BaalHabooze

Vayakhel

Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann

(from torah.org)

The Jewish Mother – A Hair-Raising Responsibility

The construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was performed by the most skilled and wisest of men. However the women also had a role in its construction. “All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goat’s-hair. (35:26)” While no doubt the spinning of the goat’s- hair was a critical element of the Mishkan, why does the Torah imply that it required some special measure of wisdom? Skill and dexterity perhaps – but wisdom?

Rashi explains that an extraordinary level of craftsmanship was required to spin the goat’s-hair, because the women would spin their threads from the fleece on the backs of the goats before it was shorn – i.e. straight off the goat! Sforno explains that after fleece is shorn, the hair loses more of its lustre each time it is handled. By combing and spinning the fleece straight off the goats while it was still growing, they were able to preserve much of the lustre that would have otherwise been lost.

This explains the extra level of wisdom required in spinning the goat’s- hair, but it still doesn’t adequately resolve why this special craft could only be performed by women. Aside from this one anomaly, all other aspects of the Mishkan’s construction were performed by men. Surely there were men who were equally capable of performing the “extraordinary craft” of spinning the hair. Not that we begrudge the women their part in the building of the Tabernacle; it’s just that if the Torah dictates that one specific aspect of its construction was performed exclusively by women, there must be something more to it than just practical considerations.

The great and wise Shlomo Ha-melech (King Solomon) advises: “Listen, my child, to the rebuke of your father; and do not forsake the Torah of your mother. (Mishlei/Proverbs 1:8)” We all know the scenario: Father comes home from a long day at work; mother is standing by the door to greet him. The look on her face tells him he hasn’t come one moment too soon. Before even removing his galoshes, he’s already been briefed; little Shmueli has been sent to his room for fighting with his sister, and awaits father’s homecoming – in order to receive the thrashing with which he’s been threatened. Thus it comes as no surprise that the prophet associates “rebuke” with the father. But why does he connect Torah to the mother? Isn’t it the father’s mitzvah to teach his son Torah?

Mefarshim (commentators) explain that while it is indeed the father’s role to educate his child in the study of Torah and its laws and ordinances, it is the mother who creates the atmosphere that permeates the very walls of the Jewish home. It is her duty to see to it that the atmosphere be one of Torah, kedushah, and shalom – an environment which encourages love of Torah and dedication to mitzvos.

In many families, the father spends the majority of his time away from home; it is the mother who ultimately bears the burden of ensuring that her children, who spend far more time with her, constantly experience a life brimming with the love for Torah and mitzvos that they will later be taught by their fathers and teachers. Observing the attitudes and reactions of a parent to the daily hustle and bustle of a Jewish home is a far more powerful and influential source of education than any lesson learned from a book, and it is this “Torah of your mother” to which King Shlomo refers.

A Russian oleh (immigrant) to Israel approached a Beis-Din (Jewish court) with concern: He knew that his mother was Jewish, but he had no recollection of ever being told whether he was a Kohen, a Levi, or a Yisrael. His nondescript family name gave no clue as to his tribal origin.

Perhaps, asked the Beis Din, he had some memories of his childhood in Russia which would offer a glimpse into his lineage? He remembered very little; but – yes – there was one thing that stood out in his mind. On the eve of every Yom Tov, his mother would take the children to a local dry-goods store to buy a brand new pair of socks for their father. He still remembered the special look on his mother’s face when she would buy the socks; it almost glowed. Later, they would go home, and wrap up the socks, and wait for his father to come home. When he did, they would all gather around, and his mother would excitedly present him with his new socks. “I never understood why she always chose to buy him socks – you would have thought she might have bought socks one Yom Tov, a shirt for the next, and maybe pants or shoes after that. We never questioned her, though; she always bought socks, and the glow on her face was always the same. I remember it as if it were just yesterday.”

Without hesitation, the Beis Din ruled that the man was a Kohen. While in Israel the Kohanim offer the priestly blessings (Birkas Kohanim) daily, in the Diaspora they do so only on the Yamim Tovim. One of the requirements of Birkas Kohanim is that the Kohen take off his shoes while he blesses the congregation. No doubt, Beis Din reasoned, his mother wanted to make sure that this special mitzvah was performed in a special way, so she made sure that each Yom Tov her husband, a Kohen, should have new socks to wear as he stood and blessed the congregation.

How remarkable. The man, it seems, had no memory of his father performing the priestly blessings, although he surely must have accompanied him to shul. But he vividly remembered the anticipation of his mother as she went out of her way on a busy Erev Yom Tov to honour a mitzvah in her own special way.

Perhaps this is why the women were charged with the craft of spinning the fleece directly off the backs of the goats. All other aspects of the Mishkan’s construction involved taking raw materials – gold, silver, copper, wool, etc. – and using them as the building blocks for the Tabernacle and its holy vessels. The men were given these tasks, just as it is their responsibility to take a child – the raw material – and make him holy by educating him in the laws and lessons of the Torah.

The spinning of the goat’s-hair was the only task that required the materials to be formed, moulded and infused with holiness at their very source – straight off the backs of the goats. The mother of the house is referred to in the Holy Tongue as the “Akeres Ha-bayis – the source of the household,” for it is she who brings a aura of kedusha, love for Torah, and respect for mitzvos into the very foundation of the Jewish home. Only the women could take responsibility for such an essential and critical task, which, when performed with wisdom, preserves the lustre of the Jewish soul.

