By Sivan Rahav Meir
“And Moshe Rabbeinu saw that they had indeed done all the work exactly as Hashem had commanded, and Moshe blessed them (Sh’mot 39:43): ‘May the Divine Presence rest upon the work of your hands, and may the favor of Hashem our G-d be upon us.’”
This is one of the most beautiful berachos one can receive. The Jewish people invested so much time and effort in building the Mishkan, the spiritual center that accompanied them in the desert. They donated precious metals and jewelry, worked with diligence and dedication, and in this week’s parashah, Pekudei, the work is finally completed.
Rashi explains that Moshe Rabbeinu blesses the people with these words: “May it be Hashem’s will that the Shechinah rest upon your handiwork.”
This magnificent berachah encapsulates a multi-layer message: You have not just built a beautiful building. You have built a sanctuary that will represent the highest values and will be filled with the presence of Hashem. I bless you that you should see the noble value of your physical labor, how every shekel, nail, and drop of sweat has created a holy edifice, and your efforts will bring berachah, light, and redemption to the world.
We too are called upon to direct our worldly efforts towards a higher purpose. May the Shechinah rest upon us and crown our efforts with success.
There are times when we feel stuck while others seem to be moving forward. We live in a competitive, fast-paced, achievement-oriented world and can’t always keep up. Sometimes we pull over to the side of the road, feeling left out of the race.
The last pasuk of this week’s parashah summarizing the journeys of the Israelites in the desert, concludes: “In the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys…” To which Rashi comments: “Their place of encampment, that too is called a journey.”
This is a powerful message for life. When Bnei Yisrael were moving forward, that was obviously a journey, but when they encamped, the times when Hashem told them to stand still, even those times are part of the journey. Even when we don’t feel we are moving forwards, we are learning, progressing, and developing.
Chazal explain that each time Bnei Yisrael stopped and encamped, they gained more strength for the next journey.
If it seems like everyone else is getting married, advancing in their careers, having babies, and achieving life goals while we feel stuck and “parked,” we should not treat this period as a waste of time. It is also a chapter in our life’s journey. Even during these times, we develop and learn, even if in a hidden, internal way. At such times, it’s worth reminding ourselves that this place of encampment is also called a journey. And when we surrender to the process, we soon grow out of it.
Vaya’as is a word that recurs in the last few Torah portions. The Jewish people are asked to act, to contribute, to build the Mishkan.
We also have an example of “Vaya’as” among us now: This week, I spoke with high school student Eitan Cohen from ORT Pelech High School for boys in Jerusalem. His principal, Sgt. Maj. Yossi Hershkovitz, 44, was killed in battle in northern Gaza on November 10, 2023.
Just before the October 7 massacre, Principal Hershkovitz had left them with a mission.
“Following the conflict surrounding Yom Kippur tefillot in Tel Aviv, Yossi was devastated,” Eitan shared. “He wanted to transform the shock into action and decided on the spot that he would write a sefer Torah for the elevation of the soul of someone secular, someone who was seemingly from the other side. He approached the family of Chen Amir, a commando killed in an attack in Tel Aviv, and informed them that he would be donating a sefer Torah to them. He also told his wife Hadas and several other people that they needed to start collecting bottles, hundreds of thousands of bottles for recycling, to raise money for this cause.”
The students heard about Yossi’s initiative during the mourning period and began collecting bottles. They also took on several other projects to raise the funds and finally reached the required sum of around NIS 70,000. The sefer Torah is not new; it was damaged in the Holocaust and has now been restored.
The students were amazed to discover where Chen Amir lived: Kibbutz Re’im. Yossi had contacted the family even before Simchat Torah, but afterward, the kibbutz became a symbol.
“This week, we heard sounds of strife that almost took us back to that Yom Kippur,” the students told me. “And precisely this week, we sent invitations for the festive Hachnasat Sefer Torah parade to be held next week. The souls of Yossi, Chen, and all of us are connected. There is nothing so meaningful as a sefer Torah scroll from the Holocaust that will now be dedicated to Kibbutz Re’im to remind us of this.”
I recently attended a lecture by Iris Haim, mother of Yotam Haim, 29, who was one of three hostages misidentified as Hamas terrorists and accidentally killed a year ago on December 15, 2023, by Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip. The main thing about this meeting wasn’t the lecture, but what happened afterwards. A long line of people stood to receive a hug from Iris, which was perhaps more important than the words she delivered on stage.
Yotam’s phone was recently discovered in the kibbutz where he lived. Iris found many notes that Yotam wrote to himself. She chose to share the following: “We do not know what the person next to us is going through, and even one wrong look can break a person (believe me, I know). On the other hand, asking ‘How do you feel?’ can make a person’s day. Be alert, it’s important.”
Addressing the crowd, Iris said, “From where he is, Yotam continues to pass these messages to us.” Yotam wrote these things in a different reality. Today, we are required to be even more sensitive toward the plight of others, and the media and politicians are far from there. May we succeed in fulfilling his insightful words.
Translated by Yehoshua Siskin and Janine Muller Sherr.
Read more by Sivan Rahav Meir at sivanrahavmeir.com.
