Springboard – Parshas Vayakhel Pekudei 5770
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ויעש את הכיור נחשת ואת כנו נחשת במראֹת הצֹבאֹת… (לח:ח).
“He made the basin of copper and its base of copper out of the woman’s mirrors…” (38:8).
Rashi quotes the famous words of Chazal that the women brought their mirrors, which they had used in Egypt in order to beautify themselves for their husbands. Moshe was too disgusted to take them, feeling that objects used for the Yetzer Harah were inappropriate to be used in the Mishkan. Hashem set him straight by stating that on the contrary it is an honor to accept the mirrors used to build Klal Yisrael!
The Kiyor is to me a most fascinating vessel with many mysterious aspects. Why must the Sotah woman drink from its water? Why must every Kohen who serves first wash his hands from it? Why does the verse stress repeatedly that it was made of copper? Why is it always mentioned together with its base?
The Ramban points out that the Kiyor is the only vessel which had no given measurements. According to the amount of mirrors donated for its construction, that’s how many were used. What is the meaning of all this? I will answer only some of these questions directly, though I believe that one answer ties it all together….
When a person eats a meal, he can become lost in self-indulgence. Chazal say that food distracts one from service of Hashem. However, on the other hand, pleasure can be the strongest impetus for Avodas Hashem! When we make a beracha before and after eating we sanctify the eating experience into one of true thanking of Hashem. We use our bodies to sing praise to Hashem. We elevate the pleasure into spirituality.
The Kiyor represents this exact idea. It shows how mirrors were used to induce desire L’Shem Shamayim, for the sake of Hashem. A physical stimulation was elevated to the greatest heights.
The entire theme of Korbonos is precisely this as well. We slaughter an animal for forgiveness from our sins. We are supposed to imagine that this animal killed was us and that our blood was sprinkled and our body burned atop the Altar. What better introduction is there than to be required to wash one’s hands from the Kiyor to begin the Avodah!
The Shlah writes that on Yom Tov when one partakes of the delicious food, the purpose is for him to elevate the physical stimulation of his nerve endings into a deep and powerful expression of thanking and closeness to Hashem.
This physical gratification is the jump-start for the Neshama!
The Mishkan was a forgiveness for the sin of the Golden Calf. The sin represented a digression of the Jew’s use of the physical world. Hence, the atonement through the Mishkan took place specifically by utilizing the most physical and rich display of gold, to sanctify it for Hashem!
This explanation is very dear to me. As I developed it in my head last year in shul on Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel – Pikudei, I suddenly heard my named called to the Torah. In the course of my Aliyah to the Torah, the above quoted verse was read!
