Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Terumah 5770

שבת טעם החיים תרומה תש"ע
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Terumah 5770

The Aron carries us

Introduction
ועשית את הבדים עצי שטים וצפית אתם זהב ונשא בם את השלחן, you shall make the staves of acacia wood and cover them with gold, and the Table shall be carried through them. (Exodus 25:28)
In this week’s parasha we learn about the building of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. The focus of the Tabernacle was the Aron, the Ark which contained the two tablets that Moshe brought down with him from Sinai. The Sages teach us that the Aron had a miraculous characteristic in that it carried those who carried it. This idea is derived from a subtle discrepancy between the Torah’s description of the staves that were placed in the Aron and the staves that were placed in the Shulchan, the Table.
Concerning the Aron it is said (Shemos 25:13-14) you shall make staves of acacia wood and cover them with gold; and insert the staves in the rings on the sides of the Ark, with which to carry the Ark. Regarding the Shulchan, however, it is said (Ibid verse 28) you shall make the staves of acacia wood and cover them with gold, and the Table shall be carried through them. Why does the Torah write that the staves of the Aron are “with which to carry it,” implying that the Aron would not necessarily be carried, whereas regarding the Shulchan the Torah states “and the Table shall be carried through them,” indicating that the Shulchan would be carried?
Cast upon HaShem your burden and He will sustain you!
Rabbi Yaakov Kranz (1740-1804), the famed itinerant lecturer known as the Maggid of Dubna, derives a valuable lesson from this unique feature of the Aron. He presented the following parable during one of his inspirational talks at a community synagogue. A man was once walking along a dirt road, practically dragging his feet while carrying a heavy load on his shoulder. To his great fortune, a wealthy Jew passed by in a wagon and was kind enough to offer him a ride. The exhausted hiker graciously accepted, climbed aboard, and quickly sat down, bringing much needed rest to his weary feet. Surprisingly, he kept the heavy sack he was carrying perched upon his shoulders. “Reb Yid,” said the wagon owner, “why do you not put down your load?”
“I would not want to be even more trouble to you,” the man responded. “You were kind enough to have taken me aboard! I wouldn’t want to burden your horses with the additional weight of my sack?”
The wealthy man was bewildered by the man’s response. “Even if you carry the load, my horses are still carrying you and your packages! You are not accomplishing anything by carrying the load on your shoulders. Throw them down and let my horses do the work!”
The audience, which was laughing at the traveler’s, quickly quieted down as the Dubner Maggid looked at them sternly, and asked, “Are we really so different than this traveler? Dovid HaMelech says ‘Throw your load onto HaShem and He will take care of you.’ (Tehillim 55:23) We need to realize that HaShem carries us – and doesn’t need our help. We need to be more aware of how much He does to provide for us.
The Aron carried those who carried it
Regarding the Aron it is said “with which to carry it.” There are instances in the Torah when the Hebrew letter lamed at the beginning of a word is interpreted to mean that the action was attempted but was not accomplished. It is said (Shemos 7:24) vayachpiru chol Mitzrayim sevivos hayeor mayim lishtos ki lo yachlu lishtos mimei hayeor, all of the Egyptians dug roundabout the River for water to drink, for they could not drink from the waters of the River. There is a disagreement in the Midrash as to which waters were plagued. Rabbi Yehudah maintains that only the water that was above the surface was plagued, whereas the waters that were below the surface were not affected. Rabbi Nechemia, however, maintains that the waters below the surface were also plagued. The Malbim writes that their dispute is based on a similar dispute regarding the use of the letter lamed. Rabbi Yehudah would hold that the lamed of the word lishtos, to drink, means that they actually were able to discover water as the waters below the surface were not plagued. Rabbi Nechemia, however, maintains that the Egyptians only attempted to drink, but they were not able to, as the waters below the surface were also plagued. In a similar vein we can explain that the staves were placed on the side of the Aron to carry it but they did not actually function in that capacity. Rather, the Aron carried and sustained the people. Those who acknowledge HaShem as their sole provider reflect the Talmudic dictum that the Aron carried those that carried it (Sota 35a). The Shulchan, however, represents people who feel the need to constantly carry their loads with them. Thus, regarding the Shulchan it is said “and the Table shall be carried through them,” implying that that people actually carried the Shulchan.
Our responsibility and HaShem provides for us
In our lives, we are faced with finding the right balance between working to earn a livelihood and recognizing that it is HaShem Who is really carrying our burden. At times we mistakenly believe that we are the ones who must carry the burden. The message of the Aron carrying itself reminds us that, while we have the responsibility of carrying the burden, it is ultimately HaShem Who provides for our welfare.
The Shabbos connection
The entire week we are primarily focused on the Shulchan dimension of our lives, i.e. earning a livelihood. Regarding Shabbos, however, the Medrash (Tanna Divie Eliyahu) states that one should make Shabbos entirely Torah. Thus, with the onset of Shabbos, one should cast his burden upon HaShem. Regarding Shabbos expenditures the Gemara (Beitzah 15b) states livu alay vaani poreia. The literal translation of this statement is that HaShem exhorts us to borrow against Him and He will pay back. Based on the idea that on Shabbos one should be totally preoccupied with spiritual pursuits, we can interpret the statement of the Gemara to mean livu alay, attach yourself to Me, vaani poreia, and I will reveal Myself to you (the word paruah means to reveal). HaShem should allow us to place our trust in Him alone and we can then be certain that He will provide for us.
