Preparing for the Mitzvah Is Itself Avodah
From the Torah ofRav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitzהרב דוד מתתיהו בן יחיאל יהושע רבינוביץProfile ›
Shemos 39:32
וַתֵּכֶל כׇּל־עֲבֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ
All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed, and Bnei Yisrael did according to all that Hashem had commanded Moshe; so they did.
On “and Bnei Yisrael did,” Rashi explains: they did the work, the melachah, according to all that Hashem had commanded. On “and Moshe blessed them,” further on, Rashi explains that Moshe said to them, “May it be His will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands.”
1“All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed, and Bnei Yisrael did according to all that Hashem had commanded Moshe; so they did.”1 Notice the wording. The verse calls the work avodah, “service.” Why does it not say melachah, “labor,” the word used further on: “Moshe saw all the melachah …”?2 Rashi, too, writes: “‘And Bnei Yisrael did’: the melachah, according to all that Hashem had commanded.”3 Why did Rashi not keep the verse's own word, avodah, but write melachah instead? The order of the verse is also difficult. It would seem that it should first have said, “Bnei Yisrael did according to all that Hashem had commanded Moshe,” and only afterward, “All the work of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed.”
וַתֵּכֶל כָּל עֲבוֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ (לט, לב). יֵשׁ לְדַיֵּיק בְּמַה שֶׁנִּזְכַּר כָּאן הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳עֲבוֹדָה׳, וְלֹא לְשׁוֹן ׳מְלָאכָה׳ כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְהַלָּן (לט, מג) ״וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה״ וְגוֹ׳. וברש״י הַקָּדוֹשׁ כָּתַב, ׳וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׳ אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִיוָּה ה׳. וְצָרִיךְ בֵּיאוּר לָמָּה לֹא כָּתַב כִּלְשׁוֹן הַכָּתוּב ׳אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה׳ וְכָתַב הַלָּשׁוֹן ׳מְלָאכָה׳. עוֹד קָשֶׁה סֵדֶר הַכָּתוּב, דְּלִכְאוֹרָה הָיָה צָרִיךְ לְהַקְדִּים לִכְתּוֹב תְּחִילָּה ׳וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה׳ וּלְאַחַר מִכֵּן ׳וַתֵּכֶל כָּל עֲבוֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד׳.
In shortWhy does the verse call the building avodah when Rashi and a later verse say melachah, and why does completion come before the doing?
2Further on it is written, “Moshe saw all the work, and behold, they had done it; as Hashem had commanded, so had they done. And Moshe blessed them.”4 Rashi explains that Moshe told them, “May it be His will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands.”5 Why did Moshe speak of “the work of your hands” in particular? Would it not have been enough to ask simply that the Shechinah rest upon them?
וּלְהַלָּן כְּתִיב (לט, מג) ״וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ אוֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ כֵּן עָשׂוּ וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם מֹשֶׁה״, פֵּירֵשׁ רש״י, אָמַר לָהֶם יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם. וְיֵשׁ לְדַיֵּיק בְּמַה שֶׁאָמַר דַּוְוקָא בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם׳, מַדּוּעַ לֹא הָיָה דַּי לְבַקֵּשׁ רַק עַל הַשְׁרָאַת הַשְּׁכִינָה עֲלֵיהֶם.
In shortWhy did Moshe bless them that the Shechinah rest on “the work of your hands,” and not simply on them?
3We can explain this as follows. Keeping a mitzvah has two parts. One is doing the mitzvah itself, and every Jew keeps this part. But there is also the preparation for the mitzvah, and most people are not privileged to do this part properly, because to them the preparation is something ordinary and not part of the mitzvah. For the tzaddikim, the true servants of Hashem, the preparation for a mitzvah is holy service too, just like the mitzvah itself.
וְאֶפְשָׁר לְבָאֵר, דְּהִנֵּה בְּקִיּוּם הַמִּצְוֹות יֶשְׁנָם שְׁנֵי חֲלָקִים, