Parshat Vayakhel- Pekudei-Building Again-5770
Parshat Vayakhel- Pekudei-Building Again-5770-(2010)
During these weeks the Torah portions are filled with objects that have never been used and numbers that are irrelevant. All Torah is wisdom and pure, but to those of us who are layman these weeks are dense. It is our Job as the Jewish people to find the meaning in broader and particular situations. How do we see the importance of these Torah portions? How can we contribute to this Tabernacle 3500 years later? The Tabernacle is meant to mirror G-d. We as people strive to mirror G-dliness because in the fullest sense we were created in the Image of G-d. Humans are called man but the one who built the Tabernacle the Ark and the Vessels was called Betzalel which means G-d’s Shadow.
“ He is filled with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge, and with every craft- (35:31)”
G-d commands Moshe to Appoint Betzalel to make “The Tent of meeting, the Ark of the Testimonial-tablets and the Cover that is upon it, and all the utensils of the tent (31:7)” but then we see that the order was reversed. Moshe tells Betzalel to build the Ark the Utensils and then the Tabernacle. The Talmud tells us that Betzalel tells Moshe “The practice of the world should be, first a person builds a house and then he brings vessels into it (Brachot 55a).” Moshe responds “You knew this because you are created in the Image of G-d.” So we must ask ourselves, what does G-d want from us and how do we find the means to do it?
The sin of the Golden Calf resonates today like garlic breath. It reminds us of G-ds mercy, but also the Jew and his/her stubbornness. Up until that point HaShem handed us everything on a seder plate (che che) but one we sinned at Har Sinia (Mt Sinia) HaShem said “You want to repent? You want me in your life, you want a home with freedom and happiness, come get it” We build and we destroy, but that is exactly the point. We destroy, but ultimately we should build. Betzalel is teaching us that vessels can’t well without a home to dwell in. If we are a broken home, then there is no way to encapsulate G-ds image.
Every human being wants to be great, but we fall. Every human being wants to feel holy, feel happy and be the maximized (fill in name) that they can be, but we fall. The Torah tells us that if we have a golden calf, it’s up to us to rectify it. Being in the Image of G-d and living with the Shadow of G-d is knowing that we must build. We spend months with the Temple service through the Torah portions, because building oneself is building a Temple for G-d’s presence to dwell in (25:5).
As the snow melts and the grass returns to it natural color the world is reborn. College students sit with chalk, people play music outside and everything is fresh. We are starting the Month of Nissan on Monday night. Nissan is the month that the Jews were taken out of Egypt and it is also the month of Passover. We should be blessed with this freshness and newness to make this year start now with the right order. Home-Internal, Heart-eternal and Materialism-External (31:7)
This week I will try to: Recognize that the idea of mirroring G-dliness only come from building up a temple first. I will remember that Betzalel was commanded to build up the temple because he had a grasp on creating a world for individuality in order to ultimately add to the whole. I will try to focus on the number one priority (my home, my life, my goals, my obstacles) before investing into others. Remember, if we are a broken vessel, then nothing will ever stay in.
During these weeks the Torah portions are filled with objects that have never been used and numbers that are irrelevant. All Torah is wisdom and pure, but to those of us who are layman these weeks are dense. It is our Job as the Jewish people to find the meaning in broader and particular situations. How do we see the importance of these Torah portions? How can we contribute to this Tabernacle 3500 years later? The Tabernacle is meant to mirror G-d. We as people strive to mirror G-dliness because in the fullest sense we were created in the Image of G-d. Humans are called man but the one who built the Tabernacle the Ark and the Vessels was called Betzalel which means G-d’s Shadow.
“ He is filled with G-dly spirit, with wisdom, insight and knowledge, and with every craft- (35:31)”
G-d commands Moshe to Appoint Betzalel to make “The Tent of meeting, the Ark of the Testimonial-tablets and the Cover that is upon it, and all the utensils of the tent (31:7)” but then we see that the order was reversed. Moshe tells Betzalel to build the Ark the Utensils and then the Tabernacle. The Talmud tells us that Betzalel tells Moshe “The practice of the world should be, first a person builds a house and then he brings vessels into it (Brachot 55a).” Moshe responds “You knew this because you are created in the Image of G-d.” So we must ask ourselves, what does G-d want from us and how do we find the means to do it?
The sin of the Golden Calf resonates today like garlic breath. It reminds us of G-ds mercy, but also the Jew and his/her stubbornness. Up until that point HaShem handed us everything on a seder plate (che che) but one we sinned at Har Sinia (Mt Sinia) HaShem said “You want to repent? You want me in your life, you want a home with freedom and happiness, come get it” We build and we destroy, but that is exactly the point. We destroy, but ultimately we should build. Betzalel is teaching us that vessels can’t well without a home to dwell in. If we are a broken home, then there is no way to encapsulate G-ds image.
Every human being wants to be great, but we fall. Every human being wants to feel holy, feel happy and be the maximized (fill in name) that they can be, but we fall. The Torah tells us that if we have a golden calf, it’s up to us to rectify it. Being in the Image of G-d and living with the Shadow of G-d is knowing that we must build. We spend months with the Temple service through the Torah portions, because building oneself is building a Temple for G-d’s presence to dwell in (25:5).
As the snow melts and the grass returns to it natural color the world is reborn. College students sit with chalk, people play music outside and everything is fresh. We are starting the Month of Nissan on Monday night. Nissan is the month that the Jews were taken out of Egypt and it is also the month of Passover. We should be blessed with this freshness and newness to make this year start now with the right order. Home-Internal, Heart-eternal and Materialism-External (31:7)
This week I will try to: Recognize that the idea of mirroring G-dliness only come from building up a temple first. I will remember that Betzalel was commanded to build up the temple because he had a grasp on creating a world for individuality in order to ultimately add to the whole. I will try to focus on the number one priority (my home, my life, my goals, my obstacles) before investing into others. Remember, if we are a broken vessel, then nothing will ever stay in.
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