A thought on Parshas Vayakhel - Pikudei
"...ve'ha'malacha haisa dayam..." - "...kol ha'avoda..."
"...and all the work was sufficient..." - "...all of the work..." (36:7;39:42)
This is a "double parsha" this year and I was pleased to find a thought in each parsha which Rabbeinu Bachya explains, and which I want to connect.
The construction of the Mishkan neared completion and as the first verse above suggests, sufficient work had been put into it. The second verse refers to that "work" (malacha) by a different word, namely avoda.
Now before we work on that second observation, let's labor to get back to the first one. The question which should bother us is why the Torah tells us that the work was sufficient. After all, at the end of last's week's Torah reading (36:5-7), we already learned that the people had done more than they needed in getting the work done (if you look there, the verse uses the words "ha'avoda le'malacha" which are the two expressions found in our two verses this week.) Surely this is not a redundancy. Surely there is a reason for each verse.
Rabbeinu Bachya writes that the Mishkan was our people's physical means of seeking to emulate the Mishkan Above. The Higher Realm, which is a euphemism for HaShem, is the Source for all that comes about in the universe. The Higher One Above empowers all of our acts and brings into existence all things and all that is. That energy or power is willed by HaShem who is the source of all acts, or malacha. There are no limits Above and hence, the first verse means that the malacha, meaning the Divine Source of all sources was sufficient. There was always enough. Malacha refers, thus, to Heavenly forces at work.
What that meant was that our people below donated whatever they donated, and built all that they built, but that we knew that our acts were not the real malacha. Our acts were the well intended, focused motions which were actually avoda. Drawing upon Divinely inspired inspiration and yearning to divine the Divine Will, or ratzon HaShem, our own mortal work was elevated to the level of serving HaShem. This is why the second verse (as well as the one from last week) distinguishes between malacha and avoda. Avoda means work that is done as a form of service.
If you think about this, we can learn from here about altering our perception by altering our perspective. There are many things that we labor on and work on: domestic chores, child care, parnasa, yard work (I confess that I spent part of last Sunday raking leaves) and we can get caught up in the monotony and the pressure and fail to see anything sacred or spiritual about our exertion. On the other hand, we can see our efforts in perspective, all as facets of working towards the service of HaShem. Domestic chores can facilitate a calmer home which might help promote better relationships. Child care is the way in which we prepare the next generation of good Jews. Earning a living can keep us honest and avail us with the means to do good things. Raking leaves can... well, I can tell you that as I finished doing that job, a friend brought his visiting Chassidishe rebbe by, who had a message for me. At least the front yard looked befitting for a person of his stature.
In so many ways, seeing our circumstances within their broader context, and developing a clearer, better perspective, can help us change our perception of events. Ordinary acts of malacha can transform us into agents of avoda. This is something to work on.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
"...and all the work was sufficient..." - "...all of the work..." (36:7;39:42)
This is a "double parsha" this year and I was pleased to find a thought in each parsha which Rabbeinu Bachya explains, and which I want to connect.
The construction of the Mishkan neared completion and as the first verse above suggests, sufficient work had been put into it. The second verse refers to that "work" (malacha) by a different word, namely avoda.
Now before we work on that second observation, let's labor to get back to the first one. The question which should bother us is why the Torah tells us that the work was sufficient. After all, at the end of last's week's Torah reading (36:5-7), we already learned that the people had done more than they needed in getting the work done (if you look there, the verse uses the words "ha'avoda le'malacha" which are the two expressions found in our two verses this week.) Surely this is not a redundancy. Surely there is a reason for each verse.
Rabbeinu Bachya writes that the Mishkan was our people's physical means of seeking to emulate the Mishkan Above. The Higher Realm, which is a euphemism for HaShem, is the Source for all that comes about in the universe. The Higher One Above empowers all of our acts and brings into existence all things and all that is. That energy or power is willed by HaShem who is the source of all acts, or malacha. There are no limits Above and hence, the first verse means that the malacha, meaning the Divine Source of all sources was sufficient. There was always enough. Malacha refers, thus, to Heavenly forces at work.
What that meant was that our people below donated whatever they donated, and built all that they built, but that we knew that our acts were not the real malacha. Our acts were the well intended, focused motions which were actually avoda. Drawing upon Divinely inspired inspiration and yearning to divine the Divine Will, or ratzon HaShem, our own mortal work was elevated to the level of serving HaShem. This is why the second verse (as well as the one from last week) distinguishes between malacha and avoda. Avoda means work that is done as a form of service.
If you think about this, we can learn from here about altering our perception by altering our perspective. There are many things that we labor on and work on: domestic chores, child care, parnasa, yard work (I confess that I spent part of last Sunday raking leaves) and we can get caught up in the monotony and the pressure and fail to see anything sacred or spiritual about our exertion. On the other hand, we can see our efforts in perspective, all as facets of working towards the service of HaShem. Domestic chores can facilitate a calmer home which might help promote better relationships. Child care is the way in which we prepare the next generation of good Jews. Earning a living can keep us honest and avail us with the means to do good things. Raking leaves can... well, I can tell you that as I finished doing that job, a friend brought his visiting Chassidishe rebbe by, who had a message for me. At least the front yard looked befitting for a person of his stature.
In so many ways, seeing our circumstances within their broader context, and developing a clearer, better perspective, can help us change our perception of events. Ordinary acts of malacha can transform us into agents of avoda. This is something to work on.
Good Shabbos. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 10:40 PM
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