Close To Torah

The Chazal ask why is it that we find in a parshah primarily containing the subject of the mishkan however we find that the parshah begins with details of Shabbos, why? The Chazal teach us that building the mishkan is not permitted on Shabbos. That is visible since the pasukim of Shabbos are put before the mishkan that the nature of their observance should correlate to the pasukim.

This idea teaches us a great deal about Shabbos and the mishkan and how they are connected. We can apply a very well known thought that the Ramban says in regards to the pushing off of a positive mitzvah when it conflicts with a negative mitzvah. The law is that the positive mitzvah pushes off the negative mitzvah. Says the Ramban this is the idea that ahavah (love) comes before yirah (fear). In our case this law is not applicable because Shabbos is not only a negative mitzvah but it also is a positive mitzvah, while the mishkan is only a positive mitzvah. It is a well known notion that we do not push off a mitzvah that is both positive and negative when we have a positive mitzvah at hand. If that is so why must the Torah order the pasukim in a way that we know that the worship of the mishkan is in fact secondary to Shabbos, shouldn’t that be simple? You can answer this question in two ways. We know that under normal circumstances the mitzvos that are only positive do not push off those which are both positive and negative, however since the actual worship of the mishkan is permitted on Shabbos we may think that its building is as well. The prohibitions on Shabbos consist of the actions used to build the mishkan not the actual worship that was performed on a daily basis. The other way to answer this question can teach us a great lesson. You may think that love (positive mitzvos) supersedes fear (negative mitzvos) but the combination of love and fear is superior to love alone. That means our relationship between Hashem consists of several attributes. The connection between us and Hashem through fear alone is comparable to a Master and his slave. The slave performs his duty due to fear of the wrath of the Master. While he may perform his duties perfectly he does it because he must do it. The connection between us and Hashem through love is comparable to a Father and his child. The child does what the father asks of him only because he loves to do all that he asks of him. While the child truly wants to do the action for the father he lacks the trepidation that would enable him to approach his father with proper respect. You may ask if the child always loves to carry out the will of his father then why would he need to fear his father? If he does something he loves he will come to appreciate his father and respect him accordingly. It is well known that true judgment is not revealed to us in this world. The world could not stand with pure judgment. This world limits our ability to see the totality of the events that take place therefore we cannot always express love whole heartedly since we cannot always express such a strong conviction in doing something we cannot understand. Those difficult times where the love of Hashem is harder to express is why we need to have fear. For the small fragments of light that is concealed from our eyes we must respond with acceptance to that which we cannot understand. Perhaps that is what Shabbos is. Shabbos is the complete revelation of the will of Hashem as it should be seen always. Shabbos is a glimpse to the future of what fruits await us in the World to Come. The presence of both the fear and love for Hashem is sewn together to grow together. Shabbos provides us with the ability to see the things we have missed and savor the precious jewels of closeness with Hashem. The mishkan is a place that provides the People of Yisroel with the ability to see the divine presence in a way that is not visible in any other place. Shabbos enables the whole world to be visible to us for one day. That is why the pasukim regarding Shabbos are put before the ones about the mishkan so that we may be able to learn this fundamental idea. We should all be merited with the ability to bind our love and fear together in our worship and see the day when Shabbos will last forever!

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Parshas Vayakhel Ahavas Hashem, Nitzchius, Shabbos, Yiras Hashem

It is the eternal mark that we leave in this world that is of the highest regard. Our actions that we do now can plant seeds in the ground to root the essential faculties of Life in the future generations. Not only do those actions establish a future they make the past worthwhile. The now of tomorrow is in our hands, we must protect it from harm. Eventually the time comes when we must pass on this great responsibility and take a step back as our sprouting jewels shine brightly. Such a time is difficult to acclimate to but fear not it shall pass. Our great Father Yaakov expresses this emotion very clearly in the onset of our parshah. As the great commentator the Baal HaTurim notes that the word ויחי is the gematriah thirty-four. Those thirty-four years are the sum total of the years of pleasantry that composed Yaakov’s life. His life, as the Baal HaTurim concludes was full of pain and sadness for the remainder of his years. It was only the presence of Yosef his son that enabled him to have those years of great happiness. What was it that was so strong about this bond between father and son that made it as though those years were not even lived? It is without question that Yaakov saw that the future was dependant upon Yosef who was in all respects an extension of himself. As the pasuk notes in the previous parshah Yosef is in fact the Toldah of Yaakov^[1] .

What is the vital task that Yaakov requests of Yosef in his last days? It is to ensure him that he will have a proper burial. Note the language of his request, as it is written in the negative. Further on in the parshah Yaakov makes a request to all of his children that they bury him in the place that the rest of his holy family lay, Maaras HaMachpaylah. Being that so why must Yaakov make a special request to Yosef to ensure him that he will not be buried in the Land of Egypt? It is of course not superfluous by any means. There can be several explanations to this question one of which I want to focus upon. There must be something that is inherit about Egypt that brought about such a request. It is of course unlikely that simply speaking Yaakov wanted to be buried in a single location, as he could have directly said that. Yaakov is requesting that his son Yosef ensure him that all that he had worked for in this world not remain here in the Land of Egypt.

