VICARIOUS PLEASURE?
In this week’s Parsha, Trumah, HaShem instructs us to build for Him a Mishkan. The Midrash gives an analogy to explain why the Mishkan follows immediately after the giving of the Torah. There was a great king who had an only daughter. When the time came for her to marry and begin her life the king found a deserving groom. He told his son in-law after the marriage “I love my daughter so strongly that it is difficult for me to let her leave. Please, wherever you go, build for me a small hut in which I can live and remain close to her.” The Mishkan is that small hut for HaShem, our father in-law, who identifies the Torah as His daughter. How do we understand this Midrash. It presents HaShem as an overbearing father in-law!
When HaShem chose us to be His nation to represent Him in this world, He wanted us to be one with Him. In the fullest sense of the word, ONE. He wanted a representation of Himself on this world. Before He could send us into this world, it was critical for us to connect to Him in a way that made us and Him ONE.
How do two become one? In most relationships where there are two people involved, each party has their own desires and drives. When they share the same de-sires and drives they may enjoy spending time with each other. They may enjoy fishing and spend much time doing so. After their fishing expedition, each friend will have had a good time. Even though they are good friends, Joe’s enjoyment is not Jack’s enjoyment. Joe’s enjoyment was spending time with Jack and catching fish. Jack’s enjoyment was spending time with Joe and catching fish. While they shared the same experience and enjoyed it, nevertheless, each one’s enjoyment was their own. They were not ONE.
Contrast Joe and Jack to the mother and child or for that matter, any relationship that approaches the intensity of a mother-child relationship. When the hungry child eats her bread and the mother is watching, the enjoyment the child gets from the bread is the mother’s enjoyment as well. The singular enjoyment of the child is the very enjoyment of the mother. The satisfaction that is achieved with the piece of bread makes the two of them ONE.
The Torah is the expression of HaShem’s Will. He desires it and enjoys it. When He gave us His Torah, He also gave us the de-sire to partake in it. Partaking in the Torah is experienced through the study of her words and the observance of her mitzvos. When we engage in Torah it gives us enjoyment.
We can study Torah for our own pleasure, in which ca se, both we and HaShem are enjoying the study of the Torah. However, we are not yet ONE because I am studying for my own pleasure. However, if my enjoyment derives from my understanding HaShem’s Will, then I am like that mother who shares the very same enjoyment of her child. I am then ONE with HaShem. When we build the Mishkan for the sake of HaShem, for the sake of His Torah, then we have become ONE and we are now ready to go out into the world and represent Him.
This notion reflects the Zohar’s statement “Israel, the Torah and The Holy One Blessed be He are are one.”
HaShem is not an overbearing father in-law who does not give the new couple their independence. Rather, He is the catalyst which draws the princess and groom forever closer.
May we merit to discover the intense pleasure of learning the Torah and relishing in the understanding of HaShem’s Will.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind