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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Moses assembling the Children of Israel and reviewing the mitzvah of Shabbat, followed by instructions for constructing the Mishkan (Tabernacle). The Israelites bring the materials for its construction in abundance: gold, silver and copper; blue, purple, and red-dyed wool; goat hair, spun linen, animal skins, wood, olive oil, herbs and precious stones. They actually bring too much, and Moses has to tell them to stop.
A team of “wise-hearted” artisans build the Mishkan and its furnishings (as described in the previous Torah readings of Terumah, Tetzaveh, and Ki Tisa): three layers of roof coverings; 48 gold-plated wall panels, and 100 silver foundation sockets; the parokhet (veil) that separates between the Sanctuary’s two chambers, and the masakh (screen) at the fron, the ark, and its cover with the cherubim; the table and its showbread; the seven-branched menorah with its specially prepared oil; the golden altar and the incense burned upon it; the anointing oil; the outdoor altar for burnt offerings and all its implements; the hangings, posts and foundation sockets for the courtyard; and the basin with its pedestal, made out of copper mirrors…
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְיְ לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽם׃ שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיי כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ Moses assembled the whole assembly of the Children of Israel, and said to them: These are the things that Hashem has commanded you to do: On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day, it shall be for you sacred; a Sabbath of Sabbaths for the Divine; whoever does any work on it shall die… - Shemot (Exodus) 35:1, 2 Parshat Vayak’hel
The Maggid of Zlotchov taught on this verse in which Moses is recounting the giving of the Ten Commandments: אָ֠נֹכִ֠י עֹמֵ֨ד בֵּין־יְהֹ–וָ֤ה וּבֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ – “I stood between the Divine and you…” -Devarim (Deutermonomy) 5:5.
“The ‘I’ stands between God and us; when you say ‘I,’ a wall stands between you and the Divine. But for one who offers the ‘I’ – there is no barrier. And this is what the words in the Song of Songs are referring to: אֲנִ֣י לְדוֹדִ֔י וְעָלַ֖י תְּשׁוּקָתֽוֹ – I am my beloved’s and his desire is toward me – when my ‘I’ has become my beloved’s, then it is toward me that His desire turns.” The “Beloved” is nothing other than Reality; everything is God. Each moment we remember that everything is God, we are instantly and effortlessly reunited with the Beloved. It is not that God has gone anywhere; there is nothing but God, only you have become used to It. It is like walking with a lover, hand in hand. At first, you are on fire with love. But, if you keep walking, at some point you start to think about something else. Eventually you wouldn’t even notice that you are holding hands. To be reunited, in such a case, is to become aware of what is already present – this is meditation. שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ – Six days shall work be done… It doesn’t say, “six days you shall work (ta’ase),” but rather “six days work shall be done (te’ase).” The passive form hints that a person should not identify with the work; there should be no sense of “I am doing this work.” וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן – and on the seventh day, it should be for you sacred; a Sabbath of Sabbaths . . . It doesn’t say there should be a Sabbath among the weekdays, but rather a Sabbath among Sabbaths! Meaning, even the weekdays should be Sabbaths, in a sense. Work is being done, but there should be no sense of a “me” doing the work. There is only the One doer, and the One includes all the different beings doing their different jobs. That’s why one of the Divine Names is Elohim, which is a plural word, meaning “powers.” God is the Oneness of the many. שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיי כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ – A Sabbath of Sabbaths to the Divine – all who work on it shall die… On the surface it seems to be saying that if a person does work on Shabbat they will die or be executed. But there is a different way to read the verse: not whoever does work on it, shall die, but rather, whoever does work, on it shall die. In other words, the “doer” of work during the week – the “I” that thinks it is the doer – should “die” on Shabbat. That is its gift and power – once you are able to “put yourself to death” as the “doer” on Shabbat, this also opens the possibility of dis-identifying with the “doer” on weekdays as well. Then all of life is Shabbat – that is liberation… How do you do it? Whenever you do anything, you can remind yourself: your strength is a gift. Your intelligence is a gift. Even the desire to do anything at all is a gift. It all comes from Beyond; everything comes into being through an infinite string of efforts from a vast עֲדַת adat – an assembly of countless beings… וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת – Moses assembled the whole assembly… And yet, there is only one person who can command this awareness from you, and that is you! That’s the paradox – you must be like Moses, assembling the entire assembly of Being before your mind in each moment. This is ע ayin – seeing the deeper Reality; the One that both includes and transcends the Many…
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Moses taking a census of the Children of Israel. Each person who is counted must contribute a makhazit hashekel – a half shekel of silver to the Sanctuary. Instructions are also given regarding the making of the Sanctuary’s water basin, anointing oil and incense. The “wise-hearted” artisans Betzalel and Aholiav are singled out as possessing hokhmat halev – “wisdom of the heart” – and are placed in charge of the Sanctuary’s construction.
