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BEGIN WITH A GRIN

Mohammad and Sayid are two beggars who work in London. Mohammad collects two to three pounds sterling a day and Sayid brings home a suitcase full of ten pound bills every day.

Mohammad asks, “I work hard just like you, so how do you manage to collect some much money?”

Sayid: Show me what it says on your sign.

Mohammad shows him the sign on which it says, “I am unemployed and I have a wife and six children.”

Sayid: No surprise then that you collect only two to three pounds a day.

Mohammad asks, “Why, what does it say on your sign?”

Sa’id shows it to him. “I need only ten more pounds in order to return to Pakistan.”

SECURITY THREAT?

At the beginning of parshas Pikudei, the last parsha in the book of Shemos, the Torah enumerates the total of what the Jewish people donated to the work of the Mishkan, and what was done with all the donations. The parsha begins with the words, “These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony,” on which Rashi says, “The word ‘Mishkan’ is written twice, which alludes to the Mikdash, which was taken as surety (מַשְׁכּוֹן) in the two destructions, for Israel’s iniquities. Whoever reads Rashi’s comment is astonished. While the Mishkan is being built, the Torah sees fit to mention the destruction of the Mikdash?! And not only one destruction, but two!

The pessimists among us will say, “What do you want? Every good thing comes to an end, even the Beis HaMikdash.” But it is very clear to anybody who has experienced a taste of Chassidus that such a dark view of reality cannot be part of the holy Torah, the Torah of truth and the Torah of life. Then why is the Torah alluding to two destructions specifically as the Mishkan is being built? Furthermore, even if there is a reason why the Torah alludes to the destruction now, we still need to understand why Rashi has to expand on it by saying, “for Israel’s iniquities.” Why is the reason for the destruction necessary to know now? Is knowing about the destruction not enough that we need to add salt to our wounds and add that the Jewish people will sin in the future?

Commentators on Rashi (the Gur Aryeh and Maskil L’Dovid) come to the rescue but it’s very hard to accept what they say as the plain meaning of Rashi, mainly because Rashi is meant to explain the simple meaning of the text while they try to read other concepts into the words based on Medrashim. The Gur Aryeh says “anything that is counted – the evil eye has dominion over it.” Since they counted the Mishkan and the vessels here in this parsha, this led to an evil eye. So too with the two Battei Mikdash which were also counted, and therefore they were destroyed for the same reason, an evil eye.

The Maskil L’Dovid goes so far as to say that the entire parshas Pikudei in which Moshe had to make an accounting of the donations to the Mishkan is because there were those who cast aspersions on his trustworthiness and claimed he had pilfered from the sanctified donations (sound familiar?). Therefore, Moshe made an exact accounting, in front of everybody, to remove any suspicions or complaints. According to this, “These are the numbers of the Mishkan” emphasize that there were Jews who did not respect Moshe, which is why it hints to it [the destruction of the two Battei Mikdash] on the words “these are the numbers,” to say that because of this sin, the Mishkan would be taken as surety in two destructions, because those who don’t respect Torah scholars don’t deserve a Beis HaMikdash!

The Maskil L’Dovid adds that this is precisely what happened with the Battei Mikdash, “With the first Mikdash, as it says, ‘And they mocked the messengers of G-d and… jeered His prophets…’ and with the second Mikdash, the rabbis say that for this sin, it was destroyed – for disparaging the sages and prophets of that time.”

These are nice explanations, with a moral lesson that applies in our days, but it is very hard to say that this is what Rashi meant, because there is no hint to this in his words. The Rebbe explains things with ingenious simplicity along with an important lesson in connection to the true and complete Geula and the eternality of the Beis HaMikdash. Rashi’s words, “which alludes to the Mikdash, which was taken as surety (מַשְׁכּוֹן) in the two destructions,” aren’t meant to highlight the failings of the Jewish people which led to the destruction; on the contrary, these are words of chizuk, to stress the power and eternality of the Mikdash.

SAFE AND SECURE

Rashi’s reference to the destruction of the Mikdash as “surety” represents its eternality; like taking a security deposit for a loan from a borrower in a temporary way, until he pays what he owes at which point the collateral is returned to its owner. That means, that the word “surety” innovates and reveals that the Beis HaMikdash exists in its entirety and exists forever. It just went from one domain to another, from the domain of the borrower to the domain of the lender, from the domain of the Jewish people to the domain of G-d. G-d did not destroy the Mikdash; He took it as surety and then He returned it, (and in the future He will return it again!).

This is also the reason that Rashi is precise in his wording and say, in the singular (“Mikdash” and not “Mikdashos”), because he is stressing that the first and second Bayis, as well as the third, which will speedily be revealed, are one thing, one continuous thing. It’s the same Bayis which was taken as surety and returned to its owner, and given as surety a second time, and will be returned to us imminently.

This is also why Rashi explains the reason for the destruction, “for the iniquities of Israel,” because thereby Rashi explains and emphasizes why it’s nothing but a deposit. That’s because if we were to say the destruction is something inherent to the Mikdash, that would be saying that the Mikdash came to the end of its existence and there is no more Mikdash, not up above and not down below. The existence of the Mikdash ceased and disappeared from the world. But since the reason for the disappearance of the Mikdash is only due to an external factor, “the iniquities of Israel,” then the Beis HaMikdash in and of itself still stands solidly and its existence wasn’t undermined at all, and it’s only because of the conduct of the Jewish people that G-d took it from them for a certain amount of time. Like a security deposit, “that one takes collateral from the borrower when the time comes and he doesn’t pay” (Rashi Mishpatim 22:25), until he obtains the money and then he will get the surety back.

Furthermore, this addition of Rashi teaches us how much G-d wants the existence of the Beis HaMikdash and the giving of it to the Jewish people. “The iniquities of Israel” were many years before the destruction and yet, G-d waited a long time and didn’t take it from us until they passed the high-water mark. That means that G-d pushed off the destruction for many years, only to enable the Jewish people to repent and retain the Beis HaMikdash.

If that’s the case, then there is no better place to hint to the eternal existence of the Mikdash than in parshas Pikudei. Here, at the end of the construction of the Mishkan, the Torah hints that even when the Mikdash is destroyed, it is just a security deposit which will be returned to its owner, and even if it is taken from us, it’s not a flaw or lack in its existence, because the taking of it from us was only the result of a side reason [“the iniquities of Israel”], and even for this side reason, G-d is willing to look away for many years so that we repent and pay what we owe.

From this, the Rebbe learns an amazing lesson. “It’s sufficient for a servant to be like his master.” If G-d does everything to help us repent, we need to behave the same way toward those around us. We need to help every Jewish boy and girl on his way to return, help him put up the “Mishkan” that exists forever in his heart and soul. May G-d forgive the “iniquities of Israel” and bring us fully back to him, and may we merit the dwelling of the Shechina in the third Beis HaMikdash which should be built now.

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY

We will end with a timely story about Adar which stresses how everyone gets back what is taken from him, in the right time.

In Jewish communities it was common practice at the beginning of Adar for the people to appoint a “Purim Kahal,” a group of men, who were meant to bring joy to everyone in the month of Adar. In Rudnik, Poland, three tzaddikim were appointed for this purpose one year. Among them were Rabbi Chaim Halberstam, known as the Admor of Tzanz, who served then as the Av Beis Din of Rudnik, and Reb Elimelech Weissblum, the great-grandson of the Rebbe, Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk. The three friends decided to write a letter to Rabbi Avrohom of Olinov, a town near Rudnik, to tell him that R’ Chaim, rav of the town, was handing over the rabbinic leadership to him from nightfall on the night of the 14^th of Adar until motzoei Purim. They invited R’ Avrohom to come to Rudnik, with all his possessions “from string to shoelace,” and lead the community for Purim.

The letter was meant only in jest and they wanted to bring joy to the townsfolk when showing them the letter which was sent to R’ Avrohom.

Purim night, the Jews of Rudnik gathered in the shul to hear the Megilla. Right after the Megilla reading, when the crowds began to joyously disperse, they saw wagons entering the town, one after the other. The wagons were laden with household goods, furniture, sefarim and clothing. The townspeople looked on in astonishment. Who had decided to move to Rudnik on Purim night, of all times?

Then another wagon entered the town, bearing Rabbi Avrohom of Olinov and his wife. The people gathered around the wagons and tried to figure out why the guests had come.

R’ Avrohom went directly to the home of R’ Chaim who was surprised to see him on Purim night. R’ Avrohom said, “I did as you said and came to accept the rabbinic position for Purim. We even brought everything we own, as you wrote in your letter.”

R’ Chaim was distraught and began asking his friend for forgiveness. “The letter was sent in jest, to add to the joy of Purim!” he apologized. “We had no intentions of, G-d forbid, of imposing on you to come and serve as the Purim rav in our town, and we certainly did not intend on having you pack up all your things and bring them here!”

R’ Avrohom accepted the apology but R’ Chaim wasn’t assuaged. He repeatedly asked for R’ Avrohom’s forgiveness. Finally, before they parted, R’ Chaim said to R’ Avrohom, “Your exertions were definitely not for naught. I am sure that in reward for your efforts, you will merit that one of your descendants will serve as rav in Rudnik.”

Years later, R’ Chaim’s grandson, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Halberstam, was appointed as rav of Rudnik. He was married (second marriage) to the great-granddaughter of R’ Avrohom of Olinov.

Good Shabbos!

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Moshiach Beparsha is a weekly drasha connecting the Rebbe’s teachings on Moshiach with the weekly Parsha, presented in an engaging way with stories and practical life lessons.

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