Egypt or Mitzrayim is the total antithesis to the Jewish People. As is articulated from the word itself Mitzrayim is a branch of the word Matzar or a strait that is the compression of all physicality. That is seen from the names of the nobleman as they are all associated with aspects of agriculture and the like. The society of Mitzrayim in all fashions is source of the opposition to the Jewish People. There are of course four exiles, but the original exile was from Mitzrayim. Had the sin of Golden Calf not occured we would have gone right into Eretz Yisroel and not had to wander. So too had the sale of Yosef never occurred there would not have been the slavery of Mitzrayim. The actions of the Jewish People as a whole are heavily rooted by the actions of Yosef and his brothers.

It is noted throughout the words of Chazal that the death of Yaakov is in fact not mentioned in the Torah. In fact the Torah even when recording his years states that he is approaching them not reaching them. In the gemarah where this dialog occurs the discussion is preceded by a rather puzzling one. The gemara^[2] states that two amoraim R’Yitzchak and R’Nachmun were eating. One says to the other a statement of R’Yochanan, don’t speak while eating a meal in the event that you may swallow your food and cause it to enter the windpipe causing in suffocation. Following this gemarah after they completed eating one said to the other in the name of R’Yochanan that Yaakov Avinu never died. Rashi says on the spot, that means he lives forever. A puzzling statement on its own right, but even more puzzling is the continuity. Why was this statement said after their meal when we were talk the first statement of R’Yochanan in regards to eating.

There are two pipes in the throat, the trachea and the esophagus or the קנה and the ושט. In the Laws of Pesach we are obligated to eat on the night of Pesach while leaning. The gemarah^[3] asks if leaning on the right side is also acceptable. The gemarah seems to conclude that indeed it is acceptable however there is a prohibition that you may choke. The gemarah^[4] states that the Kunuh is where the voice comes from, and the veshet is where everything else comes in and out. Rashi says that speaking while eating is prohibited for fear that when you speak the kunuh becomes exposed and food may enter it. It is clear they it is the voice of Man that separates him from all other species. It is the power of speech that stems from the Neshamah that he is given. The kunuh personifies all that is spiritual as it is rooted in the air we breath and the words that we speak. The veshet represents all physicality as it is the road for food and drink. The prohibition of talking while eating even though it is by all types of speech it is based on the fear that the physical will oppress the spiritual. The eating on Pesach is the task where we eat like royalty. Not royalty and freeman where we live lives full of the pleasures of this world. Rather we ensure that the spiritual rules over the physical.

This idea of Yaakov Lo Mes is of course a deep one. The Maharshah suggests a simple idea if in fact the continued life of Yaakov is similar to all Tzadikim whom are known to live forever in their spiritual form. No this couldn’t be, as that is obvious it must be even in the physical form. In doing so he remains alive in both worlds, this world and the world to come. Chazal tell us another way to live in both worlds by telling over a D’var Torah in the name of that individual. Says the Maharshah^[5] that through every word of Torah spoken a vessel is created that contains those holy words. It is through the mentioning those words by the one who spoke of them it results in his lips moving in his grave. That is compared to stirring your finger in a glass of fine wine in a pit. When you stir it the fragrance emanates throughout. That is what enables a life in both worlds simultaneously.

That parable that the Chazal tells us that wine in a pit is comparable to living in both worlds is quite profound. It is known that the Torah and Mitzvos are compared to wine. It is also known as previously written that the act of putting Yosef in the pit was the transgression that led to the slavery. It was an empty pit says the Torah, empty of water but full of snakes and scorpions. Meaning that the lack of water means the despair of no Torah. Not only no Torah but secluded with the reptiles associated with evilness and heresy. The way to fix this emptiness is through the wine. Through the Torah and Mitzvos. Through the utilization of the Torah we will call on all of the previous vessels that were previously filled with spiritual power. This is the middah of Yosef. This is the concept of Yaakov Lo Mes. Yaakov was asking his son Yosef to ensure him that all that had been established in spirituality would be utilized and flourished. The desert of Egypt is no place for the fulfillment of the Torah and it must not lay there. The physical life in Egypt cannot stand in the way of the servitude of the Torah, as it will suffocate us!

The language that Yaakov says to Yosef is that he shall support him to do chessed v’emes. Why is that the way to ask him to ensure that his body not lay in the land of Egypt? Chessed and Emes are the pillars of the Torah and they are what must support this existence. We need to take care in our lives that we don’t choke. We need to constantly keep our spirituality before our physicality. We must remember the strength of all that we do comes from the Almighty and that it is the strongest force possible. That strength has been practiced for generations passed down from Avraham Avinu until now. Now we are the bearers of the cup of wine. Contained within it is the power to conjure the actions of every single Jews. It is your power to tip the scale from the middle to the top. Take your finger, stick it in and immerse yourself in the eternal bliss that lays before you.

1. Beginning of Parshas Vayeishev [↩]
2. Taynis, 5, b [↩]
3. Pesachim, 108, a [↩]
4. Brachos, 61, a [↩]
5. Yevomos, 97, a [↩]

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Parshas Vayechi Avos, Emes, Limud HaTorah, Nitzchius, Ruchnius / Gashmius, Shmiras HaMitzvos, Yaakov Lo Mes