In this week's parsha we reach the climax of the parshiyos of the Mishkan. Fascinatingly, the Mishkan was not simply erected once; it was erected and dismantled seven times, before it was fully established. Why so? Surely, after the great nedivus ha’lev and expectations, it should have become permanent immediately!
Sefarim answer that the seven times that the Mishkan was dismantled, corresponded to the seven Mishkenos and Batei Mikdash that were destroyed and rebuilt: the Mishkan in the desert, those at Gilgal, Shiloh, Nov, and Givon, and the first and second Batei Mikdash in Yerushalayim. Each time Moshe dismantled the Mishkan and erected it again he ensured that these later Sanctuaries would not be permanently destroyed - they would be rebuilt. It follows, that the final time, when Moshe left the Mishkan standing and did not dismantle it, ensured that the third Beis Hamikdash will never be destroyed.
When We Fall!
As we have explained in previous weeks, the Mishkan was a place of connection and hashra’as haShechinah, and embodied the idea of “bi’levavi mishkan evneh” - the ability of every Yid to build a dwelling place for Hashem within him.
Moshe Rabbenu made sure to dismantle the Mishkan in order to rebuild it seven times so that the later Sanctuaries would be rebuilt. The final and eternal rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash will similarly be built on our determination, and ability to rebuild, even after repeatedly falling. And likewise, each of us must realize that in our avoda of bi’levavi mishkan evneh, of building a connection to Hashem, we will fall, and what we have built will be destroyed. However, in spite of everything, we will rebuild, and eventually an everlasting sanctuary and connection to Hashem will emerge. Our avodah is simply to continue rebuilding, over and over again until that occurs.
This message is also evident in the passuk “sheva yipol tzadik v’kam”. Ba’aley Mussar explain that it is not just the midah of a tzadik to get up and rebuild in spite of falling; it is the seven failures that ultimately make him a tzadik. Since “sheva yipol” therefore “kam” - he rises to the highest levels.
Let us analyze this carefully. The importance of making amends when we make mistakes is understandable but why is falling a necessity for growth?
The Gain of The Fall
Chazal assert: “b’Makom she’ba’aley teshuva omdim, ein tzadikim gemurim omdim” - those who have fallen and then repented, are on a greater level than complete tzadikim. What does this mean? “Resh Lakish said: someone who does teshuva out of ahavah - his sins turn into mitzvos.” This seems paradoxical. A Yid who sinned to his heart's content is not only forgiven, but his misdeeds become mitzvos! How so?
Why Not Sin?
To understand this properly we must delve more deeply into what is wrong with sinning in the first place. What is wrong with doing as we please in this world?
Hashem created the world and everything in it for kiddush shem shamayim. He gave us life, health, parnasah, our hands, legs, sechel etc., all to increase kavod shamayim.
When we commit an avera we are taking what He has given us for a particular use, and using it for our own purposes. We are taking the hands given to us for tefillin and using them to..., the legs given to us to run to shul, to instead run to commit an avera, the eyes given to us to see Torah, to see things we should not. (It is a form of meilah and stealing.)
When a person does teshuva mei’ahava, suddenly they very act of sin has retroactively brought him closer to Hashem. His love for Hashem has grown through the avera. Now, instead of using Hashem's gifts for his own use, he has, in hindsight, used it for kiddush shem shamayim. There is no difference between a mitzvah that brings kiddush shem shamayim and an avera that ultimately, brought just as much kavod shamayim. The avera is thus considered a mitzvah.
The Scratched Dimond
Rabbi Daniel Travis recently shared a wonderful mashal: There was once a very wealthy king who owned many palaces, carriages, horses, farms, villages, and endless amounts of gold, silver, and beautiful jewellery. However, what was more precious to him than all was a very large and spectacular diamond. Not only was it extremely beautiful and priceless, it had infinite sentimental value. It had been passed down through many generations of the royal dynasty and had been given to him by his father upon his coronation.
Each morning the king would take out this precious gem and marvel at its glory. It would give him great pleasure and joy. One day, as he was marvelling at the stone, something terrible happened. Someone suddenly walked into the room, shocking him, and it fell from his hands. He rushed to pick it up, but it was too late - the stone had a large scratch. The king was heartbroken. The precious diamond that meant so much to him was now ruined.
From that day, each morning, rather than deriving great joy and happiness from his diamond, the king would sit in distress and depression, thinking about his loss. It gave him no rest.
The Artison
One day an artisan passed by the palace and heard about the king's anguish. He went inside and promised the king that if he would be given one day, he could repair the damage. The king agreed and so the artisan worked on the stone for many hours. He brought it in to the king and, as soon as the king caught sight of it, a giant smile broke out on his face. He embraced the artisan.
All present were sure that the artisan had repaired the scratch or polished the diamond, but this was not the case. Instead, where the scratch had been he had etched a magnificent pattern, making the diamond even more beautiful than before.
The king was now happier than ever. He realized that if the stone had not been scratched, it would not carry its new magnificent pattern. Its greatest defect had became its greatest asset.
Making the Scratches into Carvings
Throughout our lives we incur many scratches, in every area in life. We can choose to leave them as they are, but in fact, our avoda is to turn them into magnificent carvings.
