kein asu, so they did. Remember the Rav Pappa, so they did. They finished what they sought out to do. They finished what they started. So the אור החיים Or HaChaim here picks up on ויעשו בני ישראל Vaya'asu Bnei Yisrael. What do you mean בני ישראל Bnei Yisrael? 600,000, two to three million people all together, they weren't all involved in the construction. How can you describe that all the Jewish people completed this project of the משכן Mishkan? It was בצלאל Betzalel and his team, his committee that actually did the building. The answer is, שלוחו של אדם כמותו shlucho shel adam k'moso. When someone acts on your behalf, it's as if you did it. כאילו כל ישראל עשו K'ilu kol Yisrael asu. וגם שלא מצינו שעשו בצלאל על פי מאמר ה' ולא הם שלחוהו V'gam she'lo matzinu she'asu Betzalel al pi ma'amar Hashem v'lo hem shluchuhu. But בצלאל Betzalel was not representing the people, didn't appoint him their agent. God appointed him the agent. אף על פי כן הרי הסכימו על דעתו Af al pi kein, harei hiskimu al da'ato. Since they accepted his appointment, it is as if they appointed him to be their representative, the שליח shliach, and שלוחו של אדם כמותו shlucho shel adam k'moso, when someone is a representative, it's as if they did it themselves. עוד נראה, כי כאן עשה הכתוב מחברת הכללות בקיים תורה. והרי כי בני ישראל יזכו זה לזה, והתורה ניתנה שתתקיים בכללות ישראל. כל אחד יעשה יכולת שבידו ויזכה לזה לזה Od nir'eh, ki kan asa ha'kasuv mechaberes ha'klalos b'kiyum Torah. V'harei ki Bnei Yisrael yizku zeh la'zeh, v'ha'Torah nitna she'tiska'yem b'klalus Yisrael. Kol echad ya'aseh yecholes she'b'yado v'yizkeh zeh la'zeh. Or the idea is that you're right, every one of us has faults and fallibilities, shortcomings and misgivings. None of us are perfect or complete, none of us do every מצוה mitzva to perfection. But when you combine all of us, we complement one another. My strength is your weakness, and your strength is my weakness. And when you put us all together as a people, we complement one another to be able to achieve perfection in the performance of מצוות mitzvos. So that's what the Torah is expressing, says the אור החיים Or HaChaim. ויעשו בני ישראל Vaya'asu Bnei Yisrael, it's as if everyone did it together. פירוש, לצד שהוא כמוך, כי בשלמו יתקיים בך, ובמציאותו אתה משלים שלמותך, ואם כן אינו אחר אלא אתה עצמך, אלא שהוא חלק מחלקיך Peirush, l'tzad she'hu kamocha, ki b'shlemo yitkayem bach, u'v'metzi'uso ata mashlim shleimus'cha. V'im kein, eino acher ela ata atzmecha, ela she'hu chelek mei'chelkecha. That's why we say love your neighbor as yourself. ואהבת לרעך כמוך V'ahavta l're'acha kamocha. Well what makes him like you? The answer is the fact that you come together to complement one another means you want that person to succeed because their success is your success. So you want to love them as if they're you because you want them to be like you because because you complement one another, they're like you and therefore you should love them as yourself. ובזה מצאנו נחת רוח כי ציוה ה' תרי\"ג מצות, ומן הנמנע שימצא אדם אחד שישנו בקיום כולם U'v'zeh matzanu nachas ruach, ki tziva Hashem taryag mitzvos, u'min ha'nimna she'yimatzei adam echad she'yishno b'kiyum kulam. And you find this in the concept of מצוות mitzvos in general. No one Jew can fulfill every מצוה mitzva. Why? Because a ישראל Yisrael can't do what a כהן's kohen's commanded. A כהן's kohen's limited in being able to do some of the other things that a non-כהן kohen can do. If you live outside of Israel, you can't do what people who live in Israel can do. Women can't do certain things, other people can do. Others can't do some of the מצוות mitzvos women can do. I can't bring a קרבן יולדת korban yoledes. I can't bring the sacrifice of a woman who gave birth. Every segment, there are different segments of the Jewish people and there's no one person who can fulfill all 613 מצוות mitzvos. זה לכהנים, זה לישראלים, לנשים, יש מצות עשה בכהנים שאין מצויים בישראלים, יש מצות בישראלים שאינן בכהנים, וכן בלויים, וכן בנשים. ומה מצוי שיכול לקיים אלא אם כן תקין עצמו, מה אני אומר, כתרתי דעתו Zeh la'kohanim, zeh l'Yisraelim, la'nashim... yesh mitzvos aseh b'kohanim she'ein metzuyim b'Yisraelim, yesh mitzvos b'Yisraelim she'einan b'kohanim, v'chein b'Levi'im, v'chein b'nashim. U'mah matzui she'yuchal l'kayem, ela im kein tikan atzmo... So then what do you do if we're commanded in all מצוות mitzvos, if all מצוות mitzvos have value, how do we collaborate, how do we connect so as if we fulfilled all the מצוות mitzvos if we're limited in what מצוות mitzvos we can do because of the category we belong to? The answer is collaboration. By being together and complementing one another, it's as if we've all performed all מצוות mitzvos. And so the אור החיים Or HaChaim is saying that's why it says ויעשו בני ישראל ככל אשר ציוה ה' Vaya'asu Bnei Yisrael k'chol asher tziva Hashem. The Jewish people did everything God commanded. It was as if the Jewish people did it all together in collaboration. There's another כלי יקר Kli Yakar I wanted to look at, but we're out of time. I'll just point it out to you. It's the כלי יקר Kli Yakar on פסוק מ\"ג pasuk mem gimmel, verse 43. He points out that part of the time we refer to the work of the משכן mishkan as עבודת המשכן avodas ha'mishkan and part of the time we refer to it as מלאכת המשכן meleches ha'mishkan. Why do we sometimes call it עבודה avodah, sometimes we call it עבודה avodah, work, and sometimes מלאכה melacha, labor? Why do we switch back and forth and which is it? And the כלי יקר Kli Yakar develops a beautiful idea that the construction of the משכן mishkan parallels the creation of the world. כל מלאכה, מלאכה Kol melacha, melacha is a reference to creation of the world. How is the משכן mishkan a recreation in miniature of the world? Look at the כלי יקר Kli Yakar, he explains it very beautifully. We are done for today. Have a fantastic.