Moses does not return when expected from Mount Sinai. The people lose faith, and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Hashem grows angry and proposes to destroy the errant nation, but Moses prays for them. Moses descends from the mountain carrying the edut – the “tablets of the testimony” engraved with the Ten Commandments. But when he sees the people dancing about their idol, he breaks the tablets, and destroys the golden calf. But then he pleads once again with God: “If You will not forgive them, blot me out from the book that You have written.” Hashem forgives them, but says that the effect will be felt for many generations, and as they continue their journey, Hashem will not be with them; only an angel will accompany them. But, Moses pleads that Hashem to continue to accompany them on their journey to the promised land. Moses then prepares a new set of tablets himself (as opposed the first set which were inscribed by God). On the mountain, Moses is also granted a vision of the “Thirteen Attributes of Compassion.” When Moses returns, his face is so radiant that he must cover it with a veil, which he removes only to speak with God and to teach Torah to the people.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
כִּ֣י תִשָּׂ֞א אֶת־רֹ֥אשׁ בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם֒ וְנָ֨תְנ֜וּ אִ֣ישׁ כֹּ֧פֶר נַפְשׁ֛וֹ לַיהֹוָ֖ה בִּפְקֹ֣ד אֹתָ֑ם וְלֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בָהֶ֛ם נֶ֖גֶף בִּפְקֹ֥ד אֹתָֽם׃ When you take a census of the Children of Israel according to their numbers, each shall give an atonement for their soul to the Divine when they are counted, so that there will not be a plague among them when they are counted… - Shemot (Exodus) 30:12, Parshat Ki Tisa
A disciple asked Rabbi Yekhiel Mikhal, the Maggid of Zlotchov: “Why is it that humility is the most important virtue, yet the Torah doesn’t command us to be humble? It only says that Moses was the most humble of men, but it doesn’t ever say that humility is a mitzvah.
“That’s because,” replied the master, “if humility were a mitzvah, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish it; we would end up having pride in our humility!” The essential quality of authentic spirituality involves wholeheartedly meeting Reality as it appears, on its own terms – which is to say, meeting the Divine in whatever happens. The opposite of this is ego, which instead is concerned with how things conform or don’t conform to our ideas of how we think things should be. In this evaluating of everything not on its own terms, but in relation only to the “me” of thoughts, opinions, and feelings, the ego centers itself as the main character in the story. To accomplish the task of transcending ego and meeting the Divine, that is, meeting Reality on its own terms, religion provides many traditions and devices, but the irony is that the ego can co-opt all of these for its own self-bolstering purpose. Thus, according to the maggid, humility must remain free from being a mitzvah; it cannot become a quantifiable task to be accomplished; it is at a level higher than any particular religious practice. וְלֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה בָהֶ֛ם נֶ֖גֶף בִּפְקֹ֥ד אֹתָֽם: – … then there will be no plague among them when they are counted… The ego wants to “count” – there is a self-image to maintain; this is the נֶ֖גֶף negef, the root plague of being human… זֶ֣ה יִתְּנ֗וּ כָּל־הָֽעֹבֵר֙ עַל־הַפְּקֻדִ֔ים מַֽחֲצִ֥ית הַשֶּׁ֖קֶל... תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽיהֹ–וָֽה: This they shall give, all who pass through the counting: a half a shekel … an offering to the Divine. The ego is insatiable, never satisfied for long, because it is by nature incomplete; it is only a “half shekel.” The only way to become complete and avert the “plague” is to make it תְּרוּמָ֖ה לַֽיהֹ–וָֽה t’rumah Lashem – an “offering” to the Divine. How to do that? Notice within that impulse to “be” something – to be recognized, to be validated, to be seen in a certain way. Let that impulse be there, but don’t buy into it; don’t give the ego any reality. Recognize that it is just a bundle of thoughts and feelings.; this is meditation. Offer it up: “Oh Hashem, I am only here to serve your purpose; let me be in alignment with You so that I make partake in your Wholeness.” This is prayer. In that letting go of the incomplete self into the One through meditation, there can arise a Completeness that is not dependent any particular thing, but it emerges and blossoms as a quality of awareness – this is represented by the letter ג gimel, which describes the Divine as Gadol – Great, Vast, Transcendent, Whole. And as a counterpoint to this recognition of the Divine as Gadol, is a recognizing of the ego-self as katan – small, temporary, receiving its Being from the Greater Reality. This is humility – the antidote to ego, creating a fertile field from which gratitude can sprout; these are represented by the sefirah of Hod: humility and gratitude.
