Bostoner Torah Insights: Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English and Hebrew: Parshas Vayakhel – 29 Adar Alef 5784
Bostoner Torah Insights - Yerushalayim
Bostoner Torah Insights
Bostoner ‘Chassidus’ in English
Parshas Vayakhel – 29 Adar Alef 5784
Bostoner Rebbe shlit”a – Yerushalayim
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The construction of the Mishkan is mentioned three times in the Torah. In Parshas Terumah, the design of the Mishkan and the various Kaylim were given. In Vayakhel the vessels and parts were manufactured, and in Pikudei these parts and vessels were assembled. In all three places, the Adanim are mentioned. These were the silver sockets that held the wooden posts or Krashim of the Mishkan in place.
The Talmud Yerushalmi (Shekalim 1:1) points out that the word Termuah appears three times in the opening Pesukim of Parshas Terumah (Shemos 25:2-3). The Gemara explains in the name of R' Shimon ben Gamliel that there were three categories of Terumah that were given at this time. One was the mandatory half-shekel donation of silver that went toward the construction of the silver sockets of the Mishkan. The second category was the annual mandatory half-shekel contribution that went toward the purchase of communal offerings. The third category was general funds and materials given for the Mishkan, which did not have a set amount and any needed item could be given.
The Mishnah (Shabbos 7:2) lists 'writing' and 'erasing' as two of the thirty-nine Melachos of work forbidden on Shabbos. Rav Ovadiah Bartenura explains that in regards to the building of the Mishkan, from where we learn all the 39 categories of Melacha, they would write a letter on each wooden post or Keresh to match them with their 'partners' in order to know which post went where.
However, aside from perhaps the corner pieces, all of the wooden Kerashim should have been interchangeable. Why was it necessary to mark them and match them with the other wooden posts. After the section which discusses the Kerashim and the design of the Mishkan (Shemos 26:15-29), the final Pasuk says, "You shall erect the Mishkan according to its judgment as you have been shown on the mountain" (Shemos 26:30). The Yerushalmi (Shabbos 12:3) asks what possible 'judgement' could exist for wooden posts. The Gemera answers, "Whichever Keresh merited to be placed in the north should remain in the north, and whichever Keresh merited to be placed in the south should remain in the south".
Some explain that this is based on the principle of Maalin B'Kodesh V'Ayn Moridin, that it is permitted to raise the sanctity of something, but one should not lower the sanctity of something. Accordingly, a Keresh that was originally placed at a certain distance from the Kodesh Kodashim should not be subsequently erected at a further distance in the future. It is curious why we do not find a similar concern about the placement of the silver sockets, the Adanim. Why didn’t they need engraved letters as well to keep them in the same relative location.
Perhaps we can suggest that the silver sockets were unique in that they came from the one-time mandatory half-shekel contribution. Other objects in the Mishkan may have come from certain individuals, but the silver sockets came from everyone. One hundred talents of silver, representing 600,000 men, was melted down, mixed together and cast into these Adanim. Therefore, it could be said that each individual socket represented all of Klal Yisroel to the same extent, and therefore it did not matter if these individual silver sockets got moved around.
There is a story told about the Chafetz Chaim, who once was collecting money and was traveling in an ornate carriage. One of the wealthy men solicited complained to the Chafetz Chaim that if he was collecting charity, he should not be splurging on his transportation. The Chafetz Chaim answer that just as Betzalel was divinely inspired to understand which contribution should be used for which parts of the Mishkan, based on the heartfelt intentions of the donors (see Ma'ayana Shel Torah, Shemos pg 143), so too any donation with heartfelt intention would go towards worthy expenses such as Sefarim, while those who gave begrudgingly would go to less worthy expenses, such as transportation.
We can bring support from the narrative of Yaakov, who took "from the stones of the place" (Beraishis 28:11), but when he awoke he "took the stone that he placed around his head" (Beraishis 28:18). The Gemara (Chulin 91b) explains that all of the stones began to quarrel because each wanted Yaakov to rest on them. Subsequently a miracle occurred and all the stones were amalgamated into one. However, one could ask why this placated the stones, since even though it was now one stone, Yaakov's head only rested on a portion of the stone. You are forced to say that there was a union of individual molecules from all the stones that migrated to the area which Yaakov's head rested. Similarly, we can suggest that the individual molecules of each silver socket which represented each individual who gave the half-shekel of silver could also migrate to become closer or further away from the Aron Kodesh in the Kodesh Kodashim.
An alternative answer comes from the Gemara (Sukkah 5a), which based on the Pasuk, "The Heavens are Hashem's, but the earth He has given to mankind" (Tehillim 115:16) that men like Moshe and Eliyahu HaNavi never reached within ten handbreadths of Heaven, and Hashem's Shechina does not reach within ten handbreadths of the earth. Thus, we could suggest there is no practical difference where the silver sockets were placed relative to the Holy of Holies and the Aron Kodesh, since they were within the first ten handbreadths of the ground.
The message we must take away is that everyone is obligated to always unite with the rest of Beis Yisroel, to improve our ways in order to rectify past deeds that were improper, and in this way we will all merit the building of the Beis HaMikdash with the help of Moshiach Tzidkeynu.--
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