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i-Can: Skills

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Prayer Skills-Terumah-For The Unification

The 28th of Shevat is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Menachem Nachum Twersky (ben Yochanon) of Chernobyl, the Rachmistrivka Rebbe (1840-1937). Grandson of Rav Menachem Nachum (author of Meor Einayim).

i-Can: Skills

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Prayer Skills-Terumah-Turning Wood Into Gold

The 29th of Shevat is the Yahrtzeit of Rav Chananya Yom Tov Lipa (ben Yekusiel Yehuda) Teitelbaum (1836-1904), author of Kedushas Yom Tov. “They shall make an Ark of acacia wood.… You shall cover it...

i-Can: Skills

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Prayer Skills-Terumah-Accessing the Highest Mysteries

Human prayer is the service of the spirit. Although people do not realize it, it involves the highest mysteries, even when they do not understand. We learn from the Tabernacle that prayers split thr...

i-Can: Skills

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Prayer Skills-Terumah-That Dwells Amidst Their Imperfections

Thoughts that disturb your prayers can be an atonement for your sins. When you are not suspicious of God and believe that He certainly wants to draw you close and accept your prayers, that the only ...
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i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar: Paragraph Six

This paragraph is sung by Mordechai and Esther as they reflect on the Purim story:   “Give thanks

i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar: Paragraph Five

I suspect that the Jews who heard of Haman’s decree did not celebrate God’s kindness, or perceive His truth, and yet, there were indications of both even in the darkest hours: Esther was Queen, and ...

i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar: Paragraph Four

The “Servant of God” who is singing the Hallel sees life as a series of challenges to grow as a human being and maximize his potential. He understands that each situation promises an opportunity of ...

i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar Paragraph Three

The Chasid Ya’avetz introduces this paragraph by explaining it as the praise of Israel when they have survived tragedy, and have experienced a ‘taste’ of the World to Come, a world of endless possib...

i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar Paragraph Two

The Chasid Ya’avetz continues his commentary on Hallel by pointing out that the Children of Israel sang because the miracles were a demonstration of God’s deep and abiding love for them. They saw be...

i-Shine: Hallel

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Hallel for Rosh Chodesh Adar Paragraph One

According to the Chasid Ya’avetz, the key verse of the Adar Hallel is, “The heavens are God’s, while the earth has been given to people.” The Purim challenge is how we choose to live in this world ...
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Table Talk: Tetzaveh Print E-mail
Table TalkMaking Noise: The Talmud (Arachin) teaches: The clothes of the Cohen bring atonement. For example, the Me’il (Robe), which had bells at the bottom that made noise, “Bring something that makes noise, and bring atonement for an action with noise,” meaning, Lishon Harah. Bells make noise, but Lishon Harah is not just noise, it is the content that is the sin. Why does the Talmud equate Lishon Harah with making noise? What motivates someone to speak Lishon Harah? Perhaps the Talmud is teaching us, “Bring something that makes noise,” meaning, someone who wants to be heard, or noticed. The Talmud seems to be focusing on what motivates the sin of Lishon Harah more than the actual sin.  The need to “make noise,” or to be noticed, is where we must focus our attention to achieve atonement.  Consider the idea that the Mitzvah to construct the Mishkan was an atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf: How is it addressing the cause or motivation of the sin rather than the sin itself? If you were to choose an area in which you want to achieve atonement, would you be able to identify the motivation behind the action?


The Mishkan in Our Home:
The Ba’al Haturim compares the opening of the portion, which commands us in the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah to a woman’s Mitzvah of lighting Shabbat candles. How do the two connect other than both being about lighting candles? A woman may have been permitted to light the Menorah, but she was certainly not permitted to fill the candles with oil. (The Tikkunei Zohar derives from here that a husband must prepare the Shabbat candles for his wife.) The Talmud teaches that the Mitzvah to light Shabbat Candles is to bring Shalom, or peace. We know that Shabbat is when the Shechina comes to our homes. In another place, the Talmud teaches us that, men and women,  “Ish and Isha,” are like fire, can consume each other but if there is Shalom, or peace, the Shechinah dwells among them. The idea of lighting the Shabbat Candles is to make sure that the house is worthy of the Shechina, meaning make your home into a Mishkan. This is the connection between this week’s portion and Shabbat Candles. How can we actively use the preparation and lighting of Shabbat Candles to make our home a place for the Shechina?

Clothes Are Different:
“These are the garments they should make,.. The shall take.” Who shall make the collection? Rashi says, the people who are making the clothes. There is a special Mitzvah for the people who will make the clothes to make the collection, unlike the rest of the Mishkan which was brought to a collection place and then used by the manufacturer. Here the weavers were ordered to make the collection. The Talmud  (Bava Batra 8b) derives from here that we must have two people to make a collection. Collection is an authrority, even against his will, therefore we need more than one person. Why are the laws of collection introduced here and not when they collected the rest of the material for the entire Mishkan? Why would people hesitate when contributing toward the Bigdei Kehuna (The Cohanim’s Garments) more than toward the Mishkan itself?
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