The greatest and most precious diamond of all is our holy, precious neshama, and the largest, most ugly scratches are the averos we commit. The era of ikvesa d’meshicha poses huge challenges, however, as we have previously explained, it is also an era of opportunity to connect to Hashem, not out of yirah, but ahava.
During these times, our avoda is to take those scratches, as deep and ugly as they are, and by returning to Hashem out of love, turn them into beautiful carvings.
The Broken Shards
One of the greatest tragedies in Klal Yisrael’s history was the chet ha’egel. Soon after receiving the Torah, they turned away from Hashem and towards other gods. Chazal say that it was akin to a kalah turning to another man under the chupah.
When Moshe descended from shamayim and saw the egel his instant response was to smash the luchos. What happened to those luchos? They were not discarded or hidden; the broken shards were put in the Mishkan. In fact, they were kept in the holiest place in the Mishkan: inside the aron within the Kodesh haKadashim - the place that only the Kohen Gadol could enter on the holiest day of the year.
Surely, the shards of broken luchos are a reminder of our greatest sin! Would it not be better to hide them rather than give them pride of place in the Mishkan?
In view of all of the above we can understand this perfectly. On the contrary, we place the shards particularly in the holiest place - the place of deepest connection. We thus convey the message that each Mishkan was built on the destruction of the past. The deepest relationship with Hashem is forged upon broken shards, by taking the scratches and turning them into magnificent carvings. In the most difficult times of our history, in the times of greatest destruction, we have the greatest opportunities for rebuilding and forging a deep, loving connection with Hashem.
In the Time of Destruction
When the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, a time of terrible pain and destruction, there was a seeming paradox. Atop the aron two keruvim stood - an angelic boy and girl. When Klal Yisrael were doing retzono shel Makom they would face each other in a sign of love, but when they were not, the keruvum would face away from each other. At the very moments of the churban, when the flames were still burning, Klal Yisrael got to see the keruvim one last time and, remarkably, they were facing one another. How come?
The answer is that Hashem was showing them that despite their sins and the destruction they had caused, they could rebuild from that exact point - from within the destruction. By connecting to Hashem again through ahava they could rebuild the Beis Hamikdash.
Purim
In the times of the Purim story Klal Yisrael had sinned and angered Hashem, so much so that there was a gezerah of destruction upon them. How did they respond? Did they give up? Did they say, “We are lost, for not only do Haman and Achashverosh want us dead, there is also a decree against us in shamayim - our fate is sealed”? They did not. Instead, they turned to Hashem - “mimcha eilecha evrach” - they ran away from Hashem, but to whom? To Hashem.
They gathered and pounded the gates of tefilah, realizing that regardless of the bleakness of a situation, it is never too late for a Yid to turn to Hashem and for tremendous yeshuos to happen.
What was the result? The rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash. From the lowest places, from a point of seemingly no return, came the great rebuilding, came a kiymu v’kiblu. The scratch was taken and made into a beautiful carving, of reaccepting the Torah, not just from kafa har k’gigis, but of extreme love of Hashem.
This week we were zocheh, with tremendous si’atah di’shmaya, to see the koach of great perseverance. We saw how after many, many years, of trying, of seemingly failing, of reaching places where most people would long have given up, places of great yiush and seemingly no return, that miraculous results can come.
The Simcha of the Century
The great Rosh Yeshivah haGaon Reb Tzvi Kushalevski Shlita, was not zocheh to have children for many years. As talmidim, we know how much he wanted to have children, not for himself, but to be mekadesh shem shamayim. Throughout the years, he didn't leave a single stone unturned. He did every possible hishtadlus, he went to so many tzadikim for brachos, davened so many tefillos, and performed so many segulos to have children.
Many people, at a particular stage, “come to terms with reality” and give up. Certainly the Rosh Yeshiva, who has built up a legacy of generations of talmidm, could have sufficed with saying “my children are my talmidim”. But no. The harder it became and the more bleak things looked, the harder the Rosh Yeshiva davened. The more he was mishtadel and turned to Hashem.
In recent years each time we came to the Rosh Yeshiva, each time we asked for a bracha, he would turn to us and ask for a bracha for zera shel kayama, and would answer amen with great enthusiasm.
The Rosh Yeshiva began teaching some Torah from the tzadik of Ranana each day, who famously promised to help all who learn his sefer. He would go to daven at the kever of Miriam Hakoveset who promised to daven for zerah shel kayama. Where other would step back, the Rosh Yeshiva only became more determined.
Today we are zocheh to see an open miracle, to see what happens when one is determined to build and one does not give up.
The Rosh Yeshiva, at the age of 87, was zocheh to have a baby boy. As he said, “this is to show every single Yid, regardless of how bleak a situation is, never to despair”.
May this tremendous simcha be nispashet over all of Klal yisrael. May we take this as a lesson for the current difficult times, which seem so bleak, and, as the crisis deepens and we see no way out, let us turn to Hashem. Let us turn those scratches into carvings, and with tefilah to Hashem, may this be the last tzarah and the last atrocity for Klal Yisrael. May we be zocheh to “v’nahafoch hu asher yishletu ha’yehudim hema b’soneihem” and the final rebuilding of the seventh mikdash, the Beis Hamikdash haShelishi, the final rebuilding which will last for eternity.
