Parshas Pekudei
1. On the verse1 "וירא משה את כל המלאכה גו׳ ויברך אותם משה" ("Moshe saw all the work… and Moshe blessed them"), Rashi quotes the words "and Moshe blessed them" and explains: "He said to them: 'May it be [G‑d's] will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands,' and 'ויהי נועם ה׳ אלקינו עלינו וגו׳' ('May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us, etc.')2; and this is one of the eleven psalms in 'A Prayer of Moshe.'"
This needs clarification:
a) What is the difficulty in understanding this verse, on account of which Rashi had to explain the wording of Moshe's blessing? Seemingly, when the Jewish people fulfilled the command of the Holy One, blessed be He — and especially when "they had done it; as the L‑rd had commanded, so had they done" — and they are blessed for this, it is self-understood what the content and subject of the blessing is (in the style of "How fortunate we are, how good is [our portion]," or "Yasher Koach" ("well done"), and the like).
And it is even more difficult, for Rashi seemingly takes the verse ("and he blessed") out of its plain meaning, since he explains that it was not in the language of a blessing but in the language of a prayer — "May it be [G‑d's] will."
b) The introductory words "He said to them" seem superfluous in his explanation, for the verse itself already says "and he blessed them."
c) From where does Rashi know to add the second blessing, "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us, etc."? For even though we find that Moshe said it, what compels us to say that this is the blessing here in Parshas Pekudei?
And even if this is compelling, he should have explained it there, on the verse in Tehillim [just as here in Parshas Pekudei, on the verse3 "In the first month… on the first of the month the Mishkan was set up," Rashi did not bring what he explains at the beginning of Parshas Shemini concerning "the eighth day," since it is not compelled here].
d) The addition of "etc." (after "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us") — by which he intends to hint at the answer to a question raised by a sharp student — what is that question?
e) What does he teach us with his conclusion, "and this is one of the eleven psalms in 'A Prayer of Moshe,'" when this verse is at the (end of the) psalm of "A Prayer of Moshe" itself? And what difference does it make that there are eleven psalms in "A Prayer of Moshe"?
And although something similar is found in the Midrash4: a) it is known that Rashi does not quote Midrashim except for what is relevant to the plain meaning of Scripture; b) Rashi does not write here "as stated in the Midrash" or the like, from which it is understood that this is the plain meaning itself, and not a Midrash that merely fits the plain meaning.
2. Now, the content of this explanation of Rashi — a blessing for the resting of the Shechinah — is also found in Parshas Shemini, on the verse5 "ויצאו ויברכו את העם" ("They came out and blessed the people"), where Rashi explains: "They said, 'May the pleasantness of the L‑rd be upon us; may it be [G‑d's] will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands, etc.'"
The differences need clarification:
a) There, the ending stated in his explanation here is omitted: "etc., and this is one of the eleven psalms in 'A Prayer of Moshe'" (although, in a very forced way, one could say that he relied on his explanation in Pekudei).
b) The order of the blessings is reversed — there he begins with "May the pleasantness, etc." and afterwards "May it be [G‑d's] will, etc.," while in Rashi's explanation in our Parsha they are in the reverse order.
c) There he writes "They said," and here — "He said to them."
3. The explanation: the difficulty in the verse is as follows. These verses relate the completion of the making of the Mishkan and its vessels, which was done by the wise-hearted craftsmen. And since the verse then concludes "and Moshe blessed them," it implies that "them" refers to the wise-hearted who made the Mishkan.
This is not understood: why did Moshe not bless all of Israel when every man and woman6 whose heart moved them brought the materials for the Mishkan7 — "the men came with the women, etc."8 — to the point that it was necessary to proclaim "let no one do any more work," and only then "the people were restrained from bringing"9?
Moshe was, after all, a lover of Israel10, and he certainly should have blessed them when every man and woman brought the materials for the Mishkan, and not only when the wise-hearted completed the making of the Mishkan, since they were a select few — "See, the L‑rd has called by name, etc."11.
