THE PICTURE AND THE PUZZLE
With the Ukrainian Russian conflict on everyone’s mind how can we not address this issue in TableTalk? I am certainly not a person whose opinion regarding this conflict has much value. I do, however, have much sentiment invested in the conflict.
With Parshas Pikudei we will conclude the second Book of Shemos. The very last few verses jump ahead, chronologically, because they reflect an event that will not take place until the third Parsha of the next Book of Vayikra. Those last verses tell us how Moshe erected the Mishkan upon its completion in the beginning of their second year of leaving Egypt. The reason for this jump is because it is only with this momentous event that our people achieve their mission and it is this mission that marks the second Book.
The mission of our people is to build a home, a residence, which will house the Presence of HaShem in this world. This is a mighty feat which can only be achieved after the miracles of our Exodus, the splitting of the Red Sea, the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai and the other experiences we had during our first year in the desert. All of those experiences endowed us with keudsha, a holiness, which we were able to transmit into the building blocks of the Mishkan. The crescendo of that achievement was finally realized on the first day of our second year. Hence, the Torah jumps to that moment which will only occur later in the Book of Vayikra, to conclude the second Book.
The question that must be addressed is; if that Mishkan did not last, what did we accomplish? Do we see the Presence of HaShem resting among us, today? We know that the pain and exile we suffer is due to us for our misdeeds. For that we have no question. Our question is that if we were not ready to achieve our mission at that point in time, what was the purpose of our completion of the Mishkan? It is more like a tease than anything substantial.
Perhaps, the completed mission that we achieved in that first year was only meant to be an image of what we have yet to accomplish. In other words, we did not actually arrive at our destiny; that still waits for the coming of Moshiach, may that be soon. The accomplishment of that first year was only a taste of the ultimate achievement that will occur soon in our days.
You may ask, who needs a taste if it has no lasting value. The answer can be found in doing a 1000 piece puzzle without the picture of what it will look like once it is finished. Without that picture there is no piece that has any meaning. Does this piece belong on the top left side or in the middle? When you have the picture you can use that as your reference point to direct you.
Every generation is dealt challenging pieces, all of which are critical for the completion of the puzzle. HaShem gave us that first year, filled with intense challenges; from the Golden Calf to the breaking of the Tablets. That first year was filled with intense revelations; the splitting of the Sea and the opening up of the Heavens, hearing HaShem speak directly to all of us. That first year was filled with intense educational experiences; the daily portion of the Manna and the flowing rivers of water from the rock. That first year was filled with incredible achievements; from doing teshuva on the Golden Calf to constructing the Mishkan.
We learnt so much. We learnt what HaShem expects from us and how we must pay for our mistakes. We learnt that HaShem is there to provide for us even when we may not deserve it because He anticipates that we will turn around. The biggest lesson we learnt was that He will never, never forsake us. We are His forever.
As the conflict continues we must keep our eye on the picture and draw from our lessons to bring Moshiach that much closer.
May HaShem grant us and all of Klal Yisroel a wonderful Shabbos of serenity and security.
Paysach Diskind