Julius, Vayakhel The Jewish Mother - A Hair-Raising Responsibility
Julius, Vayakhel
The Jewish Mother - A Hair-Raising Responsibility
The construction of the
Mishkan (Tabernacle) was performed by the most skilled and wisest of men.
However the women also had a role in its construction. "All the women
whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goat's-hair. (35:26)"
While no doubt the spinning of the goat's- hair was a critical element of the
Mishkan, why does the Torah imply that it required some special measure of
wisdom? Skill and dexterity perhaps - but wisdom?
Rashi explains that an extraordinary level of
craftsmanship was required to spin the goat's-hair, because the women would
spin their threads from the fleece on the backs of the goats before it was
shorn - i.e. straight off the goat! Sforno explains that after fleece is shorn,
the hair loses more of its lustre each time it is handled. By combing and
spinning the fleece straight off the goats while it was still growing, they
were able to preserve much of the lustre that would have otherwise been lost.
This explains the extra level of wisdom required
in spinning the goat's- hair, but it still doesn't adequately resolve why this
special craft could only be performed by women. Aside from this one anomaly,
all other aspects of the Mishkan's construction were performed by men. Surely
there were men who were equally capable of performing the "extraordinary
craft" of spinning the hair. Not that we begrudge the women their part in
the building of the Tabernacle; it's just that if the Torah dictates that one
specific aspect of its construction was performed exclusively by women, there
must be something more to it than just practical considerations.
The great and wise Shlomo Ha-melech (King Solomon)
advises: "Listen, my child, to the rebuke of your father; and do not
forsake the Torah of your mother. (Mishlei/Proverbs 1:8)" We all know the
scenario: Father comes home from a long day at work; mother is standing by the
door to greet him. The look on her face tells him he hasn't come one moment too
soon. Before even removing his galoshes, he's already been briefed; little
Shmueli has been sent to his room for fighting with his sister, and awaits
father's homecoming - in order to receive the thrashing with which he's been
threatened. Thus it comes as no surprise that the prophet associates
"rebuke" with the father. But why does he connect Torah to the
mother? Isn't it the father's mitzvah to teach his son Torah?
Mefarshim (commentators) explain that while it is
indeed the father's role to educate his child in the study of Torah and its
laws and ordinances, it is the mother who creates the atmosphere that permeates
the very walls of the Jewish home. It is her duty to see to it that the
atmosphere be one of Torah, kedushah, and shalom - an environment which
encourages love of Torah and dedication to mitzvos.
In many families, the father spends the majority
of his time away from home; it is the mother who ultimately bears the burden of
ensuring that her children, who spend far more time with her, constantly
experience a life brimming with the love for Torah and mitzvos that they will
later be taught by their fathers and teachers. Observing the attitudes and
reactions of a parent to the daily hustle and bustle of a Jewish home is a far
more powerful and influential source of education than any lesson learned from
a book, and it is this "Torah of your mother" to which King Shlomo
refers.
A Russian oleh (immigrant) to Israel approached a
Beis-Din (Jewish court) with concern: He knew that his mother was Jewish, but
he had no recollection of ever being told whether he was a Kohen, a Levi, or a
Yisrael. His nondescript family name gave no clue as to his tribal origin.
Perhaps, asked the Beis Din, he had some memories
of his childhood in Russia which would offer a glimpse into his lineage? He
remembered very little; but - yes - there was one thing that stood out in his
mind. On the eve of every Yom Tov, his mother would take the children to a local
dry-goods store to buy a brand new pair of socks for their father. He still
remembered the special look on his mother's face when she would buy the socks;
it almost glowed. Later, they would go home, and wrap up the socks, and wait
for his father to come home. When he did, they would all gather around, and his
mother would excitedly present him with his new socks. "I never understood
why she always chose to buy him socks - you would have thought she might have
bought socks one Yom Tov, a shirt for the next, and maybe pants or shoes after
that. We never questioned her, though; she always bought socks, and the glow on
her face was always the same. I remember it as if it were just yesterday."
Without hesitation, the Beis Din ruled that the
man was a Kohen. While in Israel the Kohanim offer the priestly blessings
(Birkas Kohanim) daily, in the Diaspora they do so only on the Yamim Tovim. One
of the requirements of Birkas Kohanim is that the Kohen take off his shoes
while he blesses the congregation. No doubt, Beis Din reasoned, his mother
wanted to make sure that this special mitzvah was performed in a special way,
so she made sure that each Yom Tov her husband, a Kohen, should have new socks
to wear as he stood and blessed the congregation.
