Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parashiot summaries followed by a Dvar Torah;

” Parashat Vayakhel in a Nutshell “

Moshe advices Benei Israel to keep Shabbat once again, and requests donations for the materials for making the Mishkan–portable Sanctuary for G-d. He collects gold, silver, precious stones, skins and yarn, as well as incense and olive oil for the Menorah and for anointing. The princes of each tribe bring the precious stones for the Kohen Gadol’s breastplate and ephod- an apronlike vestment worn just underneath the breastplate.

G-d appoints Bezalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen. Benei Israel contribute so much that Moshe begins to refuse donations. Special curtains with two different covers were designed for the Mishkan’s roof and door. Gold-covered boards in silver formed the Mishkan’s walls. Bezalel made the Holy Ark from wood covered with gold. On the Ark’s cover were two figures facing each other (Cherubim). The Menorah and the Table were also of gold. Two altars were made: a small incense altar of wood overlaid with gold, and a larger altar for sacrifices made of wood covered with copper.

” Parashat Pekudei in a Nutshell “

After finishing all the different parts, vessels and garments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a complete accounting and enumeration of all the contributions and of the various clothing and vessels which had been made.

Benei Israel bring everything to Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of the month of Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud descends upon it, indicating that G-d’s glory was resting there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the Mishkan, Benei Israel would follow it. At night the cloud was replaced by a pillar of fire.

” Dvar Torah “

Last week we read the tragic story of the Golden Calf. Unfortunately, the children of Israel committed a grave sin. They made themselves a molten imagine and began to worship it while Moses was away. When Moses came down the mountain and saw the calf, the Torah says the people were “peruah”, meaning “wild, disorderly, chaotic, unruly, lawless.” Moses “saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.”

So, what did Moses do when he saw that the people made for themselves a golden calf, run riot and lost its sense of ethical and spiritual direction? How do you restore moral order? How do you bring them back to serve  G-d?!

Well, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says that the answer lies in the first few words of Parashat Vayakhel. The Parsha starts off by saying “Moses gathered the entire assembly of the children of Israel….” The word “Yayakhel” comes from the word “Kehila”, meaning “community”. When Moses came down the mountain, he didn’t see a community, but just a crowd! So, he decided to gather them together and make them into a community again, because the best way to restore order and bring back the people to serve G-d is by making a “Kehila”! And once he did that, he reminded them about two commandments: Shabbat and building a Mishkan.

But why did Moshe choose these two commandments out of all the other commandments to teach the Benei Yisrael at this time? Well, Rabbi Sacks says it’s because Shabbat and the Mishkan are the two most powerful ways of building a community. The best way of turning a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together. Hence the Mishkan. Building a house for G-d not only brings unity among people, but it also brings people closer to their Creator. And the best way of strengthening the relationship between man and his fellow, is by praying, eating and spending time together —– things that can only be done Shabbat. Shabbat and the mishkan were the two great community-building experiences of the Israelites in the desert.

In Judaism, community is essential to the spiritual life. Our holiest prayers require a minyan. When we celebrate or mourn we do so as a community. Even when we confess on Yom Kippur, we do so together. Rambam says “One who separates himself from the community, even if he does not commit a sin but merely holds himself aloof from the congregation of Israel; he who does not fulfil the commandments together with his people; a person who shows himself indifferent and isolates himself from the rest of the community — such a person has no share in the world to come.”  In Judaism, it is as a community that we come before G-d. “Na-ase Ve Nishma”. For us the key relationship is not “I shall do”, but “We shall do”!!

Yes my friends, the Torah is once again teaching us the importance of the community. To be a Jew, you need to belong to a community! Judaism and individualism are two opposing concepts. G-d wants to see us together when we pray, when we celebrate, when we eat, when we rest and even when we cry. He wants us to help other members of our community and care for each other. He wants us to be united!

B”H, in the Mashadi community, we take this matter very seriously. Community is one of the most important aspects of our lives. We choose where to live, where to work, where to study, who to socialize with and who to marry, all based on the community we belong to. We gladly participate in each other’s happy occasions, but on the other hand, we also share tears in each other’s sorrow. And the two commandments that we take very seriously are, building a Sanctuary for G-d and Shabbat, just like the two commandments that Moshe taught the Benei Yisrael when they needed to be united!

In other cultures and religions, the success of an individual is measured by his or her accomplishments. In Judaism however, the greatness of a person is valued by how much he has done for his community!

