Perfecting Ourselves

Parshat Nitzavim VAYELEKH

by Rabbi Avi Billet

In our efforts to get closer to God in the days leading up to Rosh Hashana, every person employs a different strategy.

            

Some learn the laws of Rosh Hashana, some give more charity, some pray more fervently or sincerely, Sefardim pray Selichot for a month, we hear the Shofar sound on a daily basis. People are a little nicer to one another. We give High Holiday greetings (K'tivah Va'Chatimah Tovah – May you be Inscribed and Sealed for a Good Year), send Rosh Hashana cards, and try to make a good showing as the clock ticks towards the moment of truth.

            

Is there a unique instruction that can help us maintain our focus?

            

Sometimes a Hassidic thought nails the idea perfectly.

            

The last verse in our double parsha brings Moshe's efforts of chapter 29-31 to a close when it declares, "And Moshe spoke the words of this song into the ears of the congregation of Israel, until it was completed."

            

The term "until it was completed" is the most likely translation of the two Hebrew words, "Ad tumam" referring to the completion of the song Moshe was telling over. The dangling modifier allows for the possibility that "ad tumam" refers to the Israelites, that Moshe spoke to them, until they were finished or completed.

            

It was Rabbi Simcha Bunem of Pshischa who went in this direction – not suggesting the people were finished but that they achieved the meaning of the root word "tumam."

            

Essentially, he suggests that Moshe repeated the song over and over and over again until the people achieved becoming "Tamim" – complete or perfect.

            

This is the lesson we must carry for ourselves at this time of year.

            

What will it take for the message of Godliness to penetrate our minds and hearts? How will we be able to answer for ourselves that we put in our greatest effort?

            

If we heed the message because we have listened to it over and over. If we can only read through the Rosh Hashana prayers in advance, to familiarize ourselves with them, and to have their impact be felt in our hearts, we may be moved to become more wholesome human beings. If we can hear a message of "Shuva" – "Return to God" over and over, it might be effective.

            

According to R' Simcha Bunem, Moshe did not give up with the Jewish people. He plugged away with them, because of his concern for the direction they'd choose after his demise. He never felt they were ready for him to leave them.

            

But here, in this final verse of our parsha, Moshe achieved his goal. "Moses then proclaimed the words of this song to the entire assembly of Israel until they became complete and perfect."

            

His efforts to help the people change their essence and their totality proved successful. Because reviewing the points they needed to hear helped the right ideas penetrate so they could become the complete nation he could feel comfortable leaving with his successor.

            

May we be so lucky to find the message that speaks to us, dedicate ourselves to listen to it over and over, so we may be able to perfect and complete ourselves in our continued effort of improving ourselves in the service of God and in our fellowship with Man.

Rashi's Loud Silence

Parshat Vayakhel

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Open up a chumash with Rashi on this parsha, and the first thing you notice is… no Rashi. You can count on your hand, for example, the number of comments Rashi provides on chapters 36 and 37; after all, he's already commented on these topics in parshat Terumah, chapters 25 and 26.


Why does the Torah painstakingly repeat every detail of the mishkan? It could have written, "They did exactly as they were instructed to do?" Were the Torah to have done so, there would be no question as to Rashi's whereabouts, because the summary verse would speak for itself.

There are other places in the Torah where a tale or episode is recounted, either by the narrative or a narrator in the text. Some examples are: the Creation story, told differently in Bereshit chapters 1 and 2; the introduction to the flood tale in Bereshit 7:6-19; Avraham's servant's experience finding a wife for Yitzchak in Bereshit 24. In all these cases, Rashi has a field day with the retelling.

In our parsha's repetition of the Mishkan details, however, Rashi is silent.

One example where details are not repeated is when Moshe is given signs to convince the people of his divine calling. He turns a staff to a snake, his hand becomes afflicted with tzara'at, and he is told to spill river water to the ground where it will become blood (Shmot 4:1-10). When he actually performs them, the Torah summarizes saying, "He did the signs." (Shmot 4:30-31)

Perhaps the difference between the signs Moshe performs and the building of the Mishkan rests in who was instructed to carry out the tasks. The details of Moshe's signs-performance were a formality in a task that was his alone. We saw the instructions and we know what it means when we're told "He did the signs."

The Mishkan, on the other hand, was instructed to Moshe, but it was not Moshe's job to build and to create. Thus we must see that every detail is followed according to the instruction, so we can be the auditors who ensure that all was done correctly. Here it is not just the actions of one man. There is much more chance of error, of mistake, of the possibility of instructions not being followed properly.

Parshat Vayakhel is therefore presenting one of the first examples of a true transmission of mesorah (heritage passed from teacher to student/follower).

Perhaps Rashi remains silent because he does not want to distract us from the important details that are taking place. He explained it for us already, and now he wants us to do our legwork, to check for ourselves if the instructions were carried out properly.

The Talmud (Yebamot 87b) says "silence is like agreement." Rashi agreed with the importance of the transmission of the mesorah, and felt no need to comment, because the notion stands for itself.

In this case, his silence speaks volumes, loud and clear.