How remarkable. The man, it seems, had no memory
of his father performing the priestly blessings, although he surely must have
accompanied him to shul. But he vividly remembered the anticipation of his
mother as she went out of her way on a busy Erev Yom Tov to honour a mitzvah in
her own special way.
Perhaps this is why the women were charged with
the craft of spinning the fleece directly off the backs of the goats. All other
aspects of the Mishkan's construction involved taking raw materials - gold,
silver, copper, wool, etc. - and using them as the building blocks for the
Tabernacle and its holy vessels. The men were given these tasks, just as it is
their responsibility to take a child - the raw material - and make him holy by
educating him in the laws and lessons of the Torah.
The spinning of the goat's-hair was the only task
that required the materials to be formed, moulded and infused with holiness at
their very source - straight off the backs of the goats. The mother of the
house is referred to in the Holy Tongue as the "Akeres Ha-bayis - the
source of the household," for it is she who brings a aura of kedusha, love
for Torah, and respect for mitzvos into the very foundation of the Jewish home.
Only the women could take responsibility for such an essential and critical
task, which, when performed with wisdom, preserves the lustre of the Jewish
soul.
By Julius
Please Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Ben Gvir, Mr. Smotrich and Mr. Gallant unite and bring Hashem’s Righteousness back to the Har HaBayit? |
תחת צדקת השם הר הבית יהפוך לבית תפילה לכל העמים: יהודים, מוסלמים ונוצרים כשהם מסירים עבודה זרה ואת דוקטרינות השקר שלהם... על ידי ביטול הברית שנכרתה עם השלטונות האיסלאמיים בשנת 67' על הר הבית וכל שאר הבריתות, איסור על כל הפשעים והתועבות שנעשות על ידי הרשות הפלסטינית, חמאס והג'יהאד האסלאמי. והכרזת ריבונות יהודית על כל ארץ ישראל. |
Come let us Pray that Hashem's Righteousness shall 'return' to the Har haBayit and the whole of Eretz Israel. | בוא נתפלל שצדקת ה' 'תשוב' להר הבית ולארץ ישראל כולה. |
Free to study all Jewish Scripture: | חופשי ללמוד את כל כתבי הקודש היהודיים: |
Our Prayer and hope: All the gates to the Har haBayit have to be opened for Jews and non-Jews seven days in the week 24 hours a day. The Jews need to have the freedom to go with Tefillin, Tallit and Torah Scroll up on the Mountain to serve Hashem. And do קידה ('Kidah' prostate, laying down, before Hashem) Everyone showing his/her respect for the Jewish and all other religions. But NOT for the words/deeds/sins spoken against any word of the Torah of Moshe Rabbeinu and the 'real' teachings of the Jewish Rabbis. The Jews must be the guardians of the Har haBayit. |
תפילתנו ותקוותנו: כל שערי הר הבית צריכים להיפתח עבור יהודים ולא-יהודים שבעה ימים בשבוע 24 שעות ביממה. ליהודים צריך להיות חופש ללכת עם תפילין, טלית וספר תורה במעלה ההר כדי לשרת את ה' ולקוד קידה .מתוך הפגנת כבוד ליהודים ולכל הדתות האחרות, אבל לא למילים/למעשים/לחטאים הנאמרים נגד תורת משה רבנו. מלמודי רבנים, היהודים חייבים להיות שומרי הר הבית. |
Let's pray for a death sentence for the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Hezbollah and for the continuation of the Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Authority, Hamas and Hezbollah must disappear. Enough of the hatred from the world (the USA, the European Union, and the UN!) against the Jewish people. |
בואו נתפלל לגזר דין מוות לרשות הפלסטינית, חמאס, חיזבאללה ולמען התיישבות יהודית ביהודה ושומרון. הרשות הפלסטינית, חמאס וחיזבאללה חייבים להעלם. די לשנאה מהעולם (ארה"ב, האיחוד האירופי והאו"ם!) נגד העם היהודי! |
| על היהודים מוטלת המשימה לשנות את הר הבית, ממצבו הקיים, לבית תפילה לכל העמים על פי חוק התורה של משה רבנו. |
Ariel, hopefully your Representee | אריאל, מקווה שהנציג שלך |
Click: If you have Prayer Requests Har HaBait Jewish Sovereign for all Israel I pray as a Jew when I bring your prayers. |
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