Parshas Vayakhel Pekudei: Forget Likes and Followers — Did You Get Hashem’s Sticker Today?

It's a five-word phrase repeated 18 times that reminds us what life is all about.

Those words repeated 18 times in Parshash Pekude are Ka Asher Siva Hashem Esmocha

that the Jews built the Mishkan just as God commanded Mocha.

Over and over, we find this phrase throughout this double Parshash.

Ayaka Pekude joined together this year along with Parshash Hachodesh along with a being

of a Parshash 15 years ago. I'm a twin, so my brother leaned Vyakao,

me being the younger twin. I leaned Pekude the second Parshash. It also was Parshash Hachodesh.

I did the half-tour of that year. It was a long davening, needless to say.

It's 2 p.m. before people got to their herring in Scotch.

But Parshash Hachodesh Vyaka Pekude always has a warm place in my heart.

I still can subconsciously read along with the Balkorey every year,

because it's so drilled into my head. This Geer-Saudi Yankeesah, this

Torah that I learned when I was about a young chap, just 12 and a half preparing for my bar mitzvah.

But either way, Parshash Pekude specifically, Parshash Pekude alone has this phrase,

Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha over and over again. It sticks out not like a sore thumb,

but sticks out like a beautiful thumb. For every time, the Jewish people conclude

an action properly. They built the Big Dei Kahuna satisfactorily.

Parshash Pekude reiterates that they built the Big Dei Kahuna Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha.

And the Jewish people, they built the Oranakhoidash Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha.

And they continue to build the Mizbeach and do the Ketaurus and build the Krashem,

Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha over and over this phrase, this pentad, which means a five word phrase

is repeated. Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha. You want specific sources so you can look it up?

Parshash Pekude in the setting up of the Mishkan? The pentad, the phrase appears again

in other 11 times. Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha imposes Yudtesh, Khuf Alef, Khuf Gemel, Khuf Heh,

Khuf Zayn, Khuf Tess, Lamid Bees, over and over. Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha, the Jewish people,

they fulfilled and built and constructed and erected the Mishkan and its Kalim, its furniture,

all precisely as God commanded Mosha. And our question, Zzzz, S in parentheses, is as follows.

It's a key question because it will springboard us to our Yasod or Yasodos.

When the Torah tells us, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha, what does the Torah mean to tell us?

What deeper message is being conveyed? And why would it not have been sufficient to simply say

once that the Jewish people built the Mishkan and its furniture? All of it,

Kolha Mishkan Kulu, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha. And more so, we know that Torah does not

mean words, does not waste words, God forbid. But Pekuda is really kind of reiterating many of the

obligations and instructions that the Jewish people had and they learned in Parshash Tetsava and

Parshash Truma. And here is a repeating of the constructions of the construction, the blueprints,

it repeats it. And the only thing added is that they did it, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha.

So almost the whole Safer Moshe or these final Parshios that all deal with the Mishkan,

they seem to find they're in climax and to be repeated for nothing more other than to just say

these 18 times over that they did this Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha. It's like the whole Parshash Pekuda

is here only so that it can tell us all of these instructions were done, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha.

Why? Was there really any other way to build something?

Can you build something in a Mishkan and somehow be included in the final copy in the published

edition of the Torah and have possibly not done it, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha, if it makes it

into the final copy and it was given on Mount Sinai, well of course, it's given Kashert,

the Mishkan was built, Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha and it doesn't need to be said,

it doesn't need to be reiterated, not 18 times over,

or philoma, the ma, and why? Dimension number one, Mahalach number one.

It says Kashert Siva Hashem Esmocha says the orachai Makadosh

because it wants to tell us that Klai Israel built the Mishkan

in total execution, in perfect fashion, in both the revealed aspects of the commandments

and the hidden aspects of the Torah, the subtle elements that were given over that was also

perfectly done. They built it says the orachai'im, oh Nira,

Lafimash Akadamano,

there's no Mitzvah, there's no Mitzvah that doesn't have many aspects,

it doesn't have aspects of Kabbalistic hidden mystical secrets in it.

You're to fill in maybe dry leather falacteries, but there are secrets of creation stuffed

into those black-painted falacteries. But the low-nichtzav Batura Elemiyot says the orachai'im.

We only get the basic information, we get what is needed, kind of the exoskeleton of Torah,

the bones, you get what you really, really need, the cliff notes.

And now what was given, and that's what we have in Parshash Truma Titsava,

Bayaka Al-Pakude, we have the basic terms, the basic commandments.

