In Parashas Pekudei, we learn about how the erection of the Mishkan was completed following all the work that Klal Yisrael invested into this endeavor. After all this toil, the pasuk says וירא משה את כל המלאכה והנה עשו אתה כאשר צוה ה’ וגו’ ויברך אותם משה, and Moshe saw all the work and behold they did it precisely as Hashem had commanded... and Moshe blessed them. Says Rashi that the berachah was יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה במעשה ידיכם ויהי נועם ה’ אלוקינו עלינו, May it be His will that the Shechinah rest in their handiwork and that the pleasantness of Hashem should be upon them.
Serving Hashem with Joy
The Tiferes Shlomo of Radomsk offers incredible words relevant to every Yid who wishes to erect a Mishkan in his own heart but is nevertheless held back by negative habits and lusts, and he’s in complete despair:
Says the Rebbe in the name of the Zohar HaKadosh that when a Yid wishes to serve Hashem, there are always prosecuting angels who come and wish to confuse the person. Precisely when he wishes to learn and daven and serve Hashem, they bring him to melancholy, despair, and depression. And they come clothed under a pretense of “l’shem Shamayim”—”Who are you to be engaged in this holy avodah,” they will say. “You’re filled with sins. The Ribbono shel Olam doesn’t need your Torah or your avodah.” The yetzer hara reminds him of his sins only when he’s about to engage in avodah so that he will perform the avodah without joy.
Dovid HaMelech spoke to this great dilemma when he said כל גוים סבבוני... the kelipos surround me like bees. They seek to extract and suck all the chiyus out of me, and they derive sustenance from my avodah. They utilize Hashem’s Name as they bring to mind my past transgressions.... They push me to fall. But I will not allow them to do this. לא אמות כי אחיה, I shall not die, for I shall live—that is, I will not perform my avodah without life but rather with great joy and chiyus.” (See Tehillim 118:10-17).
May You Be Joyful
Says the Tiferes Shlomo that this was the blessing of Moshe Rabbeinu to Klal Yisrael as they concluded the erection of the Mishkan. We know that the Shechinah rests upon a person only when he is joyful, and so Moshe’s berachah was יהי רצון שתשרה שכינה, may you always be joyful and thus merit Hashem’s Presence.
Moshe Rabbeinu prepared Klal Yisrael: Of course there will be episodes of confusion. There can be no doubt about this—for the avodah of the Mishkan was essentially to chase the kelipos away from the world, and to rob of them of all their sustenance by drawing the Shechinah down and providing It a place to rest in This World. This was the greatest change in Creation since Creation itself!
Furthermore, the Mishkan was to be a place where sins would be forgiven all day. Yidden would repair and rectify what they had done improperly. Yidden will have the opportunity to be close with Hashem always. Can we think that the kelipos wouldn’t put up a fight in the face of this?! But we cannot be broken by their antics.
Failures Are a Good Sign
When we find ourselves with a fresh problem, or when we stumbled or failed in a certain matter, we must understand that this is a good sign! The very idea that we want to persevere and be close to the Ribbono shel Olam and fight through this failure is the greatest sign of success.
Yes, the kelipos are trying to trip us up. This is clear and will always be true. Did we think that we will grow in our kirvas Elokim and they will take it sitting down?! But we cannot allow ourselves to be taken in by what they tell us. The Ribbono shel Olam will help us.
He Will Continue to Disturb You
A person is about to enter shul, and someone notifies him: You should know that there’s someone in the shul who will yell at you, but you just need to ignore him. This person is an iteration and a representative of the Sitra Achara, and he doesn’t want people to learn and daven. You just need to go on with your avodah and ignore him. He may shake your table, turn off the lights, or spill your tea, but you must just pay him no heed.
When we hear this in advance, we’re prepared for it, and then we’re not caught off guard by the antics of this person—despite everything he does.
This isn’t a nice mashal; it’s the nimshal itself—for this is exactly what happens every time we seek to serve Hashem! The problem is that the yetzer hara does much worse than turn out the lights. But Moshe Rabbeinu knew that this would come as Yidden seek to draw the Shechinah down to This World, and he blesses every Yid to be joyful and chase away the yetzer hara, and then the Shechinah will indeed rest among us.
