Close To Torah

The Torah (35:27) tells us that the Nisiim, the Jewish leaders of the 12 tribes, brought the stones for the Choshen. This seems to be a generous and special gift. However, Rashi quotes Chazal who question why their name (והנשיאם) is spelled missing one letter Yud (והנשאם). Rashi says that this is to signify that they were lazy in their service of Hashem and therefore they lost one letter from their name. They said, “let the Jews bring all of the materials and whatever is missing, we will sponsor.” Although this sounds like a wonderful offer and any fundraiser nowadays would be forever grateful to have such a promise, Hashem saw that in their hearts, this statement came from laziness and thus they were punished. It has always bothered me to understand what precisely they did wrong. Also, what does it show to be missing one Yud from their name?

Upon contemplation, what emerges is two things, firstly, that instead of joining with the nation’s enthusiastic donations, the Nisiim removed themselves from the crowd. They held themselves to be separate. Secondly, their statement showed that they did not believe in the nation’s ability to perform. There obviously was enough gold, silver and materials in the Jew’s possession, it was simply a question of whether the people could part with it and dedicate it to Hashem. The Nisiim showed that they did not believe in the Nation and expected them to fall short.

The Maharal explains that the number ten represents unity and completion. There were Ten Commandments with which Hashem created the world, Ten Plagues that expressed Hashem’s complete control over nature, and Ten Commandments at Sinai that brought the Torah to us. The letter Yud equals ten numerically. The omission of a Yud from the Nisiim’s name showed that their action was a large fault in their unity with the other Jews. They had pulled away from the Jews and had manifest contempt and judgment towards their fellow brothers.

When they repented, Hashem gave them the perfect opportunity to show their new perspective. He sent them the 12 stones to be placed inside the Choshen, breastplate, of the Kohen Gadol. The significance of this placement is striking and revealing. The fact that there were 12 stones, one for each tribe, showed the lesson of appreciating and being a part of the Jewish collective nation. The fact that it was worn by Aharon HaKohen, the man who embodied peace and unity among the nation, only strengthened the message. The way that the Choshen worked was that when someone asked the Kohen Gadol a question, the answer would appear through an array of various letters lighting up. That means that each of the 12 stones needed to work together to spell out the message. This once again expresses the significance of unity among the nation. The Nisiim made a full correction of their original sin.

I am learning the prayer of Aleinu L’ishabeich with my Tefillah class and we pointed out a most beautiful insight. The end of davening is adorned with this heartfelt proclamation of utter thanks to Hashem. Why then is it begun in the plural: “It is upon us to praise the Master of the world.” Would it not be better expressed as an individual proclamation: “It is upon me to praise…”? The answer is in line with the above stated concept. The ultimate praise for Hashem, and for any parent, is to see His children working together. The climax of davening is to reach the level of love, acceptance, and unity with others, so that we can praise Hashem together. There is no sweeter and more meaningful praise than when groups, families, and an entire Nation praises Hashem with passion and gratitude!

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Categories: Parshas Vayakhel Tags: Jewish Nation, Unity