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Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with the commandment (Tetzaveh, “you shall command”) that the Children of Israel should bring pure olive oil to kindle the Ner Tamid – the “everlasting flame” of the Menorah, which Aaron is to kindle each day, “from evening till morning…”
The priestly garments, to be worn by the kohanim while serving in the Sanctuary, are then described: 1) the ketonet – linen tunic; 2) the mikh-nasayim – linen breeches; 3) the mitznefet or mig-ba’at – linen turban; and 4) the avnet – a long sash wound above the waist. In addition, the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) wore: 5) the efod--an apron-like garment made of blue, purple, and red-dyed wool, linen, and gold thread; 6) the hoshen—a breastplate containing twelve precious stones inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel; 7) the me-il—a cloak of blue wool, with gold bells and decorative pomegranates on its hem; and 8) the tzitz—a golden plate worn on the forehead, bearing the inscription “Holy to Hashem.” The parshah also describes instructions for the seven-day initiation of Aaron and his four sons—Nadav, Avihu, Elazar and Itamar—into the priesthood, and for the making of the golden altar, upon which the ketoret (incense) was burned.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד׃ You shall instruct the Children of Israel to bring you oil of olives, pure, crushed for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame… - Shemot (Exodus) 27:20, Parshat Tetzaveh
Someone once told me that she hadn’t done anything of value in her life, that she had messed up so much that her life was worthless. I encouraged her to notice that those were unhelpful thoughts, that she didn’t have to “buy in” to those thoughts.
“But it’s TRUE!” she insisted. “What is true,” I said, “is that those thoughts are present, the feelings that come with those thoughts are present, the sense of your body breathing right now is present, the sound of my voice is present… that is TRUE.” She started to relax a little bit, barukh Hashem, because as we know, she could have punched in the mouth instead. When a person is captivated by thoughts and feelings, it is not always helpful to point it out; one has to be ready for that kind of pointing. We may or may not be able to help another person get free from the web of ego, but there is one person we can always help – and that is ourselves. Notice: there is, right now, an Absolute Truth, and that is the Truth of whatever is arising in your experience, in this moment. The point of this Truth, however, is not necessarily the experience; the point is noticing that you are noticing; the point realizing that you are the awareness that notices. When you can see clearly – here is a thought, here is a feeling, here is a sensation – then there can be this profound shift in your identity: you are not trapped by any thought or feeling. You are the openness within which this moment unfolds. This is freedom from the constriction and angst of ego, represented by Mitzrayim, slavery in Egypt. And from this perspective of inner freedom, then you can easily inquire: is this or that thought helpful? Is this or that thought destructive? Spiritual teachings often come in diametrically opposed pairs. There’s a teaching of the Hasidic master, Rabbi Simkha Bunim, that everyone should carry two slips of paper, one in each pocket. On one should be written, “I am but dust and ashes,” (Genesis 18:27) and on the second, “For me the world was created.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin, 37b) As one goes through life, one should develop the wisdom to know when to take out which slip of paper. Could there be more diametrically opposed messages? How could both these statements be true? The point is, our thoughts are not “true” or “not true,” they are either useful or not useful. From a spiritual point of view, they are useful if they move us from ego to freedom, from resistance and resignation to acceptance and empowerment. This is important. Yes, acceptance means letting go and letting things be as they are (“I am but dust and ashes.”) But that doesn’t mean passivity or weakness; often, it means the acceptance of responsibility (“For me the world was created.”) This moment, this situation, as it is right now, is. How shall we respond? Shall we turn away, deny and ignore? Or, shall we address this moment as it is and step up to what must be done? This too is acceptance, this too is freedom – not freedom from responsibility, but freedom from resistance to accepting the responsibility that has come to you. There is a hint in this verse: וְאַתָּ֞ה תְּצַוֶּ֣ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֨וּ אֵלֶ֜יךָ שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד: You shall instruct the Children of Israel to take for you oil of olives, pure, crushed, for illumination, to kindle a continuous flame... On the literal level, this is an instruction for operating the Menorah, the ritual lamp in the Mishkan, the Tabernacle in the wilderness. But on a deeper level, there is an interesting feature about this verse: on one hand, the olive oil is being used to kindle a flame, but on the other hand, the flame is called ner tamid – a continuous flame – implying that it’s already burning. This is a wonderful metaphor for consciousness. On one hand, as human beings, we are already conscious. The oil is already burning so to speak – the ner tamid, the continuous flame of our consciousness, is the space within which these words are being perceived right now. The question is, are you conscious of your consciousness? You are already aware, but are you aware that you are the awareness? שֶׁ֣מֶן זַ֥יִת זָ֛ךְ כָּתִ֖ית לַמָּא֑וֹר... Olive oil, pure, crushed for illumination… To wake up from the dream of ego, to become aware on this deeper level, we have to purify awareness from its identification with thoughts and feelings; this is זָךְ zakh – “crushed.” Like the olive, there’s a hard pit at the core; that’s the ego. How do we do this? Be the loving Presence that surrounds your ego. No need to try to get rid of it – that’s just more ego! Instead, accept the fullness of your experience as it is, resistance and all, feelings and all, without “adding to the story” – without “buying in,” so to speak. לְהַעֲלֹ֥ת נֵ֖ר תָּמִֽיד – to kindle the continuous flame… In other words, by accepting the moment and fully feeling your feelings, you illuminate the awareness that is already there, causing it to burn more brightly, liberating it from being trapped in the forms of thoughts and feelings, yet also present with your thoughts and feelings – this is meditation, represented by the first letter, א aleph…
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