Parshiyot Vayakhel-P'kudei: The Dangling Conversation

Echoes of Eden

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Parashiot Vayak’hel-P’kudei 5778

The Dangling Conversation

Moshe was the greatest teacher the Jewish People ever had, and that was his lasting legacy. He has been known for millennia as “Moshe Rabenu,” Moshe our Master Teacher - not Moshe the king, or the redeemer; he was, above all the other roles he filled, the quintessential teacher – even though he led our ancestors out of bondage, navigated the path to the Promised Land, represented us and pleaded on our behalf, and so much more.

This week’s Torah reading begins with what may be the quintessential teaching moment, which presented itself after several months that were perhaps too eventful, too exciting: The Israelites had left Egypt, had witnessed countless miracles, had fought a war against Amalek, had received the Torah and experienced a level of prophecy never before known to mankind; some of them then went on to commit the colossal error of the golden calf – all in the space of a few short months. The fate and future of the Jewish People hung in the balance, and Moshe’s prayers on their behalf were accepted. God forgave them, and Moshe was invited to return to the mountaintop, and to receive new Tablets of Testimony to replace the Tablets that had been shattered when the nation sinned.

Now, upon his descent, Moshe finally has an opportunity to teach the assembled nation. There is a great deal of material to cover; God had given him so many laws, so many concepts and details, on his various trips to the summit, and Moshe  is faced with an educational and spiritual challenge: Where to begin?

Moshe’s first lesson is Shabbat:

Moshe then gathered the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that God has commanded you to do: On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to God; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the Sabbath day. (Shmot 35:1-3)

While there may be many reasons why, of all things, Moshe chose Shabbat for their first topic of study, it is worth recalling that the laws of Shabbat were the final topic covered by God before He handed Moshe the first set of Tablets.

And God said to Moshe: Speak to the Israelite People and say: You must keep My Sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that God has consecrated you. You shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy for you. He who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his nation. Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest, holy to God; whoever does work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. The Israelite people shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time; it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the People of Israel, for in six days God made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He ceased from work and was refreshed.

When He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moshe the two Tablets of the Covenant, stone tablets inscribed with the finger of God. (Shmot 31:12-18)

The repetition of the laws of Shabbat, though, is not a literary device; something far more important than narrative style lies behind the choice of Moshe’s first lesson plan.

Let us consider the timing: The laws of  Shabbat were the last to be communicated by God to Moshe before He ordered him to return to the camp and contend with the sin of the golden calf. It stands to reason, then, that the laws of Shabbat were spoken and Moshe was given the Tablets at the very same time as the people down below were forming and worshiping the golden calf. The stark disparity between the two scenes - the summit and the base of Mount Sinai - should be considered when we read the verses with which God introduced the observance of Shabbat to Moshe. A “split screen view” of events makes God’s words concerning Shabbat observance even more meaningful, and somewhat intriguing:  

The Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the People of Israel.

Despite God’s later threat to eradicate the entire nation, despite the enormity of the sin the people were committing at that very moment, God was establishing the ground rules for an eternal covenant with the Jewish People, and the symbol of that covenant: Shabbat. As the people at the foot of Mount Sinai were sinning, God revealed to Moshe that the Jewish People will keep Shabbat forever – which, by extension, means that Jewish People will be equally eternal.

But God adds another piece of information: Desecration of Shabbat is punishable by death. Those who had worshipped the golden calf, as well as those who stood by passively and silently, deserved a death sentence. They had trampled the first two of the Ten Commandments, but at the very moment they should have been sentenced to eradication, God taught that anyone who observes the Shabbat will be spared. Anyone who testifies, through their Shabbat observance, that God, and not some man-made idol, created and sustains the universe, actively repudiates the golden calf and all it stands for. God created the remedy at the very moment the ailment was ravaging the camp.

The renowned Hebrew essayist Ahad Ha'am (Asher Ginsberg, 1856-1927) remarked that “more than the Jews kept Shabbat, Shabbat kept the Jews.” This astute comment is a very potent religious, sociological and cultural observation, but Ahad Ha’Am missed the additional aspect of biblical exegesis: God declared that the covenant with the Jewish People, with Shabbat as its most potent marker, would, in fact, be upheld throughout the generations. The Jews would survive the golden calf episode, and would bear eternal testimony to God’s creation of heaven and earth.

This, then was the content of  Moshe’s first lesson to the Jewish People: Shabbat, the most central expression of our eternal covenant with God. For the people who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and received this first lesson from Moshe, the message was even stronger: Despite the golden calf, despite the fact that they deserved to be expunged from the pages of history, they were given a method of both reaffirming and proving their belief in God. Shabbat observance was given to us in order to elevate the six days of the working week and allow us to identify with and emulate God. Shabbat, for the Jews in the desert and for every Jew ever since, has been the sign of our fidelity to God, of our covenant with Him. From the generation that survived the golden calf debacle to the present day, Shabbat is saved us, and continues to save us, when the future looks bleak.

© Rabbi Ari Kahn 2018

For more essays and lectures on Parashiot Vayehel Pikudai:

http://arikahn.blogspot.co.il/2018/03/audio-and-essays-parashiot-vayakhel.html

Audio and Essays Parashiot Vayakhel & Pikudei

Audio and Essays Parashiot Vayakhel & Pikudei

New Echoes of Eden Project:

Vayakhel:

Audio:

Shabbat; A Love Story

Fire (and Carrying)

Inadequacy

Making the Ark, Building the Mishkan

Shabbat; Spiritual Rehabilitation -

The Holy "Am Haaretz"

Shabbat Creation Kabbala and Infinity -

Pikudei:

Audio:

A Happy Ending

Clouds - From Both Sides

The Role of Dan - past present and future

A prayer of Moshe –

Making the Ark, Building the Mishkan –

Essays:

Vayakhel

Light My Fire (5776)

Creativity (5774)

The Seventh Day (5760)

Pekudei

Clouds, From Both Sides (5776)

An Accounting (5775)

A Happy Ending (5774)

A Prayer of Moshe (5770)

Shabbat: Spiritual Rehabilitation (5769)

Bringing Down the Shechina (5761)

The Architect (5760)

Purim 5778 - Blessed Be Haman?

Echoes of Eden

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Purim 5778

Blessed Be Haman?

This essay was written in memory of a courageous man, whom I was privileged to teach - Rabbi Eric Most ZT"L

The Zionist plan appeared to have failed. God had kept His word; He had fulfilled his part of the covenant forged with the patriarchs. Their descendants had inherited the Land of Israel, as He had promised, but the Children of Israel had failed to honor their side of agreement, and the default clauses were set in motion: Destruction and death took the place of the vibrant society and thriving economy of Zion. The Jews were cast into exile, into hopelessness. It appeared that the Jewish Commonwealth was destined to be one more chapter in the annals of failed civilizations, a nation-state whose golden age dissipated as prosperity evaporated, political and religious freedom were lost, and self-determination was erased, the once-glorious Temple reduced to ruins. The Jews of Shushan no longer dared to dream of a national future. Their glory days, they believed, were no more than a fading memory, part of a history that was eclipsed by a frightening present.

It was clear to them that God had rejected them: Prophecy had gone dry, leaving a hollow but resounding silence in its place. They lacked the resources they would need to rebuild the Temple, which was the most important tool for repairing the rift they had created with God. The new rulers who controlled their once-independent homeland would not allow them to return to or rebuild their ruined country.

The exile was more than a geographical challenge; it tore apart the very fabric of their peoplehood. Scattered across vast expanses of the ancient world, they became a people divided. The forces of entropy began to break the bonds between communities and individuals. In the end, they believed, it was every man (or woman) for him- or herself. The Nation of Israel would cease to exist. They had lost their monarchy, they had lost their Temple, they lost their land, and now they would move forward and abandon their national identity.

The supreme ruler of the conquering empire invited everyone to a feast, and these assimilating Jews saw it as the perfect opportunity to fit in – despite the fact that this gluttonous debauch would be a veritable smorgasbord of values and behaviors antithetical to Jewish law and morals. Non-kosher food and wine (and far too much of it), immodest revelry – and to make matters worse, rumors that the utensils of their Holy Temple would be used to serve up their national humiliation – none of this was enough to keep the Jews of Shushan from participating. They were a people who had lost their dreams, lost their identity, and lost their pride.

But then, something happened. The Kingdom of Persian had intrigue of its own. There were plots and insurrection, and a sudden opening for the position of queen. As luck would have it, a Jewish girl was selected. Almost no one knew Esther’s identity, but even if they had known, that might well have considered this the most successful step toward full integration into Persian society.

Unbeknownst to them all, the wheels had been set in motion, but the shift was so subtle it was all but imperceptible. The first stage was the creation of Jewish unity, without which no salvation would be possible, and began at a most unlikely source. Haman, a misanthrope with seething hatred for Jews, accused them of being a fifth column, a subversive force spread through the kingdom. He harped on their disunity (Esther 3:8), but brought them together by sentencing them all to the same fate: death. The second stage in the rebirth of Jewish unity was Esther. Hearing Haman's decree, she instructed Mordechai to gather the Jews, to bring them together for communal prayer and fasting. (Esther 4:15)

The tide had turned. The people were reminded of their common history, and the dispersed Jews who had imagined their future as stateless individuals, who thought that the Jewish People had ceased to exist as a national entity, now realized that they shared a common destiny. They were one People. They prayed as a People, and God heard their prayers.

