* TORAH WEEKLY * Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion and Haftorah. Plus Ani Ma'amin - The Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith. Parshas Vayakhel For the week ending 25 Adar Rishon 5755 24 & 25 February 1995 =========================================================================== This issue is sponsored in loving memory of Joseph Intract Z"l by his son Joel Walter & family =========================================================================== Summary Moshe Rabbeinu exhorts the Bnei Yisrael to keep Shabbos, and requests donations for the materials for the construction of the Mishkan. He collects gold, silver, precious stones, animal skins and yarn, as well as incense and olive oil for the Menorah and for anointing. The Princes of each of the twelve tribes bring the precious stones for the Kohen Gadol's breastplate and Ephod. Hashem appoints Betzalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen for the building of the Mishkan and its vessels. The Bnei Yisrael contribute so much that Moshe begins to refuse donations. Special curtains with two different covers were designed to serve as the material for the Mishkan's roof and door. Gold-covered boards set in silver bases were connected, and formed the walls of the Mishkan. Betzalel made the Aron HaKodesh (Ark), which contained the Tablets, from wood that was covered with gold on the inside and outside. On the cover of the Ark were two small figures facing each other with wings arching over the Ark. The Menorah and the Shulchan, the table with the showbreads were also made of gold. Two Altars were made: A small one for burning incense, made of wood overlaid with gold, and a larger Altar for the purpose of sacrifices that was made of wood that was covered with copper. =========================================================================== Commentaries "You shall not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day" (35:3). One of the greatest rabbis of the previous generation was Yerushalyim's Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnefeld zt"l. One Shabbos, someone came running into his home, to tell him that people had lit a fire and were cooking on Shabbos. The Rav jumped up and ran as fast as he could to the house. He burst in and began to remonstrate with its occupants for desecrating Shabbos. The woman of the house sprang up and demanded from him "And is this the way a Talmid Chacham behaves, to barge his way into someone's home without permission?!" Rav Yosef Chaim replied with astonishment "You can't stand on ceremony when there's a fire burning in your neighbor's home!" (Leket L'Shabbos) "He should make the copper laver...from the mirrors of the legions..." (38:8). The laver was a very large copper basin in the courtyard of the Tabernacle from which the Kohanim washed their hands and feet before performing the service of the Mishkan. It was made exclusively from brightly polished sheets of copper that had been used by the Jewish women as mirrors to adorn themselves. At first, Moshe was loath to accept the mirrors, as they were used for physical attraction, and he considered them unsuitable for such an elevated purpose. But Hashem told him to accept them, for they were more beloved to Him than all the other gifts to the Mishkan. For through these mirrors, the women of Yisrael had established multitudes _ legions of Jewish souls in Egypt. When their husbands were exhausted from the back- breaking slave-labor, they would go to them and bring them food and drink, and feed them. The wives would take out their mirrors and each one would look at herself, together with her husband, in the mirror. She would allure him with words, saying "Am I not more beautiful than you?" Thus she would entice her husband; and there she would conceive and give birth. This is what the Torah is alluding to when it speaks of the "mirrors of the legions". (Adapted from Rashi) "He should make the copper laver...from the mirrors of the legions..." (38:8). A person should see his neighbor as a mirror. Just as a mirror reveals to us our ugly features, so when we see character flaws in others, we should check for those same traits in ourselves in order to eradicate them. That's what the saying means _ "Who is wise? He who learns from every man" (Avos). When the Kohanim washed their hands and feet, in preparation for the service of Hashem, they needed to wash themselves clean of any spiritual blemish, from any defect, bias or partiality. The construction of the laver, which was solely of mirrors, served as a reminder to the Kohanim, that in order to distinguish their own imperfections, they should use their neighbor as their "mirror", because if they were only to look at themselves, they would find it very hard to identify their own faults. (Toldos Yaakov Yosef) =========================================================================== Haftorah: Kings I 7:40-50 "He set up the pillars for the Hall of the Sanctuary; he set up the right pillar and called its name `Yachin', and he set up the left pillar and he called its name `Boaz'" (7:21). A person's baser inclination (Yetzer Hara) renews itself every day, and were it not that the Holy One, Blessed be He, helps a person, no-one would be able to withstand the onslaught of his lower desires. But when is it that a person gets help from `upstairs'? Only when he himself prepares himself to shake off the clutches of the Yetzer Hara, for only "He who attempts to purify himself, receives assistance". But if he himself does not make any effort, he will not deserve any outside help. That's what this verse is hinting to: If he will prepare _Yachin_ himself through his own enthusiastic striving to improve himself, then _Bo_ there will come to him _Az_ strength from Heaven to win the war against his Yetzer Hara. (HaRechida) =========================================================================== Ani Ma'amin The Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith Principle #13: "I believe with complete faith that there will be a resuscitation of the dead whenever the wish emanates from the Creator, blessed be His Name and exalted is His mention, forever and for all eternity." A wealthy man once hired someone to work for him for a salary of 100 rubles. After twenty years of faithful service, he passed away and was replaced by his son, who served his employer for the same length of time at the same salary. He, in turn, was succeeded by the grandson, who was not very intelligent. After working for a few weeks, he approached his employer and demanded pay for the tens of years his father and grandfather had worked -- a total of close to 50,000 rubles. When the employer heard his demand, he laughed and said: "Do you imagine that your father and grandfather worked for me for 40 years without pay?" He then showed him all his records which contained the receipts signed by the father and grandfather that they had received compensation. "All you can claim," the wealthy man concluded, "are the wages for the few weeks you have worked." Foolish people like to complain about the length of our galus (exile) and ask why we have had to suffer exile for more than 1800 years, claiming from Hashem on the basis of the suffering of our ancestors throughout the centuries. In truth, however, each of our forefathers is enjoying the great reward in Gan Eden reserved for the righteous as compensation for every day he suffered for Hashem in this world. Our own claim is therefore limited only to the suffering endured in our comparatively brief existence. Chafetz Chaim, Shem Olam, Part II, Perek =========================================================================== Where do YOU find TW* ? Seth Lewis @fair1.fairfield.edu writes: "I noticed that you are asking how we come to get TW. I get my internet connection through my affiliation with Fairfield University (a Jesuit University) as an information systems adjunct. For teaching as an adjunct I get: o Use of the swimming pool (a barecha ) o Students (an avoda ) and o Torah Weekly (a beracha ) Thank you for your avoda in creating this TW for students like us all around the four corners of the world." TW finds its way all around the globe. E-Mail, fax, snail-mail, even Fedex and let us know where you found your copy. 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