Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto’s talks are known throughout the Jewish world. They combine chassidic teachings and philosophy, along with tips for a better life. We have collected pearls from his teachings that are relevant to our daily lives. This week he comments on the Torah section of Pekudai.
The Midrash relates (Shemot Rabbah 51:2) that when the construction of the Tabernacle was finished, "Moses went to Bezalel and saw that he had material left over from the Tabernacle. He asked the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Master of the universe, we have finished the construction of the Tabernacle and we have a surplus. What should we do with the rest?' He said to him, 'Go and make them a Tabernacle of Testimony.' Moses went and made it.”
The midrash brings two explanations of what Moses did with the remaining money. One opinion says that Moses took the remaining money and built a study hall with it so that anyone who wanted to study Torah could learn Torah there. Another opinion says that from the surplus money they made two arks, one ark where the Tablets of the Covenant were placed and a second ark where the fragments of the first Tablets were placed.
The words of the midrash seem surprising to us. Why is the left over money a problem at all? If there is a surplus, so leave it for maintaining the Tabernacle. If tomorrow the Table breaks or something goes awry in the Tabernacle, money will be available to make repairs. Moreover, if this money was donated for one purpose, why is Moses using it for another purpose - to build a study hall or an additional ark for the fragments of the Tablets?
Perhaps we can explain it like this. The Gemara in tractate Brachot says (55a) that when Bezalel was building the Tabernacle, he would look at the donated money and say "This money is suitable to build the Holy of Holies - it is holy money", "This money is suitable for the Table", and so on. Each donation went to the part of the Tabernacle that matched what was in the donor’s heart. The one who donated whole-heartedly, Bezalel used his donation for a very holy thing. The one who gave less enthusiastically - the money was used for a less holy item. Those who gave half-heartedly, their money was not used. It ended up as the surplus.
When the Israelites heard that there was money left over, they realized that the money of those who did not give from the heart was not accepted for the holy Tabernacle. This brought people to feel remorse and they repented with all their hearts. Once they did that, the money they donated became so holy and sublime that this money was worthy of being used for an ark for the fragments of the Tablets or a study hall for Torah.
The fragments of the Tablets represent a person who broke his heart and transformed his character traits because of the wrong way in which he contributed to the Tabernacle.
According to the opinion that they used this money to build a study hall to learn Torah, this is because learning Torah will bring them to repent for the way in which they donated the holy offering. The Gemara says in tractate Kiddushin (30b) "If that scumbag meets you, drag him to the study hall" - if the evil inclination is overpowering a person, he should drag him to the study hall, because there and only there can he be subdued.
The chapters discussing the Tabernacle have reached their end, but a question hangs in the air. God commanded that the Tabernacle be built from the best and most magnificent materials, while God is sublime and spiritual above all reason and comprehension. The Almighty is not impressed with gold and silver - "The silver is mine and the gold is mine, says the Lord" (Haggai 2:8). All silver and gold belong to the Almighty. So what’s the point of commanding that the Tabernacle be made of gold and silver, precious stones and tachash skins? Is the supreme God, who is above all human understanding, impressed with material things - precious stones, expensive weaves or silver and gold?
The Holy Alshich asks on the verses in the Song of Songs (3:9-10): “King Solomon made a canopy from Lebanese cedars. He made its pillars of silver, its couch of gold, and its curtain of purple. Its interior was inlaid with love from the daughters of Jerusalem." What does it mean "Its interior was inlaid with love from the daughters of Jerusalem?"
It means that when a person loves an object that is in his possession, a watch, a piece of jewelry, or even his money or house, he puts his heart into what he loves. When a person takes what he loves and gives it as a donation, what he is doing is he is giving his heart. He cannot give his physical heart because it is inside his body, but by giving things that his heart loves, it is considered as if he gave his heart. That is the meaning of the verse (Proverbs 23:20) "Give me your heart, my son." The way this is done is by giving what one’s heart loves.
Therefore, "King Solomon made a canopy", i.e. King Solomon built the Temple out of silver and gold, but "its interior was inlaid with love from the daughters of Jerusalem" God wanted the hearts of the people in Jerusalem and by giving their silver and gold, they showed they gave their hearts to God.
It was the same with the Tabernacle. G-d wanted the hearts of the Israelites, and that happened when they give their silver and gold. Everything in the Tabernacle -- the gold, silver and copper, tachash skins and precious stones -- was not for a physical purpose because God does not need these physical things. It was all because God wants the heart of the Jewish people, and this is achieved by a person giving what he loves. When a Jew donates what he loves, he has given his heart.
The Tabernacle and the Temple were built by the Israelites who contributed with all their hearts. This is how the House through which all our prayers ascend to heaven was built. "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” from which all prayers go up to God because the source of the Jewish people’s heart is there.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel