Parshat Pekudei 5785
Rabbi Jablinowitz
This week’s parsha begins with the counting of the materials and the vessels used in the building of the Mishkan. The first pasuk refers to the Mishkan as משכן העדות, the Mishkan of testimony. Rashi teaches that since Hashem allowed the Shechinah to dwell among Bnei Yisrael in the Mishkan, the Mishkan served as testimony that He forgave them for the cheit ha’egel, the sin of the golden calf.
The Medrash Rabbah on our parsha (51,7) states that the reason the Mishkan is called Mishkan Ha’Edus is because the word Eidus is referring to the Torah. As we read in parshat Ki Sisa when Moshe Rabbeinu was first given the Luchos (Chapter 31, Pasuk 18), ויתן אל משה ככלתו לדבר אתו בהר סיני שני לחת העדת. The first Luchos were called Luchos Ha’Eidus. And since the Luchos were in the Aron in the Mishkan, the Mishkan is called Mishkan Ha’Edus.
The Sfas Emes adds that the words לחת העדת are referencing the עדי, the special ornament or crown Bnei Yisrael received at Har Sinai. The Gemara in Shabbos 88A teaches that when Bnei Yisrael stood at Har Sinai and they said Na’aseh V’Nishma, six hundred thousand angels descended and tied crowns on their heads; one for Na’aseh and one for Nishma. Rashi on the Gemara teaches that these crowns had a special light containing the splendor of the Shechinah.
But when they sinned with the golden calf, the pasuk says (Chapter 33, Pasuk 6), ויתנצלו בני ישראל את עדים מהר חורב. The Gemara explains that angels came down and removed their crowns and gave them to Moshe Rabbeinu. And the very next pasuk says ומשה יקח את האהל; the simple meaning is that Moshe moved his tent outside the camp of Bnei Yisrael after they sinned with the golden calf. But Rashi on the Gemara in Shabbos explains that the word אהל means great light and brings a pasuk from sefer Iyov to support this (Chapter 29, Pasuk 3, בילו נרו). Moshe Rabbeinu received the great light of the Luchos lost by Bnei Yisrael. He took their crowns which contained this great light, and this is the light we read at the end of parshat Ki Sisa (Chapter 34, Pasuk 35), כי קרן עור פניו.
The Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh teaches in sefer Devarim (Chapter 10, Pasuk 1) on the words בעת ההיא אמר ד' אלי פסל לך שני לוחת אבנים כראשנים ועלה אלי ההרה ועשית לך ארון עץ the following point. The second set of Luchos were made by Moshe Rabbeinu; they didn’t have the same illuminating strength as the first set. They were not called לוחות העדות. As a result, Moshe was told to prepare a physical container for them; ועשית לך ארון עץ. Moshe needed to carry them in a physical container (see Rashi that this was not the Aron of the Mishkan). But the first set which were made by Hashem stood by themselves; they were above and beyond any physical place.
This changed with the second set of Luchos after cheit ha’egel. As we mentioned earlier, Moshe took his tent, or his great light, and called it Ohel Moed. The word Mo’ed means a fixed time. The Sfas Emes brings the position of Rabbi Abba in the Zohar Hakadosh who sees that this change to Ohel Mo’ed, was for the worse. Now the light of the Torah was dependent on time. Previously, with the first set of Luchos, the great light was above time. Now it was dependent on time as the name Ohel Mo’ed indicates.
After the sin of the golden calf, Bnei Yisrael did Teshuvah and received the second set of Luchos. But with the breaking of the לוחות העדות, the עדי which they received at Har Chorev was removed. And instead, Bnei Yisrael had משכן העדות. They had the great light of Torah within the physical confines of the Mishkan. And within the Mishkan was the אהל מועד, indicating that the light of Hashem and His Torah was restricted by time as well. And the Mishkan Ha’Edus, the presence of Hashem in our physical world, was פוקד על פי משה; Moshe Rabbeinu, who represented the great heights that a person of flesh and blood is able to attain in our physical world.
Good Shabbos
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