Today’s Torah & Tea is being broadcast a little differently than usual. There is certainly something special about actually getting together in the same room, with the energy, the special neshamah, and the godly presence that comes when people gather together. But because of the circumstances, thank Hashem we have the technology to do at least part of it this way.
I would like to begin by saying that we are all worried and heartbroken for so many people who are suffering. In the Brooklyn and Crown Heights community, where I come from, there have unfortunately been many people who became very ill and were admitted to the hospital. Especially in the Jewish and Chassidic community, and especially in a place like 770, where so many people gather so closely together, there is great danger when people do not realize they may be affected even without symptoms. We now understand that even someone with no symptoms can still be a carrier. For younger people it may appear mild or not even noticeable, but if they pass it on to the elderly or to those with compromised health, it can be fatal. It is a very serious matter.
This afternoon I actually closed our shul as well. We will not be holding services there until it is safe to do so. Even though some rabbis may still be hesitating, it really appears to be dangerous. A person may feel fine and still unknowingly endanger others. As much as we must protect ourselves, we must also protect other people. I felt that at this point, that was the right and responsible thing to do.
Before speaking about the parsha, I wanted to say a chapter of Tehillim for all those who have been affected. Not only those who are ill physically, but also all those who are suffering in other ways. There is so much pain out there right now—financially, emotionally, and socially. I spoke to someone yesterday who runs several restaurants, and he said he had to lay off workers because all the restaurants in New York were closed. One chef who had worked for him for many years said, “I do not have money to pay my rent, and I do not have money to buy food. I live paycheck to paycheck, and now that I am being laid off, what am I going to do?” It is heart-wrenching. Families in Israel already struggle to put food on the table, and now to add this crisis and the isolation on top of everything else—it is an extremely difficult time.
Still, we should not despair. We need to do everything in our power to follow the guidance of the professionals, keep safe distances, and act responsibly. But at the same time, we must not lose confidence or give up hope. This too will pass, im yirtzeh Hashem, and better days are coming very soon.
After saying Tehillim together, the discussion turned to the end of Parshas Pekudei and the building of the Mishkan. This week was a double parsha, Vayakhel and Pekudei, and we are completing Sefer Shemos.
The Torah says, “Vayehi bachodesh harishon bashanah hashenis, b’echad lachodesh, hukam hamishkan”—in the first month, in the second year, on the first day of the month, the Mishkan was erected. The wording is interesting. “Hukam hamishkan” sounds passive, as though the Mishkan was raised by itself. But the very next verse says, “Vayakem Moshe es hamishkan”—Moshe erected the Mishkan. So which is it? Did the Mishkan stand up on its own, or did Moshe raise it?
Rashi, quoting the Midrash, explains that the Mishkan was extremely heavy. The beams were very large and heavy, and nobody could raise it. Hashem told Moshe that even though no one was able to erect it, he should go ahead and raise it. But even Moshe Rabbeinu himself could not actually do so. So Hashem told him, in effect, to make the motions as though he were raising it, and the Mishkan would stand up miraculously by itself. That is why the Torah says both “hukam hamishkan,” that it was erected, and “vayakem Moshe,” that Moshe erected it. Moshe did the action from below, but the actual accomplishment came from Hashem.
The Rebbe asks an important question. We know that for the seven days before the first of Nissan there were the שבעת ימי המילואים, the seven days of inauguration and training. During those seven days, the Mishkan was erected and taken apart each day. If there was such a problem raising the Mishkan on the eighth day, how was it raised and taken down during those seven earlier days? Why does the issue only arise on the first of Nissan?
The Rebbe explains that there was a fundamental difference between the seven days of inauguration and the eighth day. During the first seven days, the Mishkan functioned as part of the training of Aharon and his sons. It was essentially preparation. It was not yet the final resting place of the Shechinah. It was assembled and dismantled as part of the inauguration process, but the Divine Presence did not yet rest there. Only on the eighth day, when the Mishkan was finally erected to remain standing as a permanent structure, did the Shechinah descend into it.
