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Shabbat-B'shabbato – Parshat Pekudai No 1615: 2 Adar II 5776 (12 March 2016)

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Shabbat-B'shabbato – Parshat Pekudai No 1615: 2 Adar II 5776 (12 March 2016) Shabbat-B'Shabbato – Parshat Pekudai No 1615: 2 Adar II 5776 (12 March 2016) AS SHABBAT APPROACHES The Polished Mirrors - by Rabbi Mordechai Greenberg, Rosh Yeshiva, Kerem B'Yavne "'The copper that was donated (hatenufah)' [Shemot 38:29] – This refers to the copper of the brides, as in Greek a bride is called 'ninfi.'" [Midrash Tanchuma Pekudai 10]. It is written, "And he made the basin of copper and its base of copper, from the polished mirrors of the women who had gathered at the Tent of Meeting" [Shemot 38:29]. The sages taught us that at first Moshe did not want to take the mirrors, because they had been part of a process which led to sexual acts. But the Holy One, Blessed be He, told Moshe to accept them, because the women had made use of them to establish "large hordes" of offspring in Egypt. When their husbands arrived home weary from their labors, the women would take the mirrors, and each one would look at herself and her husband in the mirror and entice him with words. This led the husbands to desire them, and they became pregnant and gave birth. And that is the meaning of "the mirrors of those who gathered together." The basin was made from these mirrors, since they helped to bring each man and his wife together. The term "tzov'ot" appears only one other time in the Bible: "And Eli was very old, and he heard about all that his sons had done to all of Yisrael, and that they would lie down with the women who gathered together at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting." [Shmuel I 2:22]. It is written in the Talmud, "Whoever says that the sons of Eli sinned is making a mistake. Rather, because they delayed bringing the sacrifices of the women who were thus prevented from going to their husbands, the passage writes about them as if they had lain down with the women." [Shabbat 55b]. By delaying the sacrifices brought by the women after they gave birth, Eli's sons caused a delay in the observance of the mitzva of having children. Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook explains in "Ein Ayah" that Eli's sons did not understand that family life is not a contradiction to a holy life. They felt that holiness should be linked to asceticism, and that therefore there was no problem for them to delay the women's return to their husbands in order to resume normal family life. However, the blessing under the chuppah is to G-d who "sanctifies His nation Yisrael by marriage and a chuppah" - showing that the way to holiness is through a proper married life. And that is why the Holy One, Blessed be he, praised the women for contributing their mirrors, and commanded Moshe to make the basin from them, since its water is used to sanctify the Kohanim and prepare them for the holy service. "The foundation of the worship of G-d and the sanctity of life are closely related." The curtains which covered the Tabernacle were made from cloth 4 Amot wide which were sewn together, creating two large curtains made up of five or six sections. The two curtains were attached with loops. Why didn't they sew all eleven sections together, or why didn't they leave them all as separate components? The answer is that the place where the two curtains were joined together was exactly above the curtain which separated between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. This shows us that the two areas were not separated but also not joined together. The same is true for the difference between what is merely holy and the Holy of Holies. It is also relevant for the difference between the holy and the secular. Holy and secular are not the same thing, but neither are they completely separate. Rather, they are linked by various intermediate stages. I heard from the late Rabbi Tzvi Hodah that one time when he was on a boat he asked the poet Chernichovsky to read a new poem that he had written. The poet was surprised to hear that a rabbi was interested in secular poetry. The rabbi replied that in Judaism there is no conflict between the holy and the secular but only intermediate stages. The only conflict is between the 1 holy and the spiritually impure, and the rabbi took the opportunity to chastise the poet about the impurities in his work. POINT OF VIEW The Solution: A Tourist Area at the Wall - by Rabbi Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute A Controversy Fed by the Supreme Court We have recently been caught up in a renewed controversy about the status of the Western Wall, in the wake of the government decision to allow non- Orthodox prayers in the southern section (the lower level, which is today available to tourists) – based on a recommendation by a committee headed by Avichai Mandelblit – who was the secretary of the government at the time and has since been appointed the State Attorney. The Chief Rabbinate, Chareidi parties, and some of the rabbis of Chardal (nationalistic Zionists) have come out with harsh criticism of this attempt to "place an idol in the Sanctuary" by giving Reform Judaism some sort of formal recognition. A verse that seems appropriate is the description of the prophet, "A memory in My house and in My walls" [Yeshayahu 56:5]. In my humble opinion this subject has gone beyond reasonable limits. On the contrary – the warlike sounds merely play into the hands of the Reform groups, who are always on the lookout for new angles of legitimacy to be granted them by the Supreme Court, as will be detailed below. Let me start out with a declaration: This is not an issue of the sanctity of the southern section of the Wall and the halacha of showing respect for holy places. Not only tourists but also foxes have always freely roamed the area, for the entire length of the Wall, but nobody has ever complained about desecration of the holy area. On the Temple Mount, children play soccer, barbeques of nonkosher foods are held, people dress as if they are on the beach, and the Chief Rabbinate makes no fuss about the situation. The real subject is not the sanctity of the Wall but the struggle against the Reform Jews – their gaining recognition and pushing into any and all "religious" corners, with the cooperation of the Supreme Court. Let me make one point clear: We have been dragged into a struggle about the Wall by a request for an injunction brought by the "Women of the Wall," who claim that they are Orthodox! (Note that some of them refuse to accept the proposal that has been offered.) The Reform Jews did not turn to the Supreme Court, and they are not involved in the legal proceedings. They simply came along for the ride. The same is true of the Prime Minister and those who support the non-Orthodox sectors in the United States. The Supreme Court responded to the "Women of the Wall," and based on the religion of equality gave the government a limited time to organize the matter, while threatening to allow the women to put up their own holy arks and Torah scrolls. This is the real background of the compromise at the Wall, which is meant to placate the small number of "marching women" who have appeared, wearing their talitot and tefillin. So far so good. However, the Reform sector has now joined forces with the "marching mirrors," and they are now part of the team that has taken up the issue. The "proposed solution" invited the Reform Jews into this process that had been set in motion, through the back door, without any need for them to request an injunction of their own from the courts. The government decision (as it exists when I write this article) sets aside an area at the southern part of the Wall that will be managed by a director (Natan Sharansky) who will report to a council that consists of representatives of all the sectors which pray at the site. The Reform sector, which misses no opportunity to increase its symbols of legitimacy, caught the scent of a pool where they could add themselves a worthy prize, and they immediately declared their victory: "For the first time, the government of Israel has formally recognized us... We also have a share in the deity of the State of Israel." Well, I would like to suggest a different and more perfect solution to this dilemma: Establish a "Southern Wall Area for Tourists" which will not have 2 the status of "a holy site." It will be under the control of the Ministry of Tourism or the local municipal government. It will allow all manner of respectable ceremonies, without any regard for religion, race, or sex. And we will not have any need for additional declarations of legitimacy! The Reform Community in Israel is a Marginal Threat Let me repeat my position, which I have stated before, regarding the proper way to treat the Reform community in Israel: The stubborn opposition to them only gives them greater strength. It allows them to collect victories with the help of the Supreme Court, which will never be defeated by legal means. Even if there is some possibility of passing a "Law of Jewish Nationality," there is no way that a "Law of Orthodox Nationality" will ever pass. However, the power of the Reform community is in the realm of the Supreme Court and not out in the field.
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