As we passed through the first, “warm-up” Adar, we saw a lot of Torah readings and haftarot out of their usual place because of the extra month we added to the calendar to get us ready for Pesach. In recent columns, we’ve concentrated on some of the messages of warning and rebuke that our prophets delivered, and at the same time have witnessed some disconcerting events in world affairs.
Now as we transition into the second Adar, counting down to Purim, we are reminded once again that with the advent of this month our rejoicing is increased. This is the month when our enemies seek to destroy us and Hashem saves us from their evil plans. Near the end of Megillat Esther we learn that “the Jews triumphed over those who hated them” and had plotted to kill them. (Esther 9:1). This is our theme for the week, which also corresponds to the end of the biblical account of the building the Mishkan in Parshat Pekudei.
Nearly half of the book of Shemot and almost all of the account that follows the giving of the Torah on Har Sinai is concerned with the building of the Mishkan. This has also been a prominent theme in the haftarot of these last few weeks and in this week’s, as we will see.
In last week’s parsha, Rashi points out (following the Midrash) that Betzalel reversed the order of the construction of the Mishkan from what Moshe was instructed on Har Sinai. In the Torah’s account of the plan for the Mishkan, we see that first Moshe learns to build the vessels and afterwards the Mishkan itself. But in our parsha, Betzalel builds the Mishkan first and later the vessels. As Rashi notes, the Torah teaches that Betzalel did everything Hashem commanded Moshe, but it does not say that he did everything that Moshe told him to do. Rashi explains the perspective of Betzalel: “It is the way of the world to build a house and only after it is built to place items [i.e., keilim] inside of it.” (Shemot 38:22). The Maharal in Gur Arye uses this to illustrate the difference between Moshe and Betzalel and their respective callings: Moshe came to teach the laws and principles so naturally the most important things – the keilim to be used in the avodah – came first. Betzalel had to actually complete the work so he was of a more practical mind – there had to be a place to house the keilim when they were finished.
In our haftara, we find Shlomo HaMelech completing the construction and initiating the dedication of the First Beit HaMikdash. In Shlomo we find a unique synthesis of the attributes of Moshe and of Betzalel. Shlomo is one of the great teachers, one of the shepherds of Israel, in the tradition of Moshe. But he is also a builder of the Sanctuary as Betzalel was before him. Shlomo is a man of spirit and a man of action – he understands the big picture of the Divine plan and he identifies his own proper role in advancing it.
The navi makes a point of telling us that the people of Israel (all the people!) were gathered for the purpose of dedicating the Mishkan during the “Moon of the Steadfast,” which tradition teaches was the month of Tishrei. Abarbanel points out that in the month of Tishrei the people are steadfast because they’ve been fortified by their harvest, their spiritual stance is fortified by the many important holidays the month contains, and importantly, the forefathers were born in Tishrei. (For more on this, see the Gemara in Rosh Hashana 11a.)
The challenge in building a “house” for Hashem, or for His presence, is that His infinite essence is naturally irreconcilable with the finite boundaries of physical space. Chazal make many references and homiletic glosses to try to illustrate this paradox or to use it as a point of departure for theological discussion. Moshe and Betzalel provided their own perspective on the problem, and so did Shlomo when it came time for him to build such a house. The most important thing, they all agreed, was that the Luchot that were given to all of Israel as a sign of their covenant with the Creator be properly situated in their home under the enfolding canopy of the wings of the keruvim. The point of the project was always to prepare a space in the physical world for the presence of the Divine. There are different ways of approaching this end, but they all lead to the same place as long as the intentions are clear and pure.
This is also an important lesson that emerges from the Purim story. As the events were unfolding, it was very difficult for anyone but the great tzaddikim Mordechai and Esther to see the Divine Plan therein. To most of the people of Israel, even those with great faith, it seemed a terrible punishment had been unleashed on the world and that they were doomed to suffer. In the moment, nobody could imagine that Haman had acquired all of his great wealth for the purpose of transferring it to Mordechai HaTzaddik, or that the assembly of all the enemies of the Jews for the purpose of our destruction would become the means by which those same masses were soon to be destroyed. Everything was flipped around. At times this is how Hashem operates His universe, and because we aren’t always aware of the outcome – we seldom have a special platform upon which to rest the Aron – we might, G-d forbid, experience a weakening of our faith or dread in the face of an unknown future.
But Shlomo, Moshe, and the Avot all knew and worked hard to teach us that Hashem has a plan, His intentions toward us are always kind and beneficent, and very good things await those who remain steadfast in serving Him faithfully.