And even if you were to say that since Rashi does not explain that "the Children of Israel"12 (stated in the preceding verse: "so had the Children of Israel done"13) means only the wise-hearted, it implies that he holds it is meant literally — the Children of Israel in general [and although only the wise-hearted "made" the Mishkan, Rashi resolves this in his explanation on the verse "Thus was finished all the work of the Mishkan… and the Children of Israel did according to all, etc.": "'And the Children of Israel did' — the work, etc.," meaning that "and the Children of Israel did" refers to the work (which he explained earlier14: "and the work of bringing, etc."), and not to the "service" mentioned before it in the verse15] —
still, Moshe should have blessed them immediately when they finished the bringing, especially since it was done with generosity. Is it possible that he delayed his blessing, G‑d forbid, for close to half a year16?!
We must therefore say that he certainly blessed them then, at the proper time, and the verse did not need to state this, since it is obvious, as mentioned; or, on the other hand, that there is no need to give "Yasher Koach" — for what would that teach us? (even though it is obvious that they gave satisfaction to the mind and feelings of Moshe Rabbeinu17). As for what is stated here, "and Moshe blessed them," we must say that this was not a blessing in the sense of giving "Yasher Koach," but a special blessing17 (which is why the verse needed to state it), connected specifically with the completion of the making of the Mishkan. And since the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, is measure for measure18, His way in this matter is certainly in accordance with the service of the Jewish people — who made the Mishkan so that there would be "ושכנתי בתוכם" ("I will dwell among them")19. Therefore Rashi explains: "He said to them: 'May it be [G‑d's] will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands.'"
This is why Rashi prefaces "He said to them" — for the reason this blessing is recorded in Scripture is that it was not an ordinary blessing of "Yasher Koach" and the like, but "he said (something relevant) to them" — something suited to their own action and to what they sought: the resting of the Shechinah in what they made.
4. However, we need to understand: in the preceding explanation of Rashi it says, "No person could set it up, and Moshe erected it… The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: 'Busy yourself with your hand.'" Accordingly, even though the Jewish people toiled while Moshe only "busied himself," etc., and their blessing is not equal, there should nevertheless also be a blessing for Moshe after the blessing of the Jewish people, and a blessing that also includes the (making by the) Jewish people — since through Moshe's "busying himself" the making of the Mishkan by the Jewish people was completed and perfected — "the work of your hands" of the Jewish people.
Rashi explains that this is indeed so, and brings that we find the content of "May it be [G‑d's] will that the Shechinah rest" also in the verse "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us," which refers to the resting of the Shechinah (except that "Shechinah" is the language of the Sages, while "the L‑rd our G‑d" is the language of Scripture). And in this blessing, which is called a prayer (not the giving of "Yasher Koach" and the like), Moshe includes himself together with them, for he says "upon us"20.
This is why Rashi concludes "and this is, etc., psalms in 'A Prayer of Moshe.'" That is: since we find explicitly in "A Prayer of Moshe" a blessing for the resting of the Shechinah connected with the Mishkan, in which he himself is also included — and here we must say that there was a blessing of such content — we learn the unspecified from the explicit: Moshe said this blessing, "May the pleasantness, etc.," at the conclusion of the work of the Mishkan.
And Rashi adds (after "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us") "etc.," in case a sharp student asks: since he says "the work of your hands" of the Jewish people, what compels that "the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us" also refers to Moshe? Let him see the continuation of the verse, "and the work of our hands," meaning that the work of Moshe's hands was also part of the making of the Mishkan (together with the work of the hands of the Jewish people).
5. But a student will find it difficult: from where do we know that the verse "May the pleasantness" was said by Moshe? (On the contrary, the opposite is implied by what is stated just before it: "The days of our years are seventy, etc., eighty years," while the student has already learned that Moshe was eighty years old at the Exodus from Egypt21, and likewise Miriam and Aharon, etc. — and one may say that this is also among the reasons of the Midrash22 that the Jewish people said "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d, etc.")
This is why Rashi adds "and this is one of the eleven psalms in 'A Prayer of Moshe'" (even though it is at the end of the psalm of "A Prayer of Moshe" itself, as mentioned above).
