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PARASHAT
HASHAVUA:
Parashat Pekudei
This week is Parshat
Pekudei
Candelighting 3/07/08 - 5:36 PM (New York City)
With much sorrow
and grief to all of Klal Yisroel, our thoughts and prayers are with
those murdered and injured in the terror attack at Mercaz Harav,
Jerusalem, Israel.
"Hashem Yikom
Damam"
Parshat Pekudei
Being Trustworthy
Rabbi Chaim Lobel
(Exodus; Chapter
38, Verse 21) “These are the accountings of the Tabernacle...” The
Medrash Tanchuma (Pekudei 7) explains, Moses was to audit himself.
Moses was in charge of taking inventory for all the gold, silver,
and copper donated to the building of the Tabernacle. All the intake
was accounted for and nothing was missing.
The Tanchuma asks
why it was necessary for Moses to run an internal audit. The Torah
itself testifies, when comparing Moses to other prophets, “not so is
My [G-d’s] servant Moses, in my entire house he is trusted (Numbers
12:7).” The Tanchuma explains, “Moses heard the scoffers of the
generation say, “A man who was appointed upon Kikars (a large
measurement estimated in the hundred thousands) of gold and silver,
what do you want from him, not to be rich?” When Moses heard this
accusation he said, “You can bet your life their will be an audit.”
Moses had nothing
to prove – G-d would have rested his Shechina (Glory) upon the
Tabernacle even if there would have not been an audit. That alone
would have proven the pureness and holiness of the Tabernacle, built
by pure and ethical people. Furthermore, the Torah felt the need to
spend an entire parsha (portion) going through the actual audit to
prove Moses’ point to the “scoffers of the generation.” Yet, Moses
performed an audit.
A person must be
more than simply trustworthy in all of his endeavors; he also has a
moral and ethical obligation to show all that his actions are
trustworthy. Moses understood this important lesson and was willing
to even justify his actions to those who unjustifiably attacked him.
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