BS”D

 

Pikudei – Hitler, Haman and the House of H’shem

Dr M Bank

 

Parshas Pikudei. A Guten Erev Shabbos. Chodesh Tov Umevorach. We dedicate this shiur to the memory of the eight young boys murdered in cold blood al kidush H’shem over their Gemoras, H’shem nikom damam.

 

The parsha is the conclusion of Sefer Shemos. It reviews the building of the House of H’shem and the Terumos, the offerings, love offerings, every ounce of everything donated to the Mishcan was an act of love of H’shem from His nation, Am Yisrael. There was nothing that was taken by force. There was nothing that was taxed on the people.

 

The Mishcan exists until today. The other two Batei Hamikdash are things of the past. The third, which we hope and pray should be built soon, will be permanent, like the Mishcan that Moshe’s generation donated.

 

All the materials were set. Then H’shem gave the nevua to carve, craft and sow to produce something that no human being could have accomplished. The Menora was pure 24 carat gold. It was about 1 meter tall. It would have weighed hundreds of kilos. 24 carat gold is so soft, it is like butter. The second it stood it was a miracle. That it could be carved was a miracle. So we see that nothing about the Mishcan was Teva, natural. Everything about it was above nature. It has disappeared from the world, for the time being, because we as a nation, the world, and our generation do not crave a home for H’shem in this world. How much are we working towards our own homes. Seeking a nice comfortable bed. All the creature comforts. While our real home, shamayim al haaretz, H’shem’s home, cries out for attention but remains suppressed in the subconscious. We have to look at something infinitely greater. H’shem needs a home? H’shem is omnipresent and omnipotent, he is perfect and has no needs.

 

The Seforno says that the Mishcan and all its parts were filled with such awesome holiness that they remain intact and will do so throughout time and world history. Unlike the other two temples that were destroyed and set on fire. Moshe’s Mishcan was never captured or desecrated and remains hidden until today, wherever it is, with the same kedusha that it had at the dedication of the Mishcan to H’shem – the chanukat habayis. The 4 reasons for this are alluded to in the first 2 verses. 1. The Mishcan was the Mishcan of testimony, through the two tablets in the Ark of testimony (Shnei Luchos HaBris in the Aron HaEdus), which testified to H’shem’s Unity with Am Yisrael and the Eternal Covenant between Him and His Nation, Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael through Toras Yisrael, all called Reishis, his first. H’shem had these three in mind from the beginning of creation.  2. It was built at Moshe’s command, benefiting from his personal intervention. 3. It was for the service of the Leviim and Cohanim under Moshe’s guidance. H’shem said that there will never be a prophet as great as Moshe Rabbeinu, to whom H’shem spoke face to face like a friend. The implements were put under the charge of Ithamar, a man of infinite stature, the son of Aron, Cohen Gadol. 4. Those who did the work of constructing the Mishcan, led by Betzalel, were men of greatest distinguished lineage and outstanding righteousness. The Seforno explains that as a result of these 4 factors, the Mishcan was totally impervious to decay through time or through its enemies.

 

On the other hand, Solomon’s Temple, the first Beis Hamikdash, was built in great measure by non Jewish workers. Consequently, although the Shechina dwelt inside it, it became warped with time and required repair and replacement. The Second Temple was built with the order and benevolence of King Cyrus, a gentile. It never had the Aron Hakodesh, and consequently lacked the Shnie Lucho and the Sefer Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu.   Both Temples fell into enemy hands.

 

The Gold and Silver used in the Temples of Solomon and Herod, the amounts listed, were massively beyond the amounts used in the Mishcan. Nevertheless, the Mishcan surpassed both Temples in its holiness and its blessing. This proves that H’shem rests His Presence not where there is wealth or affluence, or power, but where there is righteousness, purity and holiness. The ketores was ground whilst saying “pure and holy, “holy and pure”. According to the words of the tefillos, so it came out. It was purely for the sake of Heaven. Such investments are eternal. Other investments are transitory, A the Sages say in Bamidbar Rabba, (22, 8), the word Ma’on is a concentration of 2 words, Mah Ata One, what are you counting? Counting money is nothing – it is dust in the wind. Only that which we donate leshem shomayim, to tzedaka, for a mitzvah goes into infinite banking. An infinite account of the neshama in Heaven. This is the ultimate investment.

