Vested Interest
Parshat Vayakhel-Pikudei
In this week's Torah portion we read about the actual construction of the Mishkan (the sanctuary in the wilderness). The Torah describes in great detail, every aspect of its construction, from the structure down to the specific hooks that were used for its tapestries, as well as how the project was spearheaded by two gifted individuals; Betzalel ben Uri and Ahaliav ben Achisamach. Additionally, the Torah recounts how the Jewish women contributed and got involved in the project, in addition to the men, to the extent that the women's excitement was even greater than that of the men..
What is fascinating to note, is that this portion is almost identical to the previous portions of Terumah and Tetzaveh. While the Torah generally speaking, is so careful to be concise, in our portion there seems to be repetition in abundance. The obvious question is why? Why the need for so much detail? Additionally, there seems to be an emphasis in our portion on the practical and very hands-on contribution of the Jewish community, beginning with the architects Betzalel and Ahaliav, the active participation of the men, women, tribal princes and more. Once again, we are left wondering, why is this important to the narrative of the story?
This past Purim while reading the Meggilah, I noticed some red and black stains on my Meggilah scroll. I had forgotten about these stains and it brought a smile to my face. You see, when my eldest son Mendel was young, he had put on some make-up on his face as part of his Purim costume. As he joined me for the Meggilah reading on the Bimah, he accidentally touched his face and then the scroll, staining the parchment. At the time I was quite upset, but years later, the memory of my son following the reading along with me brought back good memories and a smile to my face.
Our sages teach us that the Mishkan (Sanctuary) was very special to Hashem for two reasons. Firstly, because it was an atonement for the sin of the Egel Hazahav (the golden calf), and secondly, because it was an expression of love by the Jewish people. While G-d is certainly not needing our meager buildings or offerings, it was the effort, love and personal dedication of each and every Jew, that Hashem appreciated so much. This is why every aspect of the Mishkan is repeated in detail, similar to our appreciation of our child's gift or painting, that while it may not be worth much artistically, the feelings of love and connection are brought to the fore by it.
For some reason, parents feel the need to take care of everything. We plan, organize, schedule our children's lives and then execute our master-plan. If something doesn't go according to plan, we easily become frustrated and exacerbated. The biggest problem with this mode of behavior is, that we have not left any room for our children's involvement or for them to be personally vested in whatever it is we have planned for them. Planning and organization are very important, but having our children personally invest and get excited about their schooling, chores or where we might go on a vacation, adds so much more to the experience. Our children's activities and schedule doesn't have to be a war, it can be a collaborative effort.
Perhaps, the lesson is that Hashem is telling us that we need to listen and engage our children, and have them be part of the scheduling and planning, and we may just save a lot of aggravation and heartache. After all, didn't He allow us to plan, design, build and beautify His sanctuary?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Y. Marrus
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