Just like this is stated says the orachai'im,

and every single part of the mishgon continues the orachai'im.

Vo'pinimius had varum, had secrets, had sodos,

had heavenly-like, magical characteristics.

Ve'ala yasda ve kavanas alayf, and the Jewish people, they did the mishgon casher Tivashem

is Moshe, what does that mean? Not only with intention with kavanas alayf,

but uvusichlius hanelaam. They also understood, and they were machaven

to that deeper aspect, and they also understood the kabbalistic, the hidden concepts

of the mishgon and the katuras, and they built it, and constructed it, and erected it as such.

Ve'asu dovar bimino, they did each thing as its species,

Kiyadu alayyodea dhasvahabinyan, to those who understand kabbalistic

parlance, and theory, and wisdom. You'll know that they built each thing,

according to its proper building, both on the hidden levels, and the more

pragmatic levels. And that's what the Torah means to tell us,

that just like Hashem told Moshe at Sinai with all of the hidden secrets,

not just what is mentioned in the Torah, but even more the hidden parts that only Moshe

got on Mount Sinai, that also was part of how the Jewish people built the mishgon. And that's

my halach number one. A deeper commentary, a deeper dimension, a second answer to why we have this

phrase re-iterated 18 times of Kasha or Tivashem, as Moshe is because.

It's not here to tell us that they built the mishgon properly,

but the Possek is here to tell us a unique aspect over and over again, that the Jewish people built it

with intention, with Kavanaugh, with nothing other than a Kasha or Tivashem as Moshe on their mind

at the time of building. They performed the mitsba at the highest level, and therefore it was

included each time these words to tell us, that this mishgon, this Gatorest, this A-Fode,

this mizbeach was built neither for honor nor for personal gain, but rather purely Kasha or Tivashem

as Moshe for the sake of the commandment itself. Kasha or Tivashem implies not just action,

but action driven by intention of only that which Hashem told Moshe, and that perfect Kavanaugh

needs to be told over and over in every instant, instance. It's a halah like this,

and yours and mine are lives, intention, it can be hard to always have, but it's required in

many of the actions that the Torah requires from us. Simons Samach in Arakhaim, Pasch in the Mahabhar,

Rabiosef Cairo and Sifkata and Dallad Yeesh Omrim, some say when you do Mitzvahs. Shehane Mitzvahs

Ruchas Kavanaugh, that a Mitzvah doesn't need to have intention. You could pick up the lemon and

a stick on the 15th of Tishrae by accident or without specific proper intentions and fulfill the Mitzvah,

Yeesh Omrim say others, you need intention in a Mitzvah, and what type of intention

you need specific intention to fulfill the doing of that Mitzvah and conclude the Mahabhar,

halah, intention is required in your actions, and the Torah comes here to tell us over and over

that intention was had, because that needs to be included, because that's part of what God

requires in the building of the Mishkan, and in the same Arakhaim when he's developing this

second approach, listen to what he says about the Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha,

old Yerza, further I'd like to suggest, shahayu Omrim bishas hamalah that would the

Jews in the desert were building the Mishkan, and it was done Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha,

what does that mean? Shahayu Omrim bishas hamalah, they would say at the time of the building,

harei, anu, osim, devar, zhe, kasha'r, sivvah Hashemahs Mosha, we are doing this action

just like Hashem created it, just like Hashem commanded Mosha. They were saying this,

he didn't even move on, have you ever seen someone do a Mitzvah, a Qasid before he does a Mitzvah,

where he says before, here I stand, behold, ready to do this Mitzvah for nothing other than it was

commanded by God. That's what the Sadikim, I re-shined him, those that were building the Mishkan were

saying while they were weaving the twill in the begud of the Cohen. They were saying Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha,

harei, anu, osim, devar, zhe, kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha. This is what my taught to use to say,

remember, when he would unravel the Sakhana Suka, he would say, let's say Mitzvah Suka.

Intention needs to be had in Torah and Mitzvah, and intention is what is made very clear when it

says, Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha, we know they did it, but they did it, not in a secret hidden

way, like we said before, that they did all the aspects that were hidden, that God commanded Mosha,

but here we're saying that they did it with the intentions of Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha.

