Once again, air raid sirens have become part of our life. In the past week, there have been at least six or seven missiles from Yemen, and sirens sound throughout much of Israel. As well as a few from Gaza, which set of sirens in the Gaza area and the Tel-Aviv area. B’chasdei Shamayim, there has been little to no damage or injuries! Still, it’s not fun. Some were early in the morning, 2 a.m.
and 4:30 a.m. People are asking if they could move the times to 5 a.m., for the accurate vasikin minyan wake-up. Many people are requesting to be removed from this pre-vasikin wake-up! Other sirens were in the evenings, and people were wondering if the Houthis messed up their timing, as they moved their clocks back too early! Either way, we need lots of rachamei shamayim!
We have the completion of the Mishkan in our parsha. At the end of the parsha, Hashem’s Shechinah fills the Mishkan with a pillar of cloud in and above it. And that’s how sefer Shemos ends, with Hashem’s Shechinah resting among Bnei Yisrael.
The Medrash Rabba says that the Mishkan is called a mashkon, a collateral. When Klal Yisrael are on the right path, without avairos, then we have the Mishkan. When we aren’t, then the mashkon is taken from us. Our enemies target us, but that’s only because they can’t get to their real enemy: Hashem. If they could, they would.
It’s like a simple person who hates the king and wishes to harm him, but can’t. Simply: He’s scared of the king. What can he do? He goes over to a statue built to honor the king. He takes a drill and begins to chip away at the base supporting the statue. If the support is damaged, the statue will fall.
So too, our enemies attack us because they can’t reach Hashem. When the Romans conquered and destroyed Yerushalayim, they entered the Beis Hamikdash and went into the Kodesh Hakadashim, desecrating and cursing. They attack the Mikdash/Mishkan instead of us, because that is our mashkon.
Being that we are without any Beis Hamikdash, we have no collateral. This is a reason why we are suffering so much. But as much as they try to harm us, Hashem, in His great mercy, still protects us!
The Medrash continues. Everything done for the Mishkan was done ka’asher siva Hashem es Moshe, just as Hashem commanded Moshe. And all the monetary calculations were also made by Moshe. However, there were people who were upset about that. The leitzanim, people who ridiculed and derided Moshe, were claiming that Moshe embezzled money collected for the Mishkan! Why? Because there were 1,775 silver coins from the half-shekel which were unaccounted for. Moshe forgot they were melted and used for the silver sockets and parts supporting the pillars/walls of the Mishkan. (The Yalkut Shimoni brings that the leitzanim would point at Moshe and comment, “see how fat his neck is! He’s feasting on our donations!”) Moshe made sure to recalculate everything, and then Hashem helped him remember what he used the money for, and he was able to pacify everyone. Once all was clarified, Bnei Yisrael were satisfied, and they trusted in Moshe.
Throughout the parsha, as the Mishkan and vessels were being built and completed, the Torah keeps repeating the same refrain: Bnei Yisrael did ka’asher siva Hashem es Moshe, just as Hashem commanded Moshe. It repeats this 18 times! Why not just say it once at the beginning or end?
Rav Asher Zelig Rubinstein zts”l explained: When the Mishkan was completed, it was brought to Moshe. Targum Yonasan ben Uziel explains they brought it to Moshe for review. Where was Moshe? In the Beis Medrash, where he was teaching and answering questions to Ahron, Ahron’s sons, and the 70 elders about the halachos of the Cohanim. They brought everything to Moshe for final approval. This was needed in order for the Shechinah to rest in the Mishkan, as it did in the end. Even when the same question comes again, one needs to ask. That’s why the Torah keeps repeating ka’asher siva Hashem es Moshe!
At the beginning of the parsha, the Sforno brings four requirements for the Shechinah to come to the Mishkan. And because of them, the Mishkan wasn’t touched by our enemies. They are: The luchos; everything was done following Moshe’s instructions; the Leviim worked following Itamar ben Ahron Hacohein’s directiom; the actual work was done following Betzalel’s leadership. Having all the work being led by tzaddikim was a necessary ingredient to have the utmost kedushah. The two Batei Mikdash were built with the help of non-Jews, and the second Beis Hamikdash lacked the luchos as well.
Being led by tzaddikim is an essential requirement for the Shechinah to rest among us. Asking Moshe Rabbeinu is essential. Asking the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation is essential for the Shechinah to be among us!
The Yetzer Harah knows this, and does whatever he can to dissuade us from seeking advice from our tzaddikim. One of the evil accomplishments of the maskilim was to convince people to turn away from the out-of-touch rabbonim and not to seek their guidance for anything more than a halachic question - if that. Leadership? Advice? For sure not!
As we begin the month of Nisan with Pesach quickly approaching, many halachic questions are being asked to rabbanim. Questions about cleaning and kashering appliances and utensils, questions about Pesach products and selling chometz, questions about medicines and make-upp… The rabbis phones are quite busy. There’s a lot we need to ask and to know. Is that all our rabbis are for, to know the halacha and to teach us? No, not only that! They are here for us to look to for leadership and to ask for advice in all areas of life!
Currently, there are many major issues around the world needing attention and direction. Politicians, askanim, heads of institutions, media people, and everyone else who are working to help Klal Yisrael also need to seek advice and direction from our rabbonim. From any major decision to any small one. Had Esther not listened to Mordechai, the gadol hador, throughout the Purim story, especially when he commanded her to approach the king and endanger her life, then the Purim story would have ended very differently. But she listened, and Klal Yisrael was saved!
We aren’t not discussing the details of who to ask or how to ask for advice. We’re merely pointing out the importance of seeking advice and direction from the tzaddikim, from the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation, in order that Hashem’s Shechinah should rest among us. And when that happens, be’ezras Hashem, it will bring all of Klal Yisrael together, by which we will be merit to have the Beis Hamikdash rebuilt again!
Do we want Hashem’s Shechinah to be tangible among us? Yes! Do we want the Beis Hamikdash to be rebuilt? For sure! Let us turn to our rabbanim for their guidance for our success, and may we all merit to greet Moshiach very soon!
Please continue to daven for a refuah shleima for Rephael Yerachmiel ben Hadasah.
By R’ Dovi Chaitovsky
