The parsha starts off with several פסוקים discussing שבת, before moving on to the completion of the משכן. The מפרשים ask what is the connection between שבת and the משכן?
The פסוק says regarding the donations given to the משכן:
ויבאו כל איש אשר נשאו לבו וכל אשר נדבה רוחו אותו הביאו את תרומת ה’ למלאכת אוהל מועד
What is the meaning of כל איש אשר נשאו לבו Any man who’s heart inspired him? What does inspiration have to do with donations to the משכן?
The Ramban explains that these words are alluding to those individuals who were inspired to help with the work of weaving and sewing for the הקמת המשכן. Klal Yisrael had just emerged from slavery and there were no craftsmen among them. Nonetheless there were those who felt an inspiration, a desire and a רצון to help create the משכן. Says the Ramban ” ויגבה לבו בדרכי ה'” They felt a calling to help. And indeed Hashem rewarded them by giving them the skills and the knowledge to create the משכן. This is what the תורה alludes to in the words כל איש אשר נשאו לבו They were not skilled in this labor. All they had was the נשיאות לב, the desire to do it.
These words of נשיאות לב are repeated numerous times in the Parsha, to show that this is the key component in the הקמת המשכן.
רחמנא לבא בעי
Hashem is looking for the desire in a person’s heart, and when it’s there, he will be given the tools to come close.
We can now understand the connection to שבת As we know, there is no special מצוה to actually do on שבת. Unlike Yomtov which has special Mitzvos like Sukkah or Matza. What then should a person do for Shabbos? The main Mitzva is to anticipate and look forward to it. A person’s entire week should be a spiritual preparation for שבת, as he looks forward to spending the day with the רבש”ע. So just like the key component שבת is the anticipation and desire towards the day, so too in the משכן the desire to connect to ‘ה is the key component in creating it.
We’ll conclude with a beautiful story. In the late 1920’s Harav Chaim Shmuelevitz, came to visit the Novardok Yeshiva, located in the city of Bialestock, which was led by his uncle Harav Avraham Jaffen. Rav Chaim asked his uncle to point our the best boys in the Yeshiva. Harav Jaffen pointed out several boys. “This 1 is the biggest Masmid. That 1 is the biggest Lamdan, that 1, the most Ehrlich.” Finally Rav Chaim asked” But who is BEST boy in the whole Yeshiva?” Harav Jaffen pointed out another boy. “What makes him the best? He’s the biggest מבקש. The biggest seeker.” That boy eventually became known as the גדול הדור, the great Steipler Gaon זצוק”ל.
May we all merit being מבקשים and connecting with ‘ה.
Weekly Parsha Shiur 