Parshat Vayikra 5785
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in the first pasuk of this week’s parsha, ויקרא אל משה וידבר ד' אליו מאהל מועד לאמר. Rashi comments on the word לאמר, צא ואמור להם דברי כבושן, בשבילכם הוא נדבר עמי. Hashem tells Moshe to tell Bnei Yisrael words which they would like to hear. Though Moshe was receiving this great honor of having Hashem speak to him, he tells Bnei Yisrael it was only because of them. בשבילכם; it’s only because of you, Bnei Yisrael, that Hashem is speaking to me.
At the end of last week’s parsha, Pekudei, the pasuk says (Chapter 40, Pasuk 34), ויכס הענן את אהל מועד וכבוד ד' מלא את המשכן. The cloud of glory covered Ohel Mo’ed, and the Mishkan was filled with the presence of Hashem. And in the very next pasuk we read,ולא יכול משה לבוא אל אהל מועד . Moshe was not able to enter Ohel Mo’ed.
The Sfas Emes asks, how could it be that because the cloud of Hashem covered Ohel Mo’ed Moshe couldn’t enter? We read earlier by Kabbalas HaTorah in the end of parshat Mishpatim (Chapter 24, Pasuk 15), ויעל משה אל ההר ויכס הענן את ההר. Moshe went up the mountain and the cloud covered the mountain. And a few pasukim later we read, ויבא משה בתוך הענן ויעל אל ההר. Moshe went through the cloud and went up the mountain. If he was able to go up to Har Sinai through the Divine cloud, surely he should be able to go into the Mishkan though it was filled with the presence of Hashem!
The building of the Mishkan took place after Bnei Yisrael did Teshuvah for the cheit ha’egel, the sin of the golden calf. And the sacrifices brought in the Mishkan are all means of getting closer to Hashem, as the name Karban indicates. Different sacrifices are able to atone for various sins committed by the members of Bnei Yisrael and bring them back to Hashem. The Mishkan was a place for Ba’alei Teshuvah.
Moshe Rabbeinu was a Tzadik Gamur. Moshe Rabbeinu was able to ascend Har Sinai even when it was enveloped in the Divine Presence. But when the Mishkan was covered with the cloud of Hashem, he was deterred from entering.
The Sfas Emes teaches that this is an illustration of the Gemara in Berachos 34B, מקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורים עומדין. The Tzadik Gamur can’t stand in the same place as the Ba’al Teshuvah. Standing in the Mishkan, the place of Ba’alei Teshuvah, while it was filled with the cloud of Hashem, was beyond the scope of Moshe Rabbeinu.
He teaches that this is also the explanation for the Gemara in Menachos 29A. The Gemara teaches that Moshe had difficulty with the Menorah and Hashem showed him a Menorah of fire. And according to another position in the Gemara, Moshe was also shown the Shulchan and the Aron in a fiery form and built them according to the design shown to him. This is because the Mishkan, being a place of Ba’alei Teshuvah was hard for Moshe to comprehend and he needed the clear illustration of their construction in order to build them.
We read the same thing by the Machatzis Ha’Shekel. The Medrash in Bamidbar Rabbah (12,3) teaches that Hashem showed Moshe Rabbeinu the Machatzis Ha’Shekel in a fiery form from under His כסא הכבוד. He told Moshe, this what they must bring, זה יתנו, כזה יתנו. Moshe had difficulty with the concept of receiving atonement for sins committed. He was unfamiliar with the path of the Ba’alei Teshuvah.
The Gemara in Yoma 86A teaches גדולה תשובה שמגעת עד כסא הכבוד. The power of Teshuvah is such that it can reach up to the כסא הכבוד. This is the special power of Teshvuah, that Hashem helps us reach levels beyond our reach. But with His assistance, we are able to reach up to His Throne of Glory. And Moshe, the Tzadik Gamur, had difficulty relating to this. And this is why Hashem had to show him the Machatzis Ha’Shekel from under His Throne which could provide atonement and help the Ba’al Teshuvah reach great heights.
This is why Moshe said to Bnei Yisrael בשבילכם; Hashem is speaking to me because of you. The Mishkan is the place for Ba’alei Teshuvah and you are the ones worthy of such holiness. And the word בשבילכם contains within it the word שביל which means path. It is because of the great path of Teshuvah which can lead to such heights that He is speaking to me about the Karbanos in the Mishkan.
We are a week before BE”H we celebrate Pesach. And this is one of the themes of Pesach; the ability to reach great heights with Hashem’s assistance. As the name Pesach indicates, to skip over or jump, we can accomplish growth in a quicker fashion, as the Sfas Emes teaches, שלא בהדרגה. And this is also true of the Ba’al Teshuvah whose Teshuvah reaches up to the Kisei HaKavod. And as Chazal teach, מקום שבעלי תשובה עומדין אין צדיקים גמורים עומדין.
Good Shabbos
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