STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
VAYAKHEL-SHEKALIM 5779
Mr. Alan Rosenstock is the President of Tomchei
Shabbos in Rockland County. One morning a few years ago, when I was still a
rebbe there, Mr. Rosenstock spoke to the students of Ashar. I was very moved by
his message, the gist of which follows:
“I often ask people what they think the message of
Tomchei Shabbos is. Most people don’t get it. It’s not only about the many food
packages we deliver to people who need it each week, or the tzedakah given, or
the many acts of discreet chesed that are performed.
“The main message of Tomchei Shabbos is about participation
and becoming involved. The Jewish people need the diverse talents, abilities,
and efforts of every single Jew. Everyone has something to give.
“Tomchei Shabbos is not comprised of people who do
what they can do, but of people who do what they need to do!
“One of the classes here in Ashar collected 660
cans for Tomchei Shabbos. Tomorrow morning, hundreds of families who wouldn’t
otherwise have breakfast, will be enjoying the cans that were collected. If I
asked those students before they started if they thought they could collect 660
cans, I would imagine most of them would have replied that there was no way.
But that class did what they needed to do.
“For a few years, I had the zechus to be a personal
driver for Rav Shimon Schwab zt’l. His shul, K’hal Adath Jeshurun in Washington
Heights, had a choir that would perform every other year at a concert that took
place in the shul’s social hall.
“Following one of the concerts, Rav Schwab explained
that we recite in Shema, “You shall love Hashem, your G-d, with all your heart,
and all your soul, and all of your [2]מאד.” מאד refers to anything that a person
feels very connected to; anything that is “very much” for that person. i.e.
whatever talents and capabilities one has, they must be channeled and used in
the service of Hashem, which includes bringing joy and benefit to others.
“When I was driving Rav Schwab afterwards, I asked
him why in the second paragraph of Shema, it repeats that one must serve Hashem
with all his heart and soul, but doesn’t include that one must serve Hashem
with all of his מאד?
“He replied that whereas the first paragraph of
Shema is speaking to the individual, the second paragraph of Shema is directed
at the collective whole. Every individual has unique talents, and the Jewish
people need the investment of every one of those talents. Our role is to figure
out what unique contribution we have that can benefit the public. The mandate
to give מאד was specifically instructed to each
individual.”
What is the ideal manner in which one should serve
G-d?
“Take from among you donations for Hashem, anyone
whose heart elevates him shall bring for the donation of Hashem, gold, and
silver, and copper…”[3] There were
a total of thirteen materials that could be donated to the Mishkan. Of those
materials, anyone could donate as much as he wanted. The only exception was
silver, from which there was a mandated silver half-shekel that had to
contributed.[4]
Sfas Emes notes that the word kesef (silver)
is similar to the word kisuf (yearning). By nature, every Jew is created
with an innate feeling of love for Hashem. The only reason a person may not
feel that love, is because he has dulled it or buried it beneath the morass of
sin. But if one repents, he will rediscover that the innate yearning to
connected with the divine. Every Jew had to contribute an equal amount of kesef
symbolizing every Jew’s innate kisuf. All other materials, representing all
other talents, could be contributed at will. Every person has his own unique
talents and resources and those are up to him to decide how much to donate.
Every Friday night, a woman lights the Shabbos
candles ushering in the sanctity of the holy day. Then, she recites a beautiful
tefillah, praying for the spiritual growth of her children[5]. “May I
merit to raise children and children’s children, wise and understanding, lovers
of G-d, those who fear G-d, men of truth, holy progeny, who cling to G-d, and
light up the world with Torah and good deeds, and all of the work of the
service of the Creator.”
At last year’s Agudah convention, Rabbi Moshe Tuvia
Lieff related the following poignant thought in the name of Rav Motta Frank:
Our greatest value is Torah study. We recite each
day, “Talmud Torah k’neged kulam – Torah study is equal to all of the
rest of them[6]”.
When a woman prays for her children, it would seem appropriate that she
conclude by praying that their children light up the world with Torah. Why does
the prayer continue that her children light up the world with “good deeds, and
all of the work of the service of the Creator”?
In conveying the answer, Rabbi Lieff raised his
voice, “My friends, the very question demonstrates a deficiency in us. What
have we done to ourselves? We have undermined the contributions and efforts of
many wonderful people. What about the young man who does not have the
capability to sit and learn all day but performs acts of chesed?! Does the
fellow from chaverim who comes to change your tire on the side of the road at 1
a.m. not light up the world?! Yes, our ultimate dream is for our children to be
Torah scholars. But there are other forms of the service of the Creator, and we
dare not undervalue and underappreciate them.
As a woman lights the Shabbos candles, she
beseeches G-d to help her children light up the world, foremost in Torah, but
beyond that, in any manner and form of service to G-d.
The message of the mandatory half-shekel tax is
that we all need each other. On our own, we are halves lacking completion. We
need the contributions of every single Jew in fulfilling “all the work of the
service of the Creator”. The most basic trait we must externalize is our
yearning for greatness and connection with G-d. Once we are in touch with that
natural emotion, we can bring forth the other materials/talents we uniquely
possess – each on his own level.
The Mishkan was built by a nation whose hearts were
elevated to participate. We continue to maintain the communal sanctuary of the
Jewish people through our collective efforts.
“You shall love Hashem with all of your ‘very
much’”
“Who light up the world with all the service of the
Creator”
Rabbi Dani Staum,
LMSW
Rebbe/Guidance
Counselor – Heichal HaTorah
Principal – Ohr
Naftoli- New Windsor
[1] The
following is the lecture I delivered at Kehillat New Hempstead, Parshas Vayakhel/Shekalim
5776
[2] The actual
meaning of מאדך
refers to one’s resources, that one must love Hashem with all of his
money/resources. Rav Schwab’s explanation was based on the literal translation
of the word מאד – very much.
[3] Shemos 35:5
[4]
Rashi (Shemos 25:3) explains there were three separate portions of silver donated. The first
was the mandatory half-shekel given by every Jew, which was used to create the
silver sockets that supported the massive beams which surrounded the Mishkan.
The second was the annual mandatory half-shekel given by every Jew which was
used to purchase the communal offerings brought in the Mishkan. The third
portion was optional donations of silver which were used to create the various
silver vessels used in the Mishkan.
[5] Men are
grateful to R’ Baruch Levine who enlightened us to the text of this powerful
tefillah through his well-known, moving song to these words. Before that song
was produced most men weren’t aware of the tefillah.
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