Parshas Pekudei

This week’s Parsha is called, Parshas Pekudei. After assembling the parts of the Mishkan (tabernacle) the Moshe (Moses) is commanded to construct the Mishkan. There were many parts of the Mishkan. Such as, curtains, planks, partitions, screens, hooks, sockets, foundation blocks, etc. When the base of the Mishkan was set up, there were, as the passuk says, “a hundred sockets for a hundred talents, a talent per socket…”

Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter zt”l, (or the Chiddushei HaRim,) makes a comparison between the one hundred sockets and the one hundred B’rachos (blessings) that we are required to recite every day (did you realize we are supposed to make 100 blessings everyday?). He says just like their are one hundred sockets needed as the foundation of the Mishkan there are also one hundred B’rachos needed to be recited for the foundation of one’s soul.

Later in the Parsha Hashem commands Moshe to anoint the children of Ahron as Kohanim (priests). When Hashem instructed Moshe He didn’t just stam (simply, plainly) say ‘go and anoint the sons of Ahron,’ but rather He said, “You shall anoint them as you had anointed their father…” Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk (or the Mesheh Chochmah) explains, when Moshe anointed his brother as the Kohain Gadol (head priest) Moshe didn’t feel jealous at all, in fact Moshe was B’Simcha (happy), but now that he would be anointing Ahron’s children, Hashem didn’t want Moshe to resent the fact that his brother’s children are becoming great but not his own.

May we all learn from Moshe to get such great Simchas (joy) and from the accomplishments and successes of our brothers that our own selfish desires for kovod (honor) are eliminated. -Amen!

CHAZAK, CHAZAK, VENISCHAZEIK!

(Be Strong! Be Strong! And May We Be Strengthened!)

- We have just concluded the second book of Moses a.k.a. Sh’mos!

HAVE A GREAT SHABBOS AND WEEKEND!

Stay tuned for next week as we begin the Sefer Vayikra.

We will be starting off with it’s title track.