For if Moshe said only this psalm, then even though only its beginning is Moshe's, the (words "seventy, etc., eighty years," etc., and the) end of the psalm, "May the pleasantness," could be what the Jewish people answered to Moshe's words (as the Midrash explains). But since Moshe also said the psalms that come after it, it is reasonable that this verse, which is in the middle, is from Moshe's words and not from the words of the Jewish people. [And the statement "seventy, etc., eighty years" is part of the punishment, when "(You sweep them away;) they become, etc.… You have set our iniquities, etc."23.]
6. Accordingly, the reason for the differences in Rashi's explanation in Parshas Shemini is understood:
What is stated there, "they blessed the people," refers to and adjoins the service of Aharon and Moshe24 (which is related at length before this), and it is on this that the beginning of the blessing comes — and this was the cause of the entire blessing. As Rashi explains: "They said, 'May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us,'" which refers mainly to (the service of) Aharon and Moshe (and not to that of Moshe and the Jewish people, as in our Parsha).
Therefore: (a) Rashi wrote "They said," without emphasizing "to them"; (b) he did not write "etc." — since the continuation of the verse is a new matter and not the service of Moshe and Aharon; (c) he did not conclude "and this is one… in 'A Prayer of Moshe'" — since here there is no reason at all to say that the Jewish people said it, as it speaks of the service of Moshe and Aharon; whereas in Pekudei it speaks of the making of the Mishkan.
Accordingly, the change in order is also understood: he begins with "May the pleasantness, etc.," and afterwards writes "May it be [G‑d's] will, etc." For the service of Aharon and Moshe ("the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us") brought about that afterwards "the Shechinah will rest upon the work of your hands (of the Jewish people)"; that is, the resting of the Shechinah "upon the work of your hands" came after, and because of, the service of Aharon and Moshe ("pleasantness… upon us"). As Rashi continues: "Since throughout the seven days of inauguration, etc., the Shechinah did not rest, etc., he said to them… so that through his offerings and his service the Shechinah will rest among you, etc."
7. The lesson from this explanation of Rashi:
Even after the Jewish people fulfilled all of G‑d's commands perfectly — the heartfelt donation of every Jew to the work of the Mishkan, up to the conclusion and completion of all the work of the wise-hearted in the work of the Mishkan, "according to all that the L‑rd had commanded" — they still could not set up the Mishkan, and needed to bring it to Moshe so that he would set it up. And even this was still not enough, until "Moshe blessed them," and specifically through this the Shechinah rested upon the work of their hands.
On the other hand, when the Jewish people brought their work to Moshe, not only did Moshe bless them, as mentioned, but moreover Moshe included himself together with them in his blessing: "May the pleasantness of the L‑rd our G‑d be upon us, and establish the work of our hands," meaning that Moshe joined himself with the entire Jewish people in their own service and activity.
The same applies to the service of each and every Jew: even after finishing and completing the service assigned to him, he must know that it is still not within his own powers to reach its purpose — making a Mishkan for G‑d, blessed be He. Rather, he must "bring" his "work," his service, to Moshe Rabbeinu [the "אתפשטותא דמשה בכל דרא ודרא" ("extension of Moshe in every generation")25 — up to my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, the leader of our generation], for only he is assured of, and has the ability, to set up from the work of the Jewish people a Mishkan for G‑d, blessed be He, since he is the one who "stands between the L‑rd and you"26 — the intermediary who connects the souls of Israel to their Father in Heaven27.
And even after Moshe Rabbeinu's participation, the Shechinah still does not rest upon the work of the hands of the Jewish people until Moshe Rabbeinu blesses them, etc.
