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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

In light of the ceasefire, Hamas asked to buy an Iron Dome battery from the IDF

“Why?” asked the IDF, “To defend against our missiles? But we’re not firing any!”

“No,” answered Hamas, “To defend against our missiles…”

IRON OUT OR IRON IN?

This week we will read Parshas Teruma, which deals entirely with building the Mishkan. The commandment to build the Mishkan (“And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them”) is a general commandment, from which the Rambam (beginning of Hilchos Beis HaBechira) derives the obligation to build the Mikdash as well. As always, before any Jewish construction project comes the fundraising and resource gathering project, and about this too the Torah commands in the words: “And they shall take for Me an offering, gold and silver and copper.”

In the Medrash and various commentaries, we find interesting references to these three precious metals. Some Medrashim compare them to the three Avos, others to the three Battei Mikdash, to the extent that some connect these three metals to the three pillars upon which the world stands: “Torah, avoda, and acts of kindness” (as is known, money “makes the world go round…”)

One type of metal, widely used in construction work, is missing from this biblical list – iron. The Torah does not mention, even once, the use of iron in the construction of the Mishkan or Mikdash. The reason for this is known, since the use of iron is completely rejected in building the Mishkan, as the Medrash states (Shemos Raba 35:5): “But ‘iron’ is not written here; not in the Mikdash nor in the Mishkan. Why? Because it symbolizes Edom who destroyed the Mikdash.” Also in the description of building the First Mikdash it is said (Melachim I, 6:7): “And the house, when it was being built, was built of complete stone as it was brought, and hammers and axes and any iron tools were not heard in the house while it was being built.”

In the Medrash, we find an analogy describing iron as a symbol of the wicked Esav and as a symbol of the wicked kingdom of Edom-Rome that brought about the destruction of the Mikdash and the exile of the Shechina. Therefore, neither in the Mishkan nor in the Mikdash was iron used due to it being a symbol of destruction.

On the other hand, in Kabbala and Chassidus, it is brought that ‘iron’ (ברזל) has the same numerical value as ‘lottery’ (גורל) [the outcome of which is in the realm that transcends the rational]. The meaning of this gematria comes to hint that iron’s hardness, its physical strength and power, is a symbol for the level of ‘lottery’ connected with the essence of the Jewish soul.

In simple words, the hardness of iron comes to hint at the stubbornness of the Jew in a positive sense. A Jew can be very firm, stubborn, and uncompromising when it comes to spiritual matters, essential matters, Jewish matters. Because a Jew has spiritual strength that comes from the essence of the Jewish soul which is completely united with Hashem. This means that despite the negative connotation of iron, there is still something positive in it, something worthy of use and utilization.

IRONCLAD PROMISE

In Chassidus, it is explained that the positive use of the quality of ‘iron’ negates its negative use. This means that if we use Jewish stubbornness in a positive way, we will negate the negative use of iron for purposes of destruction and ruin. We find an example of this in the words of the Gemara (Taanis 4:1): “Rav Ashi said: Any Torah scholar who is not as hard as iron is not a Torah scholar, as it is said: ‘Like a hammer that shatters a rock.’” A Torah scholar needs to be a “hammer” made of iron, and only then can he overcome all the “rocks” standing in his way.

This is the path that should guide us in daily life – on one hand, we must be tough (towards ourselves) and rigid (towards the winds blowing in the world) like iron or steel, and on the other hand, we must live with a bright smile towards others. This is how we nullify the ‘iron’ of exile that stems from forces of impurity and kelipos, and bring the Geula.

The use of ‘holy iron’ during exile will bring about the true change that will occur in the true and complete Geula. Then, in the Geula, ‘iron’ will cease to be a symbol of destruction and ruin, and will become an integral part of building the Third Mikdash.

The Rebbe finds support for this in an explicit verse in Divrei HaYomim I. In chapter 29, it describes the preparations for building the First Mikdash made by Dovid HaMelech. The text details at length all the metals that were collected for the construction, and there it states: “I have prepared for the house of my G-d gold for things of gold, and silver for things of silver, and brass for things of brass, iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood… and iron a hundred thousand talents.” The commentators, both early and late, have already struggled with this: what was the need for such an enormous quantity of iron? Who needs 100,000 talents of iron?! And where was it used in building the Mikdash?!

The Rebbe finds in this verse proof that the use of iron will be specifically in the Third Mikdash, and this building will be built by Dovid Malka Meshicha, and it will be an eternal building that will never be destroyed. Therefore, there will be no objection to using an enormous amount of iron within the structure itself.

The use of iron in the Third Mikdash comes to symbolize that we have reached an era and time where ‘iron’ no longer serves purposes of destruction and ruin, but rather only positive purposes of building. The work today, in the time of exile, is to use our inner ‘iron,’ our spiritual strength, in order to clarify and transform the reality of iron from something negative to something positive. We will merit to see the direct results of our current spiritual work in the building of the Third Mikdash, where we will also use iron, in order to prove and emphasize that in the era of redemption, the reality of iron will change and become purely positive.

And as every child understands, today iron symbolizes bloodshed, killing, and war. But in the era of the Geula, the prophecy of “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” will be fulfilled, and there will be no possibility of using iron for wars. Today iron serves “to shorten man’s life,” but in the era of Geula, there will be no possibility to “shorten” human life, because G-d will eliminate death (“He will swallow up death forever, and Hashem Elokim will wipe away tears from all faces”) and therefore, then iron will become a symbol of eternity and inner strength, and with it the Third and eternal Mikdash will be built!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We will end with a story of ‘holy iron.’ It is accepted among Chabad Chassidim that when the doctors of the Rebbe Rayatz recommended that he tell a close friend about things weighing on his heart, he chose Professor Fishel Schneersohn, who was known as an ‘iron man,’ a silent person from whom they couldn’t extract a word, a true man of secrets. The Rebbe Rayatz would converse with him about this and that, and he would keep everything secret.

Years passed, and he emigrated to Eretz Yisrael and settled in Tel Aviv. The local Chassidim who knew about those soul conversations between the Rebbe Rayatz and the professor wanted to hear a bit about what happened behind those closed doors, but Professor Schneersohn was like an ‘iron wall’ – it was impossible to get a word out of him.

Once, during a Chassidishe farbrengen, after many l’chaims and various pleadings, they managed to extract one saying from him, a fundamental saying about the relationship between a Rebbe and a Chassid.

The Rebbe Rayatz told him that “before reciting the Shema before bed, he would pass through his thoughts each and every one of the Chassidim, considering what they needed both materially and spiritually.”

And what can we say after that?!

Good Shabbos!

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