Divrei Mav

Parshas Pekudei 2018 Mishkan and The HaMikdash Opening with a detailed list of all the gold, silver, and copper donated to the  Mishkan ,  Parshas Pekudei  elaborates on  Moshe’s  efforts to count and supervise the donations himself. This would ensure that everyone's donations were accounted for and to show the utmost respect for this sacred project. The  Mishkan  was quite remarkable. Serving as the place for the people to connect with their Creator in the wilderness.  Hashem’s shechina  (divine presence) descended from the Heavens and rested in the  Mishkan . The  Mishkan  was only meant as a temporary “temple” while they sojourned. Sforno  points out the  Mishkan  and its parts were so lofty spiritually, they remained intact for years and years. Many of those years consisted of wars and uprisings. Yet the  Mishkan  remained standing, impervious to physical threats.  In fact...

Parshas Vayakhel 2018 Giving for Hashem The two parshios ( Torah portions) of Vayakhel and Pekudei parallel those of Terumah and Tetzaveh . Terumah and Tetzaveh relay Hashem’s instruction for the building of the Mishkan and the sewing of the bigdei kahuna (priestly garments), while Vayakhel and Pekudei enlighten us on how the actual construction process went down. The  Mishkan (Tabernacle) and all its vessels required a lot of precious material. Each person donated what he could for the construction project. As it says,  “Every man whose heart inspired him came; and everyone whose spirit motivated him brought the portion of Hashem for the work of the Tent of Meeting, for all its labor and for the sacred vestments.”  ( Shemos  35:21) However, it wasn’t the physical material  Hashem  wanted. He wanted their sincere efforts towards the structure where His Holy Presence could dwell. Much stress is placed on the fact that these...