Rav Moshe Weinberger - Shalosh Seudos Drasha - Parashas Vayekel-Pekudey 5752

Below is a write-up of Rav Weinberger's Shaloshe Seudos Drasha from this Shabbos, Parshas Vayakel-Pekudey.  You can see past write-ups of Rav Weinberger's Shalosh Sheudos Torahs here and get thousands of his shiurim in mp3 format at ravmosheweinberger.com.

Rav Moshe Weinberger

Shalosh Seudos Drasha Parashas Vayekel-Pekudey 5752

Reb Leibele Eiger - Standing firm in Hashem's Chatzer

(Original text of the Toras Emes (Parshas Pekudey p.130) is in regular font. Rav Weinberger’s comments are in italics)

We would need at least an hour to go over this Torah from Reb Leibele Eiger, we'll do the best we can in these few minutes. 

Everywhere regarding the building of the Mishkan and all it's utensils it's written ״כאשר צוה ה׳ את משה״. I heard it asked from the mouth of the Holy Admor M'Ishbitz why is this not said reading the building of the חצר (courtyard)?  We find the answer printed in his Sefer Mey Hashiloach. However, considering the difficulty of this question I'll try to add my own answer.

First we need to understand  why is ״כאשר צוה וכו׳״ written so many times. Wouldn't it have been enough to write it just once at the end, when all the work was completed? We can say, however, that this shows us the greatness of the ענוה  (humility) of Moshe Rabbeinu ע״ה. The basis of  ענוה is the pure Fear of Hashem. Even though he saw the great light that emanated from every single thing related to the building of the Mishkan, he didn't desire to do anything unless it was an express מצוה (commandment), to fulfill a specific order. Even if he was commanded to do one thing, he did not do anything else until it was directly ordered, and the same with everything else until the work of the Mishkan was completed.

Even though Moshe saw all those lights coming from all the different Keilim of the Mishkan, and he was profoundly inspired by them he didn't just run with it. He didn't think that he was "the man", and that he could just follow his inspiration and go on to the next thing. 
We can compare this to a high ranking and beloved minister of a king. The king constantly shows him favor and affection and brings him close to him in all kinds of ways. He gives him permission to go anywhere in his palace, but the minister only goes into one room. Due to his great fear of the majesty of the king, he doesn't go anywhere else unless he is specifically commanded to do so. This is what the Holy Torah is telling us with each particular ״כאשר צוה ה׳ את משה״.

Regarding the חצר, however, it doesn't say " כאשר צוה וכו׳". The  חצר is the outermost area, whomever leaves it, leaves the domain of the בעל הבירה (Master of the palace) completely. In this case it's not appropriate to rely on the Middah of ענוה. On the contrary, we must stand in the חצר no matter what, and desire to be close to the King.

The חצר is something else. As it says (Tehillim 92) "בחצרות אלוקינו יפריחו" (In the courtyards of our G'd they will flourish). Here humility has no place.  We belong there, but we have to choose to be there, we have to desire it.

Regarding this it's written (Pesachim ch. 7) "כל מה שיומר לך בעל הבית עשה, חוץ מצא" (Anything the host commands one must do, except if he orders one to leave). On the contrary he must be strong and stand in the outer חצר no matter what, and show his great desire that the host bring him closer, and not be completely rejected ח״ו. Then the host will see his submission and broken heartedness, and he will have mercy on him and will call him to come inside.

Even if we are told to leave by the  בעל הבית, we don't have to. We can stay there because we belong there. Esther stood in the חצר of the king knowing that that's where she was supposed to be. And she waited there for the King to stretch out his scepter to bring her closer.

All the more so regarding Hakadosh Baruch Hu, who is compassionate and merciful, a person must obviously stand strong and remain, no matter what, in the חצר of His palace, and to desire to be a part of His Kedusha. Then Hashem Yisborach will have mercy on him and will bring him closer. This is the meaning of the passuk (Shemos 40:35) "ולא יכול משה לבוא וגו׳" (And Moshe was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting). Even after all his deeds: he took Yisroel out of Egypt, he brought the quail, brought down the Mann, and completed the construction of the Mishkan. In his great humility and pure fear Moshe did not feel worthy of going into the Tent. He just stood in the חצר desiring the Kedusha. Immediately Hashems mercy fell on him and Moshe was called.

We see this at the very beginning of next Parsha, that starts with the words ״ויקרא אל משה וגו׳״ (and Hashem called unto Moshe).
This is the meaning of the passuk (Tehillim 65:5) "אשרי תבחר ותקרב ישכון חצריך" (Happy is the man whom You choose, and bring near, that he may dwell in Your courtyard). It does not say תשכין (You cause to dwell), in the same tense as it says תבחר (You choose) and תקרב (You bring close), but ישכון (he will dwell) on his own accord. Because  regarding the חצר man has to dwell there out of his own choosing, without being commanded. Even without any הארת פנים (Divine Invitation) a person has to strengthen himself to not  feel completely rejected ח״ו, until through this Hashem Yosborach will have great mercy on him and will bring him closer. Through this he will be (Tehillim 65:5) ״נשבעה בטוב ביתך, קדוש היכלך״  (satisfied with the goodness of Your House, the holy place of Your Temple).