In plain words: every Jew, with all his qualities and his service, must be attached and bound to the "extension of Moshe" — the "Rebbe" — for specifically through him he becomes bound with the L‑rd his G‑d. This is stated explicitly in the revealed part of Torah, in the Mechilta on the verse28 "ויאמינו בה׳ ובמשה עבדו" ("They believed in the L‑rd and in Moshe His servant"): whoever believes in Moshe His servant, it is as if he believes in G‑d. Moreover: all the affairs of every Jew, both material and spiritual, depend on the Nasi. And this is not a matter stated only in Kabbalah and Chassidus; it is explicit in the Gemara29: "מי שיש לו חולה בביתו ילך אצל חכם ויבקש עליו רחמים" ("One who has a sick person in his house should go to a sage and ask him to pray for mercy for him"). That is, for the "sick person" — whether in his body or in his soul, in that his service of his Creator still lacks completeness30 — it is not enough that he himself (or another member of his household) pray for mercy for a cure (for his illness of body or soul); rather, he needs the prayer of a "sage," and it is this that brings about "and he will return and be healed"31.
But there are two conditions in this: a) a "sage" — for "איזהו חכם הרואה את הנולד" ("Who is wise? One who sees what is born")32, which the Alter Rebbe explains33 to mean that he sees the word of G‑d that brings into being and creates all created beings at every single moment. Since he sees the word of G‑d within the thing — and not its coarse physicality, nor even its corporeality — he sees the thing as it truly is. Therefore (a) he is able to recognize the "sick person" as he truly is; (b) he is able to arouse mercy and heal him. For since he sees the word of G‑d, it is then within his power to change the combinations [of letters], etc., similar to "מי שאמר לשמן וידלוק הוא יאמר לחומץ וידלוק" ("He Who told oil to burn will tell vinegar to burn")34.
b) The sage must be "in the city"35 — that he does not shut himself away within his own four cubits, even though he is occupied with Torah study, prayer and other lofty matters; rather, he is present in the very midst of the "city" and devoted to every Jew found there — and therefore he prays for mercy for them, etc.36
These two conditions correspond to the two matters discussed above regarding Moshe and the Jewish people:
a) They needed to bring all the work, for the sake of its purpose and completion, to Moshe, who was the "sage"37 — the shepherd of Israel; b) Moshe included himself together with the entire Jewish people38.
8. However, before the Jewish people come to Moshe, it says "The Children of Israel did according to all that the L‑rd had commanded"; that is, before Moshe's participation and blessing, all the work of the Mishkan incumbent upon them was already completed, and from their side it was in utter perfection. Only then did Moshe join with them in the making of the Mishkan and bless them.
So too in the service of each person: a person merits the participation of the "Moshe" in each generation, and his blessing, only when his service is to the full extent of his capacity and ability — in the spirit of "וברכך ה׳ אלקיך בכל אשר תעשה" ("The L‑rd your G‑d will bless you in all that you do")39, specifically. The "healing" of (Moshe,) the "sage," comes only if the "sick person" also takes natural measures in accordance with Torah (as our Sages say40 on "ורפא ירפא" ("and he shall surely cause him to be healed")41 — "from here we learn that permission was given to the physician to heal").
But when there is still something lacking in the work of the Jewish people toward making the Mishkan (and as in the saying of my revered father-in-law, the Rebbe, that there are "trouble-Chassidim," who "when things are good for them, do not come"; when a mission of spreading the wellsprings [of Chassidus] is placed upon them, they evade it, etc.; and only when they find themselves in a time of trouble, Heaven forbid, do they come with a demand, etc., that they need a miracle) — in such a state they are not fitting vessels for Moshe's participation and blessing.
But when the Jewish people do their service as it should be, etc., in utter perfection according to their own ability, and come to Moshe Rabbeinu in the proper way — with faith, as in the teaching of our Sages cited above on "They believed in the L‑rd and in Moshe His servant" — then Moshe joins in the service of each one, including himself with the community, and assists each individual in his service of G‑d, blessed be He. And after his participation in the service of the entire Jewish people, through his blessing he brings about the resting of the Shechinah in "the work of our hands" of the entire Jewish people, with Moshe among them, and brings each one to his true completeness.
(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei, Shabbos Mevarchim Nissan, 5735)
Notes
1) Our Parsha, 39:43.
2) Tehillim, Psalm 90, at its end.
3) 40:17.
