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Home -> Pekudei -> 5760

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5760, Pekudei

“For the cloud of Hashem would be on the Mishkan by day, and fire would be on it at night…throughout their journeys.” (40:38)

A Torah scholar whose life is Torah is a microcosm of the Mishkan. He is a living embodiment of the Mishkan, as Chazal say, “The Shechinah resides within each person who is worthy of being a repository for it.” Horav Yehudah Tzedaka comments that the Mishkan had two attributes: fire and cloud. Likewise, the Torah scholar should possess these two attributes. Cloud is an allusion to tznius, modesty. He should always be modest, unpretentious, “covered,” as if by a cloud. However, when the honor of Torah is at stake, he must act as a fire, with passion and zeal, not…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5759

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5759, Pekudei

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of testimony. (38:21)

The Midrash relates that Hashem told Klal Yisrael, “When you made the eigel ha’zahav, Golden Calf, you angered Me by saying,  ‘Eilah elohecha Yisrael,’  ‘This is your god, Yisrael.’  Now that you made the Mishkan using the words, ‘Eilah pikudei HaMishkan,’ ‘These are the reckonings of the Mishkan,’ I have reconciled with you.” We must endeavor to understand the significance of the word, “eilah,” particularly its role in the sin of the Golden Calf and its role in the reconciliation vis a vis the Mishkan.  It seems that the primary sin of the eigal was the proclamation of,  “This is…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5759

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5759, Pekudei

And they made the holy vestments for Aharon, as Hashem had commanded Moshe. (39:1)

Aharon HaKohen demonstrates the paradigm of love for a fellow Jew.  He was the “oheiv shalom,v’rodeif shalom;” loved peace and pursued peace.  He sought to maintain relationships between Jews and between husband and wife.  He set the standard for all of us to emulate.   In our quest to follow in Aharon Hakohen’s noble example, we might over-zealously  tend  to ignore some basic precepts of the Torah.  We might bend the rules in order to promote harmony among our fellow men.  We might resort to employing unconventional methods for creating a more positive relationship between husband and wife – methods that…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5758

Moshe Marcovich
In 5758, Pekudei

These are the reckonings of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of Testimony, which were reckoned at Moshe’s behest. (38:21)

Sforno cites various differences that distinguished the Mishkan from its two successors, the Batei Mikdash.  He posits that  these differences ensured the Mishkan’s eternal viability, providing that it would never  fall into the hands of enemies and be destroyed.  First, the Mishkan contained the two Luchos:  Second, it was initiated through Moshe Rabbeinu; Third, the avodah, service,  was carried out through Isamar Hakohen and the Leviim.  Fourth, the fact that Betzalel was the architect and builder of the Mishkan helped to guarantee its everlasting nature.  Indeed, all those who occupied themselves with the building of the Mishkan were men of…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Pekudei

Betzalel the son of Uri, the son of Chur…did all that Hashem commanded Moshe. (38:22)

Chazal attribute Betzalel’s name to his superior wisdom. They relate that when Hashem told Moshe to oversee the construction of the Mishkan and its vessels, Moshe conveyed the message to Betzalel so that the sequence was: first the vessels and then the Mishkan. Betzalel questioned this order, remarking, “The minhag ha’olam, usual custom, is to build a house and then afterwards bring the furniture into it. You, however, are telling me to first make the vessels. Where will I put them in the interim until the Mishkan is built? Perhaps Hashem told you to construct the Mishkan first and then…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Pekudei

He put the Shulchan in the Ohel Moed on the north side of the Mishkan…He placed the Menorah in the Ohel Moed…on the south side of the Mishkan. (40:22,24)

In the Talmud Bava Basra 25b Chazal say, “He who desires to become wise shall go south; He who desires to become wealthy shall go north. The placement of the Shulchan in the north and the Menorah in the south supports this idea. The Shulchan symbolized material wealth, since it was the medium through which the blessing of nourishment flowed to the world. The Menorah represented Torah wisdom, which is compared to light. The wisdom of the Torah illuminates the path of life before a person and guides him along the way. Consequently, the Menorah was placed on the right…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Pekudei

Moshe could not enter the Ohel Moed, for the cloud rested upon it. (40:35)

The Midrash explains that Moshe was not afraid to enter through the cloud. Indeed, we find in Parashas Mishpatim 24:18 that the cloud split open and permitted Moshe to walk through as if the path had been paved for him. Rather, the meaning of “v’lo yachol,” “Moshe could not enter,” is that Moshe gave reverence to the Shechinah and did not enter until Hashem called him. We may question the Torah’s use of the phrase, “v’lo Yachol” “He could not.” If Moshe’s reluctance to enter was due to his remarkable derech eretz, respect for the Al-mighty, the Torah should have…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5757

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5757, Pekudei

And Moshe raised up the Mishkan. (40:18)

Sforno explains that Moshe did not raise up the Mishkan in the usual sense. He first hung up the ten Yerios, curtains, which essentially represent the Mishkan. Afterwards, he laid down the Adanim, sockets, and interfaced the Kerashim, wooden beams, with them. Apparently, Moshe either had the Leviim hold up the curtains until the foundation was placed beneath them, or they were suspended miraculously in mid-air. Obviously, this is why no one but Moshe Rabbeinu was able to raise up the Mishkan. The question is why Moshe found it necessary to raise up the Mishkan in this manner. Furthermore, if…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5756

Sruly Schnair
In 5756, Pekudei

“And they made the holy vestments … as Hashem had commanded Moshe.” (39:1)

The phrase “As Hashem had commanded Moshe,” is written eighteen times in the parsha.  Chazal note the Torah’s emphasis on the people’s strict compliance with Hashem’s command. We may wonder at the significance of this phrase. Can one do other than  “as Hashem commanded”? If one is told to perform a duty in a specific manner, then he should execute said activity in the prescribed manner — as he was told. Is that unreasonable to expect? When we explore the tendencies of human nature, we note that even when people are instructed to do something in a specific manner, when all…

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Home -> Pekudei -> 5756

Sruly Schnair
In 5756, Pekudei

“And they attached the Choshen by its rings to the rings of the Eiphod… the Choshen shall not be loosened from the Eiphod.” (39:21)

We may infer from the pasuk that once the Eiphod and the Choshen were attached, they were to remain that way always. Consequently, Aharon donned a single garment. This is inconsistent with the pasuk in Parashas Tzav (Vayikra 8:7,8), which implies that Aharon put on two separate garments. Horav David Feinstein, Shlita, suggests that in Parashas Tzav the Torah‘s intention was regarding the threads which connect the two garments, whether to be loosened or tightened, so that it fit the Kohen Gadol properly. Horav Feinstein proceeds to expound upon the symbolism between the two garments which were worn as one….

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