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Eileh Pekudei Hamishkan, Mishkan Ha'eidut... The words "mishkan of the testimony" are really an abbreviated way of saying, "the mishkan which contained the tablets of the testimony" which is what the tablets on which were written the Ten Commandments were usually called (Ex. 25:16), that is to say, the tablets which testify to the covenant between God and Israel.
The midrash, however, finds here the thought that perhaps there is a sense in which the mishkan itself, by virtue of what is done therein, can "testify" to all the world that the Divine Presence dwells in Israel and that God can be found in ordinary human experience.
But how were the people able to achieve this? In its answer, the midrash connects this question to the problem of the "surplus" (Nothar). It should be remembered that when Moshe called for contributions of materials for the mishkan, we are told: "For the material was sufficient for all the work and there was left over" (Ex. 36:7). So Moshe asked Hashem: "What shall we do with the surplus?" Hashem said to him: "Go and make with it a mishkan of the testimony" (Levit. Rabbah 51:2).
Had the people not been so generous and had given just enough, then the end result would have indeed been a complete mishkan: functional, aesthetically pleasing and halakhically kosher. However, it would not have been Mishkan Ha'eidut, it would not have radiated any message of kedusha or shechinah to the outside world. For human constructions can radiate spirituality only when it is recognizable that something "extra", a special enthusiasm, a readiness to sacrifice has gone into the effort.
We, in our day, have been called upon to build a national mishkan, a Jewish state in Eretz Yisrael. B.H., it has grown and developed with a Jewish population of close to 5½ million! It is extolled as an economic powerhouse, as a regional super power, as a city of refuge, but it is still not a "Mishkan Edut". For there is no spiritual "surplus" (Nothar). The only ones who can achieve this are religious Jews who recognize in the state of Israel the "hand of God" and the fulfillment of Torah prophecy. It is good to contribute funds, buy vacation homes, visit periodically and send our young people to study in Yeshivot - but the "surplus," that extra dedication will become visible and begin to radiate only when religious Jews begin to make aliyah in waves. Only then will the world realize that it is spiritual values that lie at the heart of Jewish homecoming.
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The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
