SEDRAH SELECTIONS PARSHIOS VA'YAKHEIL-PIKUDEI 5772 BS"D

Ch. 35, v. 2: "Sheishes yomim tei'o'seh mlochoh" - Six days work will be done - In our Shabbos zmiros we sing, "K'chaloh bein rei'u'sehoh m'shubotzoh," like a bride set among her friends. What comparison is there between Shabbos and a bride who has her friends surrounding her? Every bride behaves excellently at her wedding, being gracious, complimentary, etc. How do we know if a bride is a high quality person? This can be discerned by taking note of who her friends attending the wedding are. Similarly, everyone dresses up in his Shabbos finery, shtreimel, spodek, bekeshe, yapatzes. Everyone partakes of keegl, cholent, etc. How do we know which person has an elevated Shabbos and who just involves himself in the externals? This can likewise be discerned by seeing how his Shabbos is set among his six weekdays, and how they are spent. If his weekday activities are focused on serving Hashem even in otherwise mundane activities, then his Shabbos is even further elevated. (Beis Av)

Ch. 35, v. 2: "Sheishes yomim tei'o'seh mlochoh uva'yom hashvii yi'h'yeh lochem kodesh" - Six days work will be done and on the seventh day it will be holy for you - When discussing Shabbos in parshas Yisro, the verses say, "Sheishes yomim taavode v'ossiso mlachtecho, V'yom hashvii Shabbos laShem Elokecho lo saa'seh kol mlochoh" (Shmos 20:9,10). This can be understood as: Six days shall you do your spiritual service and along with it YOUR work, that which is needed for your physical existence. And the seventh day is Shabbos for Hashem your G-d only. Do not accompany this with any work. (Rabbeinu Bachyei)

Ch. 35, v. 2: "Shabbas" - Shabbos serves as an ongoing testimony that Hashem created the world in six days and ceased from further creation on Shabbos (Shmos 20:11). The Holy Zohar writes that Shabbos is one of the Holy Names of Hashem. Creation of the world was done through the medium of the 27 letters of the Alef-Beis, inclusive of the five final letters. Each letter is a manifestation of Hashem. Twenty-seven times twenty-six (the numeric value of Hashem's Holy four letter Name) equals 702, the same numeric value as Shabbos. (shomati)

Ch. 35, v. 27: "V'hansiim heivi'u" - And the ministers brought - Rashi ciotes a lengthy statement of Rabbi Noson, who explains that although by the dedication of the Mishkon the ministers were the first to bring offerings and donations, here they waited until the end, calculating that this would allow for the bnei Yisroel to donate and they would pick up the shortfall. There was almost nothing left to do, save the stones for the priestly garments. Because they waited until the end their title, "nsiim," is spelled here minus the letter Yud.

I would imagine that any fundraiser who would have the equivalent of the ministers, i.e. people who would make up the shortfall, would be thrilled to have such people donate. Why are they to be criticized? In verse 5 it says "Kole n'div libo," every person generous of HEART. People are motivated by their thinking things through, using their mind. People are also motivated by their emotions, their heart. Albeit that the ministers made a good calculation, what was lacking was the drive to give through emotion, through the heart. This would have been realized through an immediate response. There is always room later to make up the shortfall as well. Verse 5 tells us that the bnei Yisroel were told to donate with "n'divus ha'leiv," which was lacking, hence the word "n'siim" is likewise lacking. (n.l.)

PIKUDEI

Ch. 38, v. 21: "Ei'leh f'kudei haMishkon mishkan ho'eidus- These are the accountings of the Mishkon a sanctuary for the testimony - A person buys expensive jewellery. Sometimes he is motivated by wanting to bejewel his wife. Sometimes he does it as an investment, buying when money is in abundance and readily available, so that if and when financial times become challenging he can cash it in and buy life's basic necessities. How do we know which consideration has motivated him? If he buys the jewellery and does not set aside a calculation of its value, we may safely assume that it was bought simply as a present for his wife. If however, he makes a calculation of its value, this indicates that he wants to know its value for future sale, and that it was bought as a safety net.

Similarly here by the building of the Mishkon, had it only been built for the purpose having a holy abode for Hashem, then there would be no need for calculations. Since there is an accounting of its components and their weights, volumes, etc., it is a clear sign that the Mishkon is also a surety, so that if and when the bnei Yisroel will sin in the future, its absence will serve as atonement. (Dubner Magid in Ohel Yaakov)

Ch. 38, v. 21: "Ei'leh f'kudei haMishkon …… asher pukad al pi Moshe" - These are the accountings of the Mishkon …… which were accounted by Moshe's word - The word source P-K-D can mean "lacking, missing," as we find in Bmidbar 31:49, "V'lo nifkad mi'menu ish." On Shmos 6:1, "Atoh si'reh," - now you will see, Rashi comments that these words allude to Moshe's NOW seeing what will happen to Paroh, but he will not merit to see what will happen when the bnei Yisroel will vanquish the 31 kings of Canaan, i.e. he will not merit to enter Eretz Yisroel. The medrash there says that had Moshe not expressed himself as he did he would have merited entry to Eretz Yisroel and he would have built the Beis Hamikdosh, and no enemy would have ever been able to lay his hand on this holy edifice, let alone destroy it.

We can now explain these words of our verse as: These are the absences of the Mishkon/Mikdosh, which were able to become absent through Moshe's mouth, i.e. his saying, "lomoh ha'rei'osoh." (Ohr L'Meir)

Ch. 38, v. 26,27: "Beka lagulgo'les machatzis hashekel, Lotzekes es adnei hakodesh" - A half per head half a shekel, To cast the foundation blocks of the holy - When we find halves that are joined there is a message that each component is incomplete and needs the other component. This concept applies here as well. To have the edifice of the nation Yisroel function properly we need both those who are involved in worldly pursuits, who generate funding, which is needed to function in this physical world. We likewise need people whose main pursuit is spiritual, thus allowing for them to reach great heights and drawing others upwards with them. This is "beka lagulgo'les," a split coin per head. Whether a working person or a "Toroso umnoso" person, they each contribute equally, and together create "adnei hakodesh," the foundation blocks of our people. (Chofetz Chaim)

Ch. 39, v. 27: "Va'yaasu es hakosnose sheish" - And they made the tunics of linen - From here onwards in the next few verses we find the creating of items that are prefaced with either "es" or "v'es." This word teaches an addition. The addition is that these items also had pouches made for them for storage. (Baal Haturim)

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See also Oroh V'Simchoh - Meshech Chochmoh on the Weekly Parsha, Chasidic Insights and Chamisha Mi Yodei'a