It is a point that deserves its own rant, because it's been brought to our attention by Rabbi Daniel

Garfunkel, who authored a book, a 500-page book, a safer published by Feldheim and Adir Press,

that is called Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha, and he develops this idea, he explores how

Mitzvahs Srichos Kavanaugh, that intention is required when performing the commandments of Hashem,

you need to have intent when acting. He elaborates in this book, and he shows how conscious thought

will change your mundane and blah and boring actions into magnificent, purposeful and rewarding

cuddlestick actions, and the only thing that stands in the way is your intent, your Kavanaugh,

and the Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha, Kavanaugh rant or understanding,

it awoke me this week, and I wanted to make the podcast all about this topic, because I was

thinking about this episode. I try to prepare on Sunday the basic Mirama, the overview of the

Pasha, and then try to see where my heart goes with which part in the Pasha that would be meaningful

for me to prepare and maybe meaningful to you to listen to, and it was thinking early on in the

week about this Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha intention rant, and on Monday, it was Tuesday,

I was wrapping up my Tefilin after Shakras, and I saw this

business card on the table in front of me that said in big letters, brandished in gold,

Kasha'at Sivvah Hashemahs Mosha, check out the book by Rabbi Garfinkel, and it said the following,

check out this episode, this little story that really sheds light on this concept.

It was a business card that was promoting the book.

It said on there a quick story that there was a certain instance that the great rib Eliyahu

Lapyanh went, saw workers in Erituosaro, who were working, toiling in the sun, digging ditches in

the sun, and the Mashkia, the godly sedra of Eliyo Lapyanh, they are doing so many mitzvos right now.

They're earning a livelihood, they're acting acts of kindness,

and they're also doing the mitzvah of settling Erituosaro,

but he said one thing is missing, it's missing the Kavana for the mitzvah.

The Kavana lot's ace is the ikuva,

and I have written here, I looked up the Chobus al-Avavus,

and the fourth treatise, chapter three is when he talks about the fourth treatise,

talking about how you should have real faith in your life, in real faith in your Parnasa,

paragraph three in this fourth treatise, chapter three in this fourth treatise of the

essay on faith, shahar habitachon, the Chobus al-Avavus elaborates on this concept,

that yes, having an osake in Parnasa is a mitzvah. I was looking this up to make sure that I didn't

stutter or just assume, but digging a ditch in Erituosaro, you're also getting three mitzvos,

and every day that you get on the train to go to work, you open up your laptop to check

your emails in a way that you are responding to clients, you're a lawyer, or you're a doctor,

and you're cleaning your hands to begin the surgery, it's a mitzvah to be osake in Parnasa.

These are the words, I would read you in Hebrew, but I'll spare you, and I'll tell you,

and he should have intention when his mind and body is occupied with one of his means of

earning a livelihood to fulfill the commandment of the creator, to pursue the means of the world,

such as working the land, plowing, sewing as is written. God took man, placed him in a gun,

gun, aid, and to work, and to garden. The Chobus al-Avavus, a recent understands that Parnasa is a

mitzvah that's selling real estate, and haggling, and farming for clients, is a mitzvah,

negotiating is a mitzvah, but if you're casher at Sivwashem Esmosha, if you have intentions for

the mitzvah it is, forget your intentions, forget that mitzvah's Sriksa Kavanaugh, fail to build the

mitzvah with proper intention, and your Parnasa is nothing but a futile striving, or earthly striving,

but not futile, but it's definitely not eternal, and forget to have Kavanaugh and your intentions

in building the mitzvah, and it's an empty shell, it seems, devoid of Shrena, but casher at Sivwashem

Esmosha over and over, that comes to reiterate that they had intention, each and every time,

no matter which aspect or which item, and ultimately the basic intention,

it does transform and needs to be known, and there's many rant here that it transforms our

mundane actions into holy ones, and these people they performed it specifically, their actions

were driven by nothing other than Hashem's directive to Mosha, there is a third dimension

before our real rant, but we'll just touch it for a couple of seconds for the sake of time,

and for the sake of, I'm not crystal clear on what the Orachayim wants, and this third dimension,

but the reiteration of the, what do we say, that five word phrases called the pentad

of casher at Sivwashem Esmosha, it's because the Torah wants to say,

Chalak Hashem-ul-Mosha,

Rilek Bakomalachos, Hashem-ul-Mosha,

have a special portion in each one of the actions,

and avodos hanasos per michigan in each and one of the buildings of the michigan in its furniture,

ki ralko be maise huha-mitswa, that Mosha should have a portion in the action of the

