Parshat Pekudai - Back on Track 5771

Parshat Pekudai - Back on Track 5771

The evening service Maariv starts with the most beautiful of blessings:

“Blessed are You, King of the hidden (Ha’elem - usually read as Ha’olam (the universe), who by His word causes the evenings to become dark. With wisdom He opens the gates,with understanding He changes the periods of the day, varies the times, and arranges the stars in their positions in the sky according to His will…”

Often, as the sun sets and the night begins, a feeling of doubt from the disappearance of the finals rays of the day covers the surface of the earth. Business men regret their risks of the day and await the uncertain stock charts of the morning, the widow sleeps remembering the days of life she once looked forward to, and thedread of an unproductive day handicaps the potential of a highly productive night.

HaShem “causes the evening to become dark,” but He does not command us to live vicariously through the earth’s daily cycle. Just because it gets a little bit darker out, it doesn’t mean that we too become a little bit darker. No, on the contrary, “with understanding He changes the periods of the day.” God is limitless and purposeful in every act and ordainment. So when it feels so cold, we must remember that “God arranges the stars in their positions,” and if we, the earth, were even a little bit further from the sun, the world would freeze over - then we would feel cold (Brrr). Structure is what allows man’s survival in this world, not only on the macro and universal scale, but also in the individual realm --- and his/her control of thoughts, speech, and action.[i] We see this most fittingly through Yosef the Righteous, the first Jewish economist, who single- handedly defended and saved the lineage of Jacob.

When famine strikes Egypt, Joseph systematically “places the food into storehouses because of the seven years of famine”[ii]. Through structure, order and arrangement, Joseph feeds the greatest civilization in the world while taking an account in order to store food away for the seven years to follow. But then, “a new king establishes himself in Egypt who did not know of Joseph.”[iii]

The book of Shemot begins with a clear change in the Biblical narrative. “And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them ”[iv]. This new Pharaoh did not like Israel’s control, thus the Jews became slaves. Their regiment is dictated, their lives are reduced to animals, and they are robbed from true essence, and have to follow instincts instead. “The more they afflicted it, the more they multiplied and spread out” [v]. We are called an “it” (otoh) because we were like a swarm of bugs, without structure, without order, and without boundaries.

The contrast between the beginning and ending of Exodus are no mistake. The book begins with lost identity, a lack of structure and desired schedule, and animal-like enslavement to “supreme” desires. A people coping with transition are finally given the opportunity to sit down, the Ark of the Testimony is created, and God dwells in a structured dwelling. How does this beautiful book end? “He (Moshe) established the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and set up tapestries on the gate of the court. So Moshe finished the work” [vi]. This book ends with measurements, meticulous detail and a mastery of the aesthetic art. Structure, structure and structure. Again, in a hidden way, we are reminded of Joseph and his store houses.

Having order (seder) in one’s life, is arguably the most important thing for a solid identity. Until the Torah was given, until the Tabernacle was erected, we had absolutely no purpose or control over our surroundings. It is our responsibility as a striving people to avoid the stagnancy of overwhelming and burdening triviality.

This week I will try to: remember that, without structure and order, life is much more difficult. I will allow myself to recognize how I slip and, in order to prevent that, to find the root of the problem and heal it. I will establish a system with measurements of time, and purposeful boundaries in order to claim my identity and live a life of successful productivity! “Blessed are You, King of the hidden (Ha’elem - usually read as Ha’olam (the universe), who by His word causes the evenings to become dark. With wisdom He opens the gates,with understanding He changes the periods of the day, varies the times, and arranges the stars in their positions in the sky according to His will…”

Shabbat Shalom!

[i] We elevate a food by the process of Machshava (Thought) Deebor (speech) and Ma’aseh (action). First we think about the Creator of this fruit and His Magnanimity, then we say Blessed are You HaShem, Power of all Powers, King of the Universe, because EVERYTHING came to be through Your word. Shehakol nehiyeh bdvaro!
[ii] Genesis 41:36
[iii] Exodus 1:8
[iv] Ibid 1:7
[v] Ibid 1:12
[vi] Ibid 40:33