Shabbos Stories
Biscuits from Gan Eden
Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky writes: Reb Dovid of Lelov, a student of the Seer of Lublin, once came to Zelin to visit his friend Rabbi Dovid of Zelin. Hearing that the rabbi of Lelov was visiting him, the Zeliner Rebbe beseeched his wife to bake something special. Alas, the poverty of the couple was dire, and the poor Rebbitzen only had some flour and oil, which she made into biscuits.
Upon his first bite, the Rebbe exclaimed in earnest, "These cakes are truly exceptional!"
Knowing the source, the Rebbitzen dismissed the compliments of the bland and meager cakes as an appreciation of the effort. Weeks later, the Rebbitzen of Lelov met the Rebbitzen of Zelin. "You must tell me how you made those biscuits that you served my husband. I have never heard him get excited about food before, yet he did not stop praising the biscuits he ate in your home!"
The Zelin Rebbitzen answered meekly. "There was no recipe. When I heard that the Tzaddik of Lelov was coming I realized that I had nothing to serve. HaShem knows that had I the means I would have made him a feast. But, alas, I could not. So I asked him to bestow His great goodness and the flavor of Gan Eden in the biscuits!" "Your prayers were answered," said the Rebbitzen of Lelov. "He said that they had the taste of Gan Eden!"
“These are our children!”
Rabbi Kamenetzky writes further: During World War II many young Jewish children were harbored by a myriad of monasteries throughout Europe. At the end of the war, the Vaad Hatzalah sent representatives to the monasteries to try and reclaim the orphaned children to their heritage. Many of the children who found refuge did so at a young age and they had but a few recollections of their birthright.
When Rabbi Eliezer Silver, who was the Rabbi of Cincinnati, Ohio and a very influential member of the Vaad, came to a particular hermitage in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, he was met with hostility. "You can be sure, Rabbi, if we had Jews here we would surely hand them back to you immediately!" exclaimed the monk in charge. "However, unfortunately for you, we have no Jewish children here."
Rabbi Silver was given a list of refugees and was told that they were all Germans. The monk continued, "the Schwartzs are German Schwartzs, the Schindler's are German Schindlers and the Schwimmers are German Schwimmers."
Rabbi Silver had been told that there were definitely close to ten Jewish children in that hermitage and was not convinced. He asked if he could say a few words to the children as they went to sleep. The monk agreed. Rabbi Silver returned later that evening with two aides, and as the children were lying in their beds about to go to sleep, they entered the large dorm room.
He walked into the room and in the sing-song that is so familiar to hundreds of thousands of Jewish children across the globe he began to sing "Shema Yisrael Ado..." unexpectedly -- in mid sentence -- he stopped. Suddenly from six beds in the room the ending to that most powerful verse resounded almost in unison. "HaShem Echad!"
He turned to the priest. "These are our children. We will take them now!"
The children were redeemed, placed in Jewish homes, and raised as leaders of our community.
A letter of admission is always here for you
Rabbi Kamenetzky writes further: On a visit to Congregation Toras Chaim of Hewlett, NY, Rabbi Paysach Krohn told a wonderful story. Ponovez Yeshiva in Bnai Berak is one of the most distinguished Yeshivos in the world. A number of years ago, at the beginning of a semester, a young boy from Switzerland who applied there was denied entry. The Rosh Yeshiva (Dean) told him to come back in a few years, his level of study was not advanced enough for the Yeshiva, and he also was a bit too young.
The boy said he understood, but he wanted to speak to the Rebbitzen, the widow of the founder and late Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovez, Rabbi Yosef Shlomo Kahanamen, of blessed memory. The Yeshiva administration was a bit surprised: Rav Kahanamen had passed away a number of years prior, and the young man did not claim to know the Rebbitzen. More important, she had no role in the admission process. Nevertheless, the young man was shown the Rebbitzen's apartment.
After a few moments, the boy emerged, and the Rebbitzen asked to speak with the Rosh Yeshiva. It took less than a few minutes, for the Rosh Yeshiva to emerge and motion the young student waiting outside of the Rebbitzen's apartment.
"Welcome to Ponevezer Yeshiva," the Rosh Yeshiva heartily declared. "We have decided to accept you wholeheartedly."
The boy smiled while many of the students and others who gathered outside the apartment were baffled. "What could have influenced the decision?" they wondered.
The young man solved the mystery for the students who had gathered near the Rebbitzen's apartment.
"When I was seven years old, one summer my mother and I vacationed at a Swiss mountain resort."
Coincidentally, the Ponovezer Rav zt”l was in Switzerland for the summer and checked in to the only kosher hotel in the area - the one we were at! The problem was, the only available room was on the upper floor, and it was hard for the Rav to walk up and down. My mother heard about the problem and immediately offered to switch our room on the first floor, with his.
After thanking her profusely, the Rav called my mother and me into his new room. "I want to thank you, Mrs. Schwartz," he said. "I understand that when on vacation it is hard to move rooms, but more so I also want to express appreciation to your son. I'd like to buy him a toy in a gift shop. What would he like?"
"I told the Rav that I did not want a toy, I did not want any prize. I did not even want a few coins. All I wanted is to become a student one day in the Ponovez Yeshiva. The Rav smiled and said that he would accept me whenever I felt I was ready. Immediately, the Rav took out a pen and paper and wrote the note that I handed to the Rebbitzen today. Frankly, I never even read it. All I know is that the vision of my youth was fulfilled today." (ww.Torah.org)
Shabbos: Ta’am HaChaim Terumah 5770
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