4) Midrash Tehillim, there, at its beginning.
5) 9:23.
6) See Rashi 32:2.
7) See also Rashi in our Parsha, 38:26 — regarding the contribution for the sockets — that each and every one gave, etc.
8) 35:22.
9) 36:6.
10) Menachos 65a.
11) There, [verse] 30.
12) 39:32.
13) 36:7.
14) Accordingly, the question of the commentators on Rashi there (39:32) — "what does this teach us?" — is resolved.
15) See Rashi, Ki Sisa 31:18; 36:1; beginning of Parshas Vayakhel.
16) Similar to Rashi on the word "ניחוח" ("pleasing") (Vayikra 1:9, and elsewhere).
17) Similar to the two blessings of Yaakov to Pharaoh (Vayigash 47:7, 10), whose content differs, as Rashi explains there.
18) See Rashi, Noach 7:11; Yisro 18:11; Naso 5:24; and elsewhere. This is also understood simply.
19) Terumah 25:8.
20) And although Moshe's blessing was before the setting up of the Mishkan (according to the simple order of the verses), the blessing "May the pleasantness… be upon us" is in the future tense.
21) Va'eira 7:7.
22) Sifri, Pinchas 143; Seder Olam Rabbah ch. 6. See also Yalkut here, on the verse; Toras Kohanim, beginning of Shemini (15). [But note that Rashi on Shevuos (15b, s.v. "HaShir") also has this reading in Toras Kohanim, as in his commentary on the Torah here.]
23) There, [verses] 5–8.
24) Rashi in our Parsha, 40:29. See also Likkutei Sichos vol. 6, first sicha on Parshas Pekudei.
25) Tikkunei Zohar, Tikkun 69 (112a, 114a).
26) Va'eschanan 5:5. See also Torah Shleimah, p. 158.
27) See on this at length below, pp. 184, 186 ff.
28) Beshalach 14:31.
29) Bava Basra 116a.
30) Indeed, "חולה" ("sick") has the numerical value of 49, "because the fiftieth gate is lacking in him, and therefore the illness befell him" (Taamei HaMitzvos of the Arizal, Parshas Vayeira. See also Likkutei Torah, Berachah 96b; and at length in the maamar beginning "Chamishim Sha'arei Binah," 5653 — printed in the Kuntres of Chai Elul 5703).
31) See Responsa Chasam Sofer, Orach Chaim, sec. 166; Likkutei Sichos vol. 13, second sicha on Parshas Shelach, end.
32) Tamid 32a.
33) Tanya, ch. 43; Likkutei Torah, Naso 26d; Haazinu 75b.
34) Taanis 25a.
35) The wording of the Rema, Yoreh De'ah, end of sec. 335.
36) Similarly, this must be so in the service of each individual: the "sage" within him — namely the faith in every Jew, which is in the level of "Chochmah" of the soul (Tanya, ch. 18 and 19) — must be "in a small city, which is the body" (Nedarim 32b), illuminating all the powers and garments of his soul (see Tanya, end of ch. 9, and ch. 24–25. See also Nedarim there: "a sage — this is the good inclination, etc.; and he saved the city with his wisdom — this is repentance and good deeds, etc.").
37) For Moshe's level is Chochmah — see Likkutei Torah, Masei 89d; 92, beginning of side a; and in many places. (See at length Likkutei Sichos vol. 10, p. 244 ff.)
38) See Zohar I, 67b.
39) Re'eh 15:18, and Sifri on the verse. Explained in Derech Chaim, in the introduction; Derech Mitzvosecha, the mitzvah of the shaving of the metzora, at its end; Kuntres U'Mayan, maamar 25, ch. 1.
40) Bava Kamma 85a.
41) Mishpatim 21:19.
Key Lesson
Even after a Jew has completed his own service to the fullest of his ability, he must "bring his work to Moshe" — bind himself to the Rebbe, the Moshe of the generation — for only through the leader's participation and blessing does the Shechinah come to rest in the work of his hands. And the leader, for his part, includes himself together with every Jew, joining in his service and bringing him to his true completeness.