True Donations
In this week’s Parsha the Moshe is commanded to receive the donations of the Jewish people. There were 13 different materials donated by the Jews. The Sefas Emes says that these 13 materials are the 13 Brachos in Shemonah Esreh which to ask Hashem for specific needs, called Bakashos. These thirteen Bakashos are the essential needs of a person. A person must learn to elevate these needs back to their supernal roots. This means that a person needs to see that Tefillah is not merely to fulfill certain needs which they have, rather it is to ask Hashem for these things. This paradigm shift returns all of a person’s desires back to Hashem. This causes the highest form of clinging to Hashem.
However in order to experience this, a person has to take the advice of the Pasuk (25:2), "Take for me Trumah (A donation)"- (The Sefas Emes rereads the Pasuk as Take me-raise yourself!) How can one do this? "Donate your heart" (literally read of benevolent heart, but it also can mean give your heart.) By giving over your desires, your heart to Hashem, you up lift your desires. (By the recognition of Tefillah not as a means merely to fill those things which are missing in life, but the thing which is missing most is Hashem’s presence in your life. This is why the most important part of the Bakashos is not what we are Davenning for, rather it is who we are Davenning to. RB)
The Sefas Emes explains that a person can elevate their desires even more by actions. This is why the Pasuk (25:3) says- these are the things which you must give (the act of giving causes an even greater level of connecting as was seen in the Mishkan. This is why the Jews donated materials, which caused Hashem to dwell amongst us) and I will dwell amongst you.
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Practical Advice The most important part of the Tefillah is not what you are asking for, rather it is who you are asking. In your Tefillos, emphasize to yourself that you are Davenning to Hashem, and that is the thing which you seek the most. |
Luminous and Illuminating
In this week’s Parsha we learn how Hashem commanded Moshe to gather oil from the Jewish people. The Midrash explains the nature of oil. It says (in Shemos Rabah 36:1), "Just like oil illuminates a darkness, so too the Beis Hamikdash illuminates the world." Therefore, the Jewish people are called the oil (Shemen Raanan) because they bring Hashem’s light (influence) to the entire world.
Oil is what connects fire to a wick (without it a wick would burn up.) In the same way the Beis Hamikdash connects Hashem to the Jewish people, as the Pasuk says, "build me a Mishkan so that I will dwell amongst you." (Shemos 25:8)
The Zohar explains how a mitzvah is a candle and Torah is light; to do a mitzvah is to prepare a candle and to do a mitzvah is to light it. A mitzvah prepares the body to receive the light of the Neshama. Learning Torah causes the Neshama’s light to shine.
On Shabbos, the soul shines, therefore we light candles in honor of Shabbos. The days of the week we prepare the candle, which are our body and our lives. On Shabbos we light these candles (both figuratively and literally) and our souls shine.
(The Sefas Emes now continues to explain how this concept works. He begins with a brief introduction.) Sometimes we say that Hashem is our candle, but other times we say that Hashem lights our candle. (This is comparable to the Zohar 2:157b that says there is luminescent oil, and there is oil for illumination. Luminescent oil is a higher level, as its light comes from within.) What is the difference? There are those souls which are vessels to be illuminated by Hashem’s light. There is another level of soul as well. These souls, are themselves luminescent with Hashem’s light.
Moshe Rabenu had a soul of the second type. The Pasuk describes Moshe Rabenu as being good. (Shemos 2:2) The Gemara expresses that the meaning of the word good is synonymous with Torah. The Pasuk (Shemos 27:20) says that Moshe should command the Jewish people to take pure olive oil, to light. The Sefas Emes says that this is luminescent oil- the oil itself is the light. (The Pasuk uses the word command, as the Torah encompasses 365 negative Mitzvos and 248 positive Mitzvos.) Moshe was called the "prince of Torah" as he attached all of the souls of the Jewish people to the higher" luminescent oil", the Torah, in order to light up their lives.
On Shabbos, the Moshe Rabenu within all of us is awakened, which attaches us to the upper kind of Neshama. In fact, these two types of Neshama are really two parts to the Neshama, the Neshama above and Neshama below. The Neshama which is below within us is the oil for illumination. The Neshama above, which is the Neshama in its source, is the luminous oil. On Shabbos this higher soul is revealed, into our the lower part, into our lives.
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Practical Advice On Shabbos, we receive a Neshama Yeseirah- an extra soul portion. It is something new and different, and oddly enough, it is very familiar. This is because it is a deeper part of yourself. Daven at the end of Shabbos, "Hashem, allow me to bring this deeper part of my self into my everyday life." |
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About the Translator: Rabbi Reuven Boshnack lives in Boca Raton, Florida. Rabbi Boshnack recived his Semicha from the Rabbi Yitzchack Elchanon Theological Seminary, and is student of Rabbi Moshe Weinberger and Rabbi Binyamin Cherney. Rabbi Boshnack is the Rabbi of the Boca Raton Synagogue Shtebel minyan and he was a member of the Boca Raton Kollel for 2 years, from 2000-2002. He is currently a teacher at the Hillel Day School of Boca Raton. These sheets are based on weekly class that he gives on the Sefas Emes.
Questions? Comments? email Rabbi Reuven Boshnack