Mitswashashem, ashriaza wa Hashem hadavar al-Yado, that it all seemed to come through Mosha,

so it seems each and every time the Torah felt the need to go back and to reiterate that Mosha

is involved here. We don't care as much in this third dimension about the intention,

nor do we care about the doing it in all of its depth, even the hiddenness,

but we care more about the word Mosha here, that they did at casher at Sivwashem Esmosha,

remember Mosha was the one who heard, remember Mosha is the one who gets a lot of the credit here,

and the archive elaborates, but we'll leave it at that for you to explore. There's also

another aspect that I don't know what to do with here, but just so you should have the information

that the Mejreshtam Khuma and the Vayikrab al-Alyf Khes tells us that each one of these casher at Sivwashem

Esmosha lines, pentads, it ended up corresponding to one of the birchos of Shmona Esrei,

that weekly Amida prayer that you say, 18 utterances, 18

brachos, 18 casher at Sivwashem Esmosha, 18 brachos and Shmona Esrei, there's some deep connection here

that seems to be linked, these two items are synthesized, and the Balhaturim makes note of this

famously here, and I'm not sure how to connect the depth there in the spiritual realm,

and what the past just the basic understanding is here, as to how these casher at Sivwashem Esmosha

phrases are somehow interconnected to the 18 blessings of Shmona Esrei, but what I do want to say

is our final Mahalach. I want to advance the idea, not as a great Torah giant Mahalach,

but it's my Mahalach. It's what came to my head when I was thinking about the concept, so you can

listen, you don't have to, you can argue, you don't have to, you can accept it, you don't have to,

you can bring a proof to it, you don't have to, but it's where my head went. When I thought,

why does Hashem honestly tell us over and over casher at Sivwashem Esmosha, and more than a Mahalach,

more than an insight, it's just more of a hargasha of feeling, a feeling that I feel like preaching

to myself and to anyone else who will listen to me. It's that each repetition, I wrote it down for

myself. Each casher at Sivwashem Esmosha serves a unique purpose. It highlights every single

mice, every single obedient act of the Jewish people, though similar in wording every casher at

Sivwashem Esmosha provides a very distinct example of the Jewish people following Hashem's will

that culminates in one great Torah lesson in that the Jewish people got the job done,

and getting the job done is what the Torah is here to tell us, that the Jewish people got the

job done, and getting the job done is not an easy thing. So getting the job done needs to be told

about each specific thing, getting the job done, in devotion, in action, in depth, similar to our

first dimension here, getting the job done, done, did the Jewish people from their Kavana to their

Kabbalah, to their Misa, to their very handy work, they got the job done.

See, the entire Safer Shemos says they're on bond, his very opening essay to Safer Shemos.

He tells us the whole Safer Shemos comes after the book of creation, the book of Yitzira.

This is the book about the exile, the book about the bondage, the book about how Hashem took us out

and how we're trying to get back to that originals Hashras Hashina when God was hanging out with Abraham,

Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets. We want this close connection that we kind of lost in

Safer Shemos. So it's for this reason, being a Gullis, a Nenu Nishlam, but Gullis, exile being

dispersed, isn't concluded. And it doesn't finally end until Adiyam Shuvam El-Makumam, the El-Malas

Avosam Yashuvam, until we get back to our place, to the spot in the spiritual stature of our

fathers. Oh, because she yachted to Amit Srayam, we went and left Egypt, even though we left from

slavery. We still did not become home people. We didn't become a nation with a spot. We didn't

become the Jewish nation. We're still golem. We're still exile. Gehajipah Eridz-Lolahem.

We didn't have a standing or a place. We were still wandering. Nevuhem by Midbar.

Ukejiboh al-Harsinai. We're also on Mishkan, but only once we got the Torah, and we built the

Mishkan. Vishav, I call this Borgh, and then God came back to dwell with us, Shrinas Obey name,

and God is with us, then us, then and only then. Khazr al-Malas Avosam, do we get back to our

original glory? Shaha'u sA'yulaka' i al'Aa'i'me, Gha'ayi me I'me merqav'a in the Rembangshow,

talk a little bit isoteric. But the whole savior shamos the reason the Rembang says it ends with

this whole Mishkan narrative, and it doesn't just end. The Exodus, this book of Eatsyes,

Magdayim doesn't end. After the waters, crashed down upon the medium, it's because the goal is

is ashrinah. And that doesn't happen until the Aenei-Kalbasi-Srowel. Bechol-Mase-Hem

and taught the very end of Saver-Shamo's pastures. But good day. When the Mishkun is built

Kassar-Ci-Vah-Sham-As-Mosha, and ultimately we win by having ashrinah, that God says,

job well done. So the Kassar-Ci-Vah-Sham-As-Mosha is putting the finishing touch, touches

on everything. Getting the job done needs to be reiterated because this is the whole build-up

of Saver-Shamo's. We're trying to get back to finish what God told us to build so that he could

dwell with us. And of course it needs to say the Jewish people. Wall, the Western wall,

the Eastern wall, the progester, the intricate, mid-Sneffes, all of it, the Taurus, the anointing

oil, the wicks of the menorah, it was done as a job well done. This is the climax of the story.