Shabbat Shalom & Regards;

Martin

Dear Friends;

I hope that you will enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah on Purim;

” Parsha in a Nutshell “

G-d tells Moshe to command the Jewish People to supply pure olive oil for the menorah in the Mishkan(Tent of Meeting). He also tells Moshe to organize the making of the bigdei kehuna(priestly garments): A breastplate, an ephod, a robe, a checkered tunic, a turban, a sash, a forehead-plate, and linen trousers. Upon their completion, Moshe is to perform a ceremony for seven days to consecrate Aharon and his sons. This includes offering sacrifices, dressing Aharon and his sons in their respective garments, and anointing Aharon with oil. G-d commands that every morning and afternoon a sheep be offered on the altar in the Mishkan. G-d commands that an altar for incense be built from acacia wood and covered with gold. Aharon and his descendants should burn incense on this altar every day.

“ Purim, the Festival of Unity “

Every Jewish Festival or Holiday, has a theme to it and comes with a “message”. For example, Pesach is all about eating Matzot and remembering the Exodus. Its’ message: Be grateful to Hashem who took you out of Egypt from slavery with strong arms and chose you to be his Chosen People.

Sukkot, is all about leaving the comfort of our homes and going to live in a temporary “Hut”, so that we realize that our comfortable homes and all of our belongings, are all because of Hashem’s generosity and not because of our own intelligence and hard work!

Shavuot, is all about receiving the Torah and realizing that we are Hashem’s chosen people and we are obligated to follow his commandments.

Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is all about repentance. Once a year, we have to ask for forgiveness from Hashem, for all the sins that we have committed in previous year, and try our best not to repeat them again.

Chanukkah is the festival of lights. Its message is to show us that even at the darkest point in our lives, Hashem does not abandon us, and there is always a light at the end of a tunnel.

So, what is the theme for Purim and what message does it carry with it? Some people may think that it’s only a Festival for the children. They put costumes on them and they send out bags of candies to their friends. Others might think it’s a Holiday just to have fun. It’s time to party, dance and get drunk for some unknown reason?!

But surely, there has to be something more informative about the Festival of Purim?! After a short research, I came across a drasha given by Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetsky which explains the theme of Purim. He says that the true message of Purim can be found in the Megillah itself!

The story of the Megillah occurred in 4th century BCE. King Achashverosh ruled over the Persian Empire which extended over 127 provinces (countries). King Achashverosh had his wife, Queen Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders. He then orchestrated a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and became the new queen—though she refused to reveal her identity. Meanwhile, Haman was appointed prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader of the Jews and Esther’s cousin, defied the king’s orders and refused to bow to Haman. Because of Mordechai’s disrespect, Haman got very angry and decided to exterminate all of the Jews, who all lived under King Achashverosh’s ruling at the time.

In order to convince the king to issue a decree ordering the extermination of all the Jews, Haman came to the King with the following argument: ” There is ONE nation scattered among your people in all of your provinces. They have their own laws, and they don’t even obey the King’s law.”

Rabbi Kamenetsky says that the same argument Haman used for asking to kill the Jews, is also the reason for their salvation. The key word here is “ONE”! The Jews were scattered across the 127 provinces of King Achashverosh jurisdiction which was almost the whole world of the time, but they were all united as ONE nation. They all prayed together, they all fasted together and they really cared about each other. Queen Esther was even ready to give up her life, in order to save the lives of the other Jews!! And because of the unity and the love that they had for one another, Hashem saved them from the wicked hands of Haman and his followers, and they became victorious over their enemy!

Yes my friends, the message of Purim is quite clear! Purim is a Festival of unity and friendship!! When we are united, there are no kings or leaders in the world that could defeat us. Hashem is always with us when we are united. The Festival of Purim is the time to bring us closer to each other. It is the time to show our love for one another and to show that we care about ALL the Jews across the world and not just the ones in our own community! In the whole Megillah, there is no mention of Hashem’s name, not even once! Maybe it’s because during this Festival, Hashem wants us to get closer to each other, rather than to get closer to Him! It’s a Holiday for us Jews to bond together!! That’s why the main Mitzvot of this Holiday is to give gifts, preferably to a distance friend, and give charity to the people in need. It’s the time to get rid of all the grudges and find the way to become close to those people who we have distance ourselves from!! It’s a time to find a way to people’s heart and love everyone we know! And that’s what Purim is all about!

So my friends, let us celebrate Purim this year with a different attitude. Let’s find it in our hearts to love every other Jew. Let’s drink, dance and party together. But keep in mind that the reason for our celebration is not because we just want to have fun, but rather, the main reason is that we really do care about each other!

Shabbat Shalom, Purim Sameach & Regards;

Martin