The Miracle of Moshe’s Strength - Pekudei 5785

After the Mishkan (the portable Sanctuary in the desert) was completed, the Torah tells us in this week’s Parsha, the builders brought it to Moshe.  The beams, the bases, the poles, the hooks and everything else.  Moshe then set the Mishkan up single-handedly.  This was a miracle because it is not possible for one person to lift an entire wall of wood beams, approximately 35 feet long.  In fact, during the seven day period when the Kohanim (priests), Aharon and his sons, were being trained to do the service by Moshe, the Mishkan was set up each day by a team.  It was only on the eighth day, the day that the Kohanim took over the full service, that Moshe himself set up the Mishkan.  There must have been a reason for this miracle.

Another verse that ties into this subject states that after the Mishkan was set up, Moshe blessed the people: “Moses saw that they had indeed done all the work exactly as G-d had commanded, and Moses blessed them.” (Shemot 39:43.)  Rashi tells us what the blessing was: “May it be G-d’s will that the Divine Presence rest on your handiwork.”  Rashi continues that Moshe said the words of the verse that King David quoted in the Book of Tehillim (90:17): “May the pleasantness of the presence of G-d, our G-d, be upon us; G-d, please validate the work of our hands for us….” 

There is an important message here for each of us in our lives as we strive to fulfill our divine mission on Earth.  The Jewish people had worked to build a sanctuary for Hashem, in which 

He said He would reveal His presence.  We can imagine that all the donations of materials and all the work was done for this singular purpose.  The people managing the project were some of the greatest in the nation.  The instructions and design came from Hashem Himself, and they were followed with tremendous precision.  

Nevertheless, in order to actualize the dream and to have Hashem’s presence actually become revealed in the Sanctuary, they needed Moshe to set it up, and they needed Moshe’s blessing.  Building the Sanctuary, besides the actual physical one in the desert, is our purpose in life.  We are created as a soul - a spark of Hashem - in a physical body, and placed in a physical world, in order to make this physical space a home for Hashem.  

Like the ordinary materials from which the Mishkan was built - wood, cloth, gold, silver, copper and more, that were transformed into a home for Haashem’s presence, all the materials that we encounter in our lives can and should be used for this purpose.  

The difference, of course, is that in the Mishkan Hashem's presence was visible to the human eye, in the form of ten miracles that happened there every day. (Pirkei Avot 5:5.)  We can;t see the impact of our spiritual work with our physical eyes, but it happens whenever we do a Mitzvah, and it will all be revealed when Moshicah comes.  

So a person might think: As long as i am doing my best and dedicating myself to Hashem, studying the laws of Torah and implementing them to the best of my ability, I am fulfilling my purpose and bringing Hashem’s presence into the world.  Our Parsha teaches us that we should not rely on our own understanding of what is right or our own spiritual strength.  Even after everything was done exactly as Hashem had commanded, we needed Moshe’s involvement and blessing.  The Zohar teaches that Moshe has representatives in every generation - our Torah scholars and Rebbes, and we need to turn to them  for guidance and blessing.  Our own minds are limited and our emotions are not necessarily always perfect.  The Rebbe’s guidance and inspiration brings us to connect to Hashem on a level that is way above our own spiritual abilities.

This is why we study the Rebbe’s teachings, read his letters and try to follow the path he set for us.  

On the subject of building a Sanctuary, we mourn this week the passing of Sandy Landes, who with her husband Dr. Yehudah (Judd) Landes was responsible for the founding of Chabad Palo Alto.  She helped establish the organization, and through the years contributed in many ways to its development and success.  Many people were inspired by Sandy and Judd, and by their dedication to Hashem and the community.  May her memory be a blessing.