WIY – that’s parshas Vayeilech, not Nitzovim. Interesting, I never heard this issue raised in nitzovim, only tetzaveh…

Ki Sisa

Why is the mitzva to make a Kiyor for the Mishkan in this week’s parsha, and not in parshas Teruma together with all the other Keilim?

One more on Purim, I’m typing real fast because I’m in a hurry so excuse any spelling mistakes.

Because purim is about getting in touch with our real essence. We are the neshama of hashem. So we cover the outside to bring out the inside.

Our job on purim is to look beneath the surface, and 1) see how directly involved Hashem is in our own personal lives, and 2) to get in touch with ourselves: our pure desire to do the will of hashem. With this we will be able to feel the inner beauty of mitzvos, just like the yidden felt in times of Mordechai.

L’chaim yidden. l’chaim!!! A good shabbos and a freilichin & listigin purim to all.

Hershel comes up to his rebbe and says he gets a mazel tov.”It’s a baby girl”, he happily reports. The rebbe gives him a warm mazel tov and asks him if he would like to schedule the kiddush for this coming shabbos. Hershel says he would, but can’t figure out what name to give his baby girl. “Maybe you can suggest something.” The rebbe suggests that he look up a girl’s name mentioned in the week’s sedra. “Good idea!”, and Hershel goes home. That shabbos Hershel names his baby ‘Shprintzah’, and the rebbe is taken aback. He asks Hershel why he didn’t choose a name from the parsha, and he says that the only name he found was already taken by his Shvigger. Moments later the Rebbe looks in the chumash and notices it was Parshas Mishpotim. (There are no names of girls in that parsha)! “Hershel, where is your mother-in-law’s name mentioned in the parsha?” Hershel grins and says, “????? ?? ????”

PURIM

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Nice! Keep ’em coming!

Of course, there’s the famous GR”A who answers that since 7 Adar always comes out on parshas Tetzaveh, so although he is not mentioned explicitly in this week’s sedra, nevertheless ??? ??? ??

Omein cello

You’re so welcome, AbeF!!

Sometimes I wonder if anyone ends up reading these, so thank you to all who post and respond on this thread! Next up:

Parshas Tetzaveh, Parshas Zochor, and……………Purim!!!

gavra – lol! that was a good one.

I was just thinking:

If people would be sandwiches, BP would reek of tuna baygels! LOL

Never walk into the boarding area of any airline and cry: Hi Jack! and wave to your best friend Jack across the room.

???????? ????????? ?????????? ???????

???? ??????? ???????? ????????

The Goq and Torah613613Torah – with all due respect, I would rather not say here, in the cr, which team I root for.

oh, and also, I reeeally like the chanuka/xmas season. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no feelings toward the goyishe holiday at all, c”v. However that time of year is such a happy time where I live, everyone, yidden and goyim alike, are in such a good mood, so joyous and friendly. Every store I enter I am greeted with a happy smile and greeting, and people in general seem to be in the happiest of moods at that time of year.

Guilty as charged.

ok WIY, I had that coming…..

tsk tsk, A waste of a good beer. beer is beer, chulent is chulent. best not to mix the two. And of course, always remember,

Don’t drink and dive.

No, seriously. I totally missed the pool. Whatever…

What does the president of a virtual coffee room do anyway?

Smart move by the canadian gov’t. I anticipate the U.S. to follow suit. BTW I knew this day would come, and so I collected lots and lots and lots of pennies for a few years. Only regret was that I should have started earlier.

I always loved shiny new copper pennies. I think I’ll miss them the most.

Ken Zayn- absolutely, at least I will try to do that in the future! and thank u for the compliment!

So he answers with a moshul. There was a person who took ill with a disease and called for a doctor to heal him. The doctor said that he will prepare a medicine made up of terribly bitter herbs and spices which he will have to swallow. Although it is extremely bitter and difficult to swallow, but if he nevertheless takes it every day, he will eventually be healed. Then the doctor said that if he wants there is an alternative. If he wants, he can be sealed up in a room together with these atzei boysem, these strong, bitter herbs, and if he remains in that room for many days, and with the air intensely saturated and filled with the fumes and smell of the trufah, he will be healed by merely breathing in that air.

A Good Shabbos!

benignuman – the “unofficial” official cheshbon is from Leidas Yitzchok, as you said. The “official” official cheshbon is when the shibud mitzrayim actually started. That’s why it’s brought down in seforim that the remaining 190 years had to be made up in a later time.

I’m not sure what this all means, but that’s what is written in many seforim.

Parshas Yisro

Here are fundamental questions in the story of Matan Torah.

Why didn’t Hashem present us the torah with a Sefer Torah? What do the Luchos accomplish? What is the tachlis of the Luchos? What is it with these specific 10 Mitzvos, that they deserve its prestigious place as part of the Luchos, more than all the other 613?

I was told to fold my Talis inside-out, this way 1) you aren’t doing any issur of folding on the original creases, and 2) because of kovod hatalis you shouldn’t just dump it in a heap till motzei shabbos.