The goal in life, the rant is that the question of Kassar-Ci-Vah-Sham-As-Mosha comes because we

don't understand the gravity and the significance and the gratification that comes from the plain

and the simple job well done. It's what the whole Saver-Shamo is climaxing with,

that the Jewish people, they did it. They got it done. Could you believe it? On all levels. As a

nation, they built a heavenly hashras, hashrina like Michigan. You can't just simply write it that

Kassar-Ci-Vah-Sham-As-Mosha, oh yeah, they got it all done. You know, the whole of a whole

of Michigan, also Kassar-Ci-Vah-Sham-As-Mosha, you're missing each and every example is another mind-blowing

accomplishment. It's where everything comes together over and over a job well done.

But at some life, we really fail to understand this concept of the importance and the gratification

of a job well done. We would all be happy if we understood how good it feels to just

achieve the job well done. To say, to yourself late at night, when you're finally falling

asleep, that God asked me to do a million things. And I did it? There's no feeling like that.

Even on a very mundane level, your wife asked you to stop at the grocery store. Your boss asked

you to sell this deal, negotiate this contract. Your father told you to deliver the case of water,

whatever it is, but you can finally say to yourself and lay down and you did it a job well done?

There's something deeply rewarding about that. We kind of forget about that. We kind of seek

in happiness in life. Too many of us seek happiness in life by the extras that we look for the enjoyment

and we look for the gratification and we look for the Hanna, the deep internal satisfaction that

should finally quell our souls, wants and desires by extravagant trips and vacations.

But the only thing that truly calms and sustains and gratifies

is when you actually can say that I acted today, Kashar Tsivosh, MS Mosha.

Can you actually say that today I woke up and I acted, I tied my shoes.

Kashar Tsivosh, MS Mosha. The Torah educates us in every aspect of our lives that there's a way

to get the job done and it's our job to get it done. Did you tie your shoes, Kashar Tsivosh, MS Mosha?

Did you pick up your kids from school, Kashar Tsivosh, MS Mosha? There's laws about this.

If the teacher's male or female, when you should pick up on time, how there's laws about how

you should pick up your lulav, your esorg, like your menorah, how you should clean yourself with

your left hand in the bathroom, how you should engage in intimacy at certain times and certain places.

You should refrain from these types of actions in certain times and certain places.

You're taught how to get the job done when you learn Torah, when you eat, when you pray,

when you sleep, don't sleep on your back. There's laws about this. How to say Shema at night,

what to say? When you wake up, everything is there and it's our job to get the deep satisfaction

that we so badly need by simply earning Hashem's gold star of my little Yanko, my little Michal Shmuel,

a job well done. When you get that sticker and when you forget that all the other likes,

that all the other followers, what everybody else wants you to say, what everybody else really

thinks is cool and you're trying to act for them, that will give you zero gratification. The only

thing that matters, the only thing that ever did matter and the only thing that ever will matter

is that nothing else matters other than Kashar, Siva, Hashem, Esmosha, that you're working and

you're striving and you're achieving and you're earning and you're working. All of it,

it only matters. The only like and subscribe that matters is from the Bayray Olam.

And then he should tell you, good job. Good job. You did it. You did it. Kashar, Siva, Hashem, Esmosha.

And for that reason, I would conclude that it tells us over and over a job well done

because a job well done in all of its glory is not easy. The Misa with the intention

doing it with fervor, doing it happy, doing it with sharing it, doing it in all of its glory

and every giant tiddle. That's what matters. These are our approaches. These three dimensions from the

Aura Hayam, an important Jewish mindset that we're trying to rant about and instill these

fundamental lessons that you should strive for really nothing else.

Other than to brandish every single action that you do in your day with nothing else other than a

good job sticker from Hashem with a like and subscribe from Hashem. That will give you the

happiness you're looking for and that's why the Torah tells us over and over about this incredible

glory of the Jewish people that they acted 18 times over and over again with nothing else other

than the beautiful brandish action of Kashir, Siva, Hashem, Esmosha.