Parshah Summary – P’sha
The parshah opens with Moses assembling the Children of Israel (vayak’hel, “assembled”) 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” (chochmat lev) artisans then build the Mishkan and its furnishings: 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 front; the ark, and its cover with the angelic statues of the keruvim (“cherubim”); the table and the lekhem hapanim, (“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
וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כׇּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ וְכֹ֡ל אֲשֶׁר֩ נָדְבָ֨ה רוּח֜וֹ אֹת֗וֹ הֵ֠בִ֠יאוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֨ת יְהֹוָ֜ה לִמְלֶ֨אכֶת אֹ֤הֶל מוֹעֵד֙ וּלְכׇל־עֲבֹ֣דָת֔וֹ וּלְבִגְדֵ֖י הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ׃ And everyone who’s hearts were elevated, and everyone whose spirit was moved came forth, bringing Divine offerings for the work of the Tent of Meeting, for all its ritual service, and for the sacral vestments… - Shemot (Exodus) 35:21, Parshat Vayak’hel
Once, while Rabbi Zev Wolf was sitting in his bedroom, he heard a strange noise. He cracked the door open slightly and peered out to see a thief filling his sack with valuables. Among the items he stole was a cup which had been used earlier in the evening by a guest who was sick. As the thief was about to leave, Reb Wolf leapt from his hiding spot and cried out: “Good sir! You can keep all the things you’ve taken, but beware! That last cup you took has the breath of a sick man within in it – I don’t want you to drink from it and become sick yourself!”
When we hear a story like this, we might be inclined to think of Reb Wolf as a super-human tzaddik, embodying an ideal out of reach for most of us, but this not so – we only need to know how to access our deeper spiritual potential. There is a hint in the collection of traditional prayers said before going to sleep: רִגְז֗וּ וְֽאַל־תֶּ֫חֱטָ֥אוּ אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם עַֽל־מִשְׁכַּבְכֶ֗ם וְדֹ֣מּוּ סֶֽלָה Tremble and sin no more, speak within your heart, upon your bed, and be silent, selah! - Psalm 4 The idea here is that, in the quiet moments before sleep, you bring yourself to a state of heightened reverence and resolve to turn from any negative behavior patterns. This is a simple but very powerful form of meditation – connecting with the silent depths of your being, and consciously intending to live from this depth in your daily life. Thus, within the prayers that would be said the next morning, we have the second half of the equation: לְמַ֤עַן יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣ כָ֭בוֹד וְלֹ֣א יִדֹּ֑ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י לְעוֹלָ֥ם אוֹדֶֽךָּ! So that my inner being will sing to You and NOT be silent; Hashem, my Divinity, constantly I will thank You! - Psalm 30 Taking these two verses together, we have a complete practice: first, awaken your potential in meditation, so that you can then express that potential outwardly in the sometimes noisy and chaotic world. But how can we express our deepest spiritual potential when we find ourselves in situations that trigger powerful emotions like anger or fear, as in the story? Perhaps Rabbi Zev Wolf was beyond such emotions. אִמְר֣וּ בִ֭לְבַבְכֶם... וְדֹ֣מּוּ – speak within your heart… and be silent… But consider: since he was hiding and not confronting the thief immediately, there would have been some space to be aware of his reactive emotions as they arose. יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣ כָ֭בוֹד וְלֹ֣א יִדֹּ֑ם – my inner being will sing to You and not be silent… Then, from the silent depths of that awareness that transcends all feelings and impulses, he was able to reflect and decide to do the opposite of those emotions, and express love rather than negativity – this is the power of meditation. There is a hint in this week’s reading: וַיָּבֹ֕אוּ כָּל־אִ֖ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ – And everyone who’s hearts were elevated came forth… Gifts were brought to build the Sanctuary by those whose hearts were inspired, or elevated, to bring them. But the words נְשָׂא֣וֹ לִבּ֑וֹ nisa’o libo, can also mean hearts were tested; the root for elevated and tested are the same. Meaning: when our hearts are tested – when we peer from our safety to see the thief coming for our things and we become enflamed with fear and anger – it is in precisely those moments that we can become truly elevated by choosing our path consciously rather than be taken over by whatever impulses are arising. Through our meeting of these tests, our ability to express our spiritual potential is strengthened, if we can rise to challenge. How do we do this? הֵ֠בִ֠יאוּ אֶת־תְּרוּמַ֨ת יְהֹוָ֜ה – bringing Divine offerings… Imagine that your words and actions are offerings to the Divine; what words and actions can you express that would reflect this intention? This type of contemplation is a simple, though not necessarily easy, way to transform every moment of life into spiritual practice. And when we fail, not to worry, there will be plenty more opportunities. As long as we are alive in these bodies, we can return, again and again, to the practice. May we strengthen our resolve to meet the tests that life gives us; may we draw upon our meditation to cultivate conscious and intentional self-expression amidst the noisiness of life – this is the Path of ה Hei, of conscious self-expression.
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