There are
Pesukim in Parshas Pekudei that seem to be somewhat superfluous.
After each stage in the building of the Mishkan, the Torah declares,
“Ka’asher Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe,” “As HaShem commanded Moshe.”
Would it not have been sufficient for the Torah to make this point
just once at the end of the Parshah upon the completion of the
Mishkan? Why is it necessary for the Torah to repeat “Ka’asher
Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe” eighteen times? What do we learn from this
repetition?
I have had
the Zechus of hearing Reb Moshe Shapiro, Shlita give the following
answer on a number of occasions. Reb Moshe, Shlita explained that it
is necessary for the Torah to repeat Ka’asher Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe
to teach us that every single aspect of the Mishkan was built
exactly the way Hakadosh Boruch Hu had commanded without the
slightest deviation or interpretation. The vessels, the walls, the
Altar, everything was exactly the way Hakadosh Boruch Hu commanded
Moshe.
Chazal teach
us that there is a significant difference between the Nevuah of
Moshe Rabbeinu and the other Nevei’im. The prophets related their
prophecy with the words Ko Amar HaShem (So said HaShem) which
indicates that each prophet had to use their own understanding to
interpret the vision of prophecy that they were shown and since each
person is different so is their understanding of the Word of G-d.
This is a lower level of prophecy which Chazal refer to as
Aspaktlaryah Sheino Me’irah, (an unclear vision). What they saw had
to filter through their personality and perspective. Moshe Rabbeinu,
on the other hand, expressed his prophecies with the words “Zeh
Hadavar” (“This is the word of HaShem”). This is the highest form of
prophecy known as Aspaktlaryah HaMe’irah, (a clear vision), Chazal
tell that the Shechinah spoke from the throat of Moshe. Moshe
revealed the prophecy in the exact manner in which the Almighty
showed him without any interpretation or personal opinion. Moshe was
able to say Zeh Hadavar this is exactly what HaShem said.
It is
necessary for the Torah to repeat Ka’asher Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe to
teach us that the Mishkan was built exactly as HaShem commanded
without the slightest deviation. The House of G-d, the place where
we are intimate with the Creator of Heaven and Earth, needs to be
fashioned according to His rules.
The Rambam
lists in the Thirteen Principles of Faith that we must know without
a doubt that the Torah we have in our possession today is Ka’asher
Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe. We are not living by rules and standards
that have been changed over the years, rather, we are living by the
same Torah that was given at Sinai. This fundamental belief reminds
me of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s z”l famous statement. He said,
“The difference between Judaism and all other religions is that all
other religions were created by man to define G-d and Judaism was
created by G-d to define man.” The Torah is an absolute value that
never changes, if there is a discrepancy between the way we live and
a Torah value we need to look at what changes occurred in us.
Changing the standards of Torah for comfort and convenience is
covered by the first half of Rabbi Hirsch’s statement, “All other
religions were created by man to define G-d.” Our obligation is to
conform to Torah and not the other way around. The slippery slope
downward is when we make changes unauthorized by Gedolim and call
them Torah.
This is a
concept that we all know to be true but the Jewish people still
struggles with the temptation to define G-d rather than conform to
His definitions. Our communities are plagued with trying to
reconcile Judaism with our modern lifestyle rather than trying to
make our lifestyle conform to Judaism.
It seems to
me that what is lacking in our modern world is a sense of Kedushah.
It is well known that Kedushah is what we create when we perform any
act with the Almighty’s direction and intention in mind. The meaning
of the word Kadosh is “set aside”. It is difficult to act in a way
that conforms to HaShem’s will because it requires self sacrifice
and commitment. We have desires that need to be satiated and goals
that we wish to attain and often they differ from the Ratzon HaShem.
This is the “Service of Self” rather than the “Service of HaShem”.
We can only create Kedushah when we forgo what we have in mind for
that which HaShem desires. This is how we bring meaning and purpose
into our communities, families and lives.
The Jewish
world today is tangled up in a mess of definitions and labels that
have created divisiveness and tension and spends little time
focusing on what is truly important. Our mission should not be to
convince others of our point of view or show them how they are
wrong, per se, but to actualize our potential and to become as holy
as we can by living a life according to HaShem’s directive. We must
ask ourselves constantly, even before performing the most
insignificant act, if we are bringing Kedushah into our lives. Is
this what we are striving to accomplish? Is this who we wish to
become? No matter what we do, it needs to be done with a sense of
holiness.
I think Rabbi
J.B. Soloveitchik z”l said it the best when describing the way he
grew up. “The emotions that overtook me as a child (particularly
around the High Holidays) stimulate me still today, and my whole
Weltanschauung, my whole religious philosophy, is a result of this
experience… Modern Orthodoxy is well grounded intellectually. In
spite of this, however, its followers lack passion.” (Rabbi
Soloveitchik in the “Days of Awe,” pg. 60). I believe the passion he
speaks of is a yearning and desire to bring G-d into every aspect of
our lives creating an environment of Kedushah. It is not enough to
go through the motions of Torah observance but we must infuse our
lives with a higher purpose. Our focus and purpose must emanate from
a place of holiness.
Reb Yitzchok
Soloveitchik, Shlita, would often say that a person can judge how
connected he is to Torah by how hard it is to be away from Torah.
When Rebbi Akiva was questioned as to why he was teaching Torah to
the masses, despite the Roman prohibition, he answered with the
famous parable of the fish and the fox. When the fox saw the fish
escaping the fisherman’s nets he said to them, “You should come up
onto dry land where there are no nets.” The fish answered the fox,
“You, the wisest of animals, are a fool. You wish to take us out of
the environment that gives us life!” Rebbi Akiva said to the
questioner, “Torah is the place of our existence and the source of
our life and to remove Torah from our lives is like taking a fish
out of water. The fish understood that they need the water to live
because if they were to be without it for a moment they would
already begin to feel the effects. How do we feel when are not able
to learn Torah? Do we feel like the fish?
The more we
live a life of Ka’asher Tzivah HaShem Es Moshe, the more connected
we will feel to Torah and the more Kedushah we will create.
Shabbat Shalom!