 

Why was the Mishcan a Mishcan HaEdus- The dwelling place of testimony? Why is the word Mishcan repeated? The word Mishcan includes all the vessels contained in H’shem’s dwelling place. It was given the name Mishcan because it was the abode of the Ark of testament in the Kodesh HaKedoshim which contained the Shnei Luchos HaBris. According to the Ibn Ezra, this comes to tell us that we are talking about the entire Tent of Dwelling and its contents, since the word Mishcan is also used for one of the cloths covering the Mishcan. The repetition of the word Mishcan also alludes to the Mishcan on earth and the parallel Mishcan in heaven. The two words also allude to the two Temples which would ultimately be taken from us. The word Mishcan is an allusion to the word Mashcon, a pledge or collateral, because the two Temples are collateral for Israel – if we sin the collateral, the Temples, are taken away. They have been taken from us as a nation until we are ready with all our heart, all our soul and all our resources. Then it will be restored to its former position in time and space on Har Habayis, and in its perpetuity will resemble the Mishcan. When the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, a hand cam edown from heaven and took the keys. The keilim were hidden and to this day have not been discovered and they are not meant to be discovered. The vessels that existed in the Mishcan will come back in perfect condition to be used in the third Eternal Dwelling place. H’shem’s dwelling place in this world depends on us. In the meantime, H’shem dwells with us.

 

The Mishcan can be compared to the entire universe. The Rosh says, come and see how beloved the Mishcan is in the eyes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, that it is in many ways like the act of creation. Everything mentioned in creation corresponds with the Mishcan. It says in Tehillim, H’shem stretched out the heavens like curtains. (13,14). This is represented by the curtains in the Beis Hamikdash. On the Second day H’shem said, “let there be a firmament in the sky and it shall divide between the upper quarters and the lower quarters. In the Mishcan, the paroches divided the Kodesh from the Kodesh Kedoshim. On the third day the waters were gathered. In the Mishcan there was the copper basin in which waters were gathered. The Torah writes on the fourth day of creation, let there be lights in the heavens of the sky. It says in Shemos, you shall make a Menora to light up the Mishcan, to light up the universe. On the fifth day of creation that the waters swarmed producing birds and fish. In shemos, it says the cherubs shall spread their wings upwards. The Torah writes on the sixth day of creation, “Let us create man”. It says here, “and as for you, bring near Aharon, your brother to be the Cohen Gadol”. The Torah writes that on Shabbos, the heaven and earth were complete. It says in Shemos, “the whole work was completed of the Mishcan”. At the end of Maaseh Bereishis, the Torah says, “and H’shem blessed them”. In Shemos it says “and Moshe blessed them”, obviously through H’shem. In the Creation, it says, “H’shem sanctified them”. In relation to the Mishcan it says, “Moshe anointed it and sanctified it”, at the request of H’shem. There H’shem created the heavens. Here we find the Kodesh Kedoshim where H’shem’s presence dwells in this world. There H’shem created the earth, and here we create the azarah. There H’shem created the food. Here we have the Shulchan containing the 2 rows of bread, containing 6 loaves each, corresponding to the 6 seasons, sowing, reaping, winter, summer, cold and heat. Rabbeinu Behaye also compares the Mishcan to creation and writes that the 3 great gifts correspond to the the 3 great gifts of the world, hochma, bina and daas, the first 3 of the 10 sefiros. It is written in Mishlei (3, 19) H’shem founded the world with wisdom (chochma), he established it with understanding (binah). Through his knowledge (daas) the depths were cleaved. What is hinted at here is the building of the Mishcan. These also correspond to the gifts of klal Yisrael, the commodities with which the Mishcan was created, the second, the half shekel, the Machatzit Hashekel in Ki Sisa, used to construct the silver sockets and the third, mentioned in Parshas bamidbar, with which Yisrael was counted, used to purchase the communal offerings. They also correspond to the gifts given to the Cohanim in Eretz Yisrael, Truma, Trumas Maaser and Chala.

 

The Avoda of the Beis Hamikdash, the Epicentre of our Avodas HaShem, was continued in the radiance of Shabbos. When Betzalel constructed the Mishcan, he knew how to combine the letters with which H’shem created Heaven and Earth. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer writes that just as Shlomo used these three Midos, Chochma, Bina and Daas to build the First Beis Hamikdash, so the Third will be built with these, and H’shem will bequeath these to klal Yisrael at the time of the final redemption, when Moshiach comes, may it come speedily in our days.

 

There will then be no more death in the world, no Hitlers or Haman. Then we will have a true dwelling place in this world and the next. May it be soon in our days, and may we celebrate a true Shabbat Shalom, BeShamayim ve’Al HaAretz.