We belong in Hashem's חצר. But we have to wait and try our best to be there. We have to work hard on ourselves learning, keeping Mitzvos, keeping Shabbos, guarding our eyes and our mouths, improving our Middos. The whole world is pulling us in the other direction. Like in the old movies, grabbing us by the neck with a hook and trying to drag us off the stage. And sometimes we can feel a sense of  ייאוש (dispair), feeling that we've fallen so low that we don't belong there. But we must stand strong and wait for Hashem to bring us closer to him. Now is that time of  that חצר before Pesach, "בחצרות אלוקינו יפריחו". Hashem should help us have the strength to stay in his חצר until the  גאולה השלימה והאמיתית בב״א.

Rav Itchie Mayer Morgenstern on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei - Heb. & English pdf

Here is Reb Itchie Mayer Morgenstern's Torah on Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei, with English excerpt and full text in both English and Hebrew in pdf form. You can send an e-mail to this address to subscribe to receive Rav Morgenstern's Torah in your e-mail box every week.

"אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן מִשְׁכַּן הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר פֻּקַּד עַל-פִּי מֹשֶׁה: עֲבֹדַת הַלְוִיִּם בְּיַד אִיתָמָר בֶּן-אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן... וַיְהִי מְאַת כִּכַּר הַכֶּסֶף לָצֶקֶת אֵת אַדְנֵי הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְאֵת אַדְנֵי הַפָּרֹכֶת: מְאַת אֲדָנִים לִמְאַת הַכִּכָּר, כִּכָּר לָאָדֶן."

“These are the accounts of the Mishkan, even the Mishkan of the testimony, as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moshe, through the service of the Leviim, by the hand of Itamar, the son of Aharon HaKohen... And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the Mishkan, and the sockets of the veil: a hundred sockets for the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.”[1]

Rashi explains: “‘The sockets of the sanctuary’—[the sockets] of the forty-eight boards of the Mishkan, which had ninety-six sockets, together with the four sockets of the paroches makes a total of one hundred. The Torah says that all of the other sockets were of copper.”

Upholding the Mishkan

The main support of the Mishkan was from the placement of the boards within their sockets, which were donated by the Jewish people through the fixed rate of the half-shekel regardless of the wealth of the individual donor. It is this that the verse describes when it lists the measure of the hundred talents of silver, one talent for each socket. These were the sockets that upheld the boards which formed the structure of the Mishkan itself.

Reb Nosson of Breslov explains why it was necessary that the silver of the sockets come equally from every Jew: “They were commanded to each bring a half-shekel to teach us that no Jew is complete on his own; he has to join together with his fellow. The main rectification is achieved when everyone is brought together in love and unity, when each one is just a half until he is united with his friend, and that friend with yet another, until all of the varieties of opinions and personhoods become one within the absolute and simple unity of Hashem Himself. This process is most precious before Hashem. This is why, ‘The wealthy shall not add and the poor shall not give less’—so that there should be no division or difference among them.

It is necessary so that, ‘Each man’s wealth will atone for his soul, and the poor will not hear rebuke’[2]—so that the wealthy will not lord it over the poor and they will all achieve the rectification of tzedakah, which is to support the Torah in mutual love and respect. The main objective is to be united and subsumed within Hashem’s oneness, and this is only possible when a person is humble and self-effacing, when he nullifies his ego before his fellow Jews, when he, ‘Does not regard the wealthy above the poor.’[3] The giving of a uniform half-shekel demonstrates that all are equal before Hashem and everyone has a part to play in the establishment of the Mishkan, and through this Hashem’s absolute unity is revealed in the midst of variety and multiplicity. This is also why all the other offerings for the Mishkan were given in accordance with the person’s means, as Rashi explains at the beginning of Parshas Terumah. The unique nature of the half-shekel offering was to highlight to the wealthy that there is nothing to be prideful in their resources, because Hashem could just as easily build the Mishkan through the offerings of the poor, and He has the power to enrich the poor and impoverish the wealthy in any case. Although He does choose to give the merit of charity to those whom He has blessed with abundance, nevertheless the actual framework of the Mishkan is provided by each person equally. And the wealthy have no cause for pride, ‘For all is from You, and from Your hand do we give to You.’[4] The main act of tzedakah is in supporting Torah scholars who give birth to halachos, because this is a manifestation of the Mishkan built by Moshe Rabbeinu in every generation. And the main way in which we accomplish this is by revealing Hashem’s absolute oneness from among a multiplicity of actions.”[5]

This means that the basis of the integrity of the structure of the Mishkan derives from a relationship of equality between Torah scholars and those who support them, that they should be in a state of complete unity of the soul—that the silver sockets and the boards they support should be all of a piece. It is only when the supporters are unified with the talmidei chachamim and do not feel above them and the scholars do not feel superior in their scholarship that they are truly bound together and equal. Then the holiness of the boards also rests upon the sockets and the structure can stand securely, and the light of the yichud can shine brightly.

[1] Shemos 38:21,27
[2] Mishlei 13:8
[3] Iyov 34:19
[4] Divrei HaYamim I:29:14
[5] Likutei Halachos, Hilchos Apotropos #1

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