The wealthy, powerful Haman soon became a victim of his own scheming. The vast fortune he had amassed is transferred by royal decree to his most bitter enemy, Mordechai. (Esther 8:2) Haman inherits the fate he had planned for the Jews – death – and the plot to eradicate the Jewish People is foiled as Esther’s identify is revealed. (Esther 8:1) The book of Esther ends, but the story of the Jewish People is far from over; in fact, it is a new beginning. The Jews find their way; they remember they are a people. They remember God. They remember their destiny; many (but not enough) return to Israel. Jerusalem is re-populated; somehow, they find the funds to rebuild the Temple.

Perhaps it's a good thing God doesn’t speak in the book of Esther; had a prophet been instructed to convey God's plan of how things would work out, who would have believed it? The story seems too fantastic – but it is actually even more "far-fetched" than we might think. The post-script to the Book of Esther found in rabbinic tradition^[1]  completes the picture:

The king who eventually allowed the Jewish exiles to return to the Land of Israel was Darius, the son of Ahashverosh and Esther. According to one source, Darius was only seven years old when he granted the Jews the right of repatriation. Apparently, a certain queen, known for her beauty and regal comportment, was a major influence on this boy-king. Esther, who always knew precisely what to say and when to say it, pulled the appropriate strings behind the scenes and engineered the Jews' return to their homeland.

One additional point should give us food for thought:[2] The wealth amassed by Haman was transferred to Mordechai, and eventually made its way to Jerusalem, where it was used to rebuild the Temple. Perhaps there should have been a plaque affixed to the Temple's vestibule, to be read aloud every year on Purim: “This building was paid for by the notorious Haman, who united the Jewish People. May his memory be blessed.” Such a "blessing" would most certainly have brought a smile to the lips of the triumphant celebrants as they raised their glasses – and thumbed their noses – in Haman's memory, and shouted, “L’chaim – Happy Purim!”

---

[1] See Maharal, Or Chadash Chapter 2, based on Midrash Tanchumah B’shalach 28. Also see Rabbi Moshe Turiel, Nes Purim V’Eretz Yisrael, in Ki Sarita: Essays on Purim in Memory of Menachem Yisrael Ganz, 1988, pp. 233-238, Rabbi Turiel’s essay influenced this essay.

אור חדש למהר"ל על פרק ב

…אבל דוד נרמז וחש, גם את הארי גם הדוב וכו' (שמואל א, יז, לו) אמר דוד וכי מה אני ספין שהכתי חיות רעות אלו אלא אמר שמא דבר עתיד ליארע את ישראל והן עתידים לינצל ע"י מרדכי, ובכל יום ויום מתהלך (אסתר ב, יא) אמר אפשר שצדקת זו תנשא לערל הזה אלא לדבר גדול הוא שע"י ינצלו את ישראל ע"כ,

מדרש תנחומה בשלח כח

…אֲבָל דָּוִד וּמָרְדְּכַי נִתַּן לָהֶם רֶמֶז וְחָשׁוּ. דָּוִד אָמַר: גַּם אֶת הָאֲרִי גַּם הַדּוֹב הִכָּה עַבְדֶּךָ וְגוֹ'. (ש״‎א יז, לו). מָרְדְּכַי, וּבְכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם מָרְדְּכַי מִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי חֲצַר בֵּית הַנָּשִׁים וְגוֹ' (אסתר ב, יא). אָמַר, אֶפְשָׁר לַצַּדֶּקֶת זוֹ שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לְעָרֵל. אֶלָּא שֶׁעָתִיד דָּבָר גָּדוֹל לִהְיוֹת עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁעֲתִידִין לְהִנָּצֵל עַל יָדֶיהָ.

[2] This "thought" is attributed to God: See Sefer D’Aggadata on Esther- Midrash Abba Gurion Parasha 3, also found in the Yalkut Shimoni - Esther remez 1058 and Maharal, Or Chadash Chapter 3.

ספרי דאגדתא על אסתר - מדרש אבא גוריון (בובר) פרשה ג

[ג א] ד"א אחר הדברים האלה. הרהורי דברים היה שם, מי הרהר, ר' יהודה אומר המן הרהר, אמר הדא אסתר אין יהודאה היא, קרובתי היא מן אבי עשו דכתיב הלא אח עשו ליעקב (מלאכי א ב), ואין משאר עממין היא כל העממין קרובין אלו לאלו ראוי אני לטול פרוקופי מתחת ידה, ור' נחמיה אמר אחשורוש הרהר, אמר מרדכי זה אני חושב לו טובה והוא ישב כאן ומבקש לבנות בית המקדש, לבנותו אי אפשר, להחזירו אי אפשר, אלא הריני מגרה בו [את] המן ויהיה זה בונה וזה סותר, וחכמים אומרים הקדוש ברוך הוא הרהר, אמר מרדכי זה צדיק גמור הוא אם נוטל פרוקופי יבא המן ויסגל ממון ויבא מרדכי ליטול ממנו ויבנה בית המקדש.