That means that during the seven days of preparation, it was possible for several people together to raise the Mishkan as needed. There was no miracle required, because it was part of the human side of the process—training, effort, preparation, and avodah. A group of people could handle that work. But on the eighth day, when the Mishkan needed to become the place where the Shechinah would actually dwell, that could not be accomplished by human effort alone. Then it had to be “hukam hamishkan”—the Mishkan had to be raised in a way that came from Hashem Himself.
This teaches a powerful lesson. Sometimes a person can work very hard, put in tremendous effort, and still only reach a certain point. We are human beings with limitations. We can build, prepare, train, and work—but bringing down the Shechinah, bringing down true holiness and divine presence, is beyond our own ability. That must come from Hashem.
This also explains a broader discussion about the future Beis Hamikdash. There is an opinion, brought by Rashi, that the Third Beis Hamikdash will descend already built from Heaven. The phrase “Mikdash Hashem konenu yadecha” can be understood to mean that Hashem Himself will establish it. According to this view, just as the Mishkan on its highest level was erected through Hashem, so too the future Beis Hamikdash will come from above.
According to the Rambam, however, Moshiach will build the Beis Hamikdash. The emphasis there is on the human role—the עבודה, the labor, the effort, the preparation. The service performed in the Beis Hamikdash is central, and therefore the human participation in its building is also central.
In truth, both elements are necessary. We must work hard, build, prepare, and do everything that is within our power. But at the end of the day, the final success, the true revelation of the Shechinah, comes from Hashem. Human effort alone cannot accomplish it.
This can be compared to rain. If rain falls on land that has not been plowed, the water simply runs off and does not penetrate. But if the earth has been prepared—broken up, softened, opened—then the rain sinks in and produces growth. So too, the work of the seven days of inauguration was necessary. The people had to prepare the Mishkan, contribute, build, and participate. Without that preparation, even if Hashem were to send down the Shechinah, there would be no vessel to receive it. It would pass over us without being internalized.
The same is true in life. We must do everything we can. We must open ourselves, soften ourselves, work on ourselves, and become fitting vessels. We must make room for holiness. But after all that, we still need Hashem to complete the process. In the language of Kabbalah, we begin with an “itaruta d’letata,” an awakening from below, and then Hashem responds with an “itaruta d’le’eila,” an awakening from above.
This idea speaks very strongly to our present situation as well. We believe that everything comes from Hashem, even when we do not understand why events unfold the way they do. At the same time, we must ask what message we are meant to hear.
At the time of Yetzias Mitzrayim, during the plague, the Jewish people were told, “ואתם לא תצאו איש מפתח ביתו”—do not leave your homes. Sometimes the message is that we need to stop, withdraw, and pay attention. We are reminded that no one is truly secure through wealth, power, or social standing. In one moment, the stock market can fall, health can change, and life can be turned upside down. People who seemed strong and secure are suddenly vulnerable.
At the same time, we ask Hashem not only to restore what was lost, but to bring an even greater good from all of this. Just as Hashem can take everything away in a moment, He can restore and rebuild in a moment as well. When Hashem pushes us away with the left hand, He embraces us with the right. He does not let us truly fall. There may be a push, but He is still holding us.
So our response must be twofold: to do everything practical and responsible that is required, and at the same time to deepen our trust in Hashem. We should increase in prayer, Torah study, tzedakah, good deeds, sensitivity to others, and concern for those who are suffering physically, emotionally, and financially. We should pray that Hashem send a complete healing to all those who are sick, protect those who are well, and quickly bring salvation to everyone.
Summary
The Rebbe explains that the Mishkan could be assembled during the seven days of inauguration through human effort, because those days were only preparation. But on the eighth day, when the Shechinah was meant to dwell in the Mishkan, it had to be “hukam hamishkan”—raised through Hashem Himself. The lesson is that we must do everything we can to prepare the vessel, but only Hashem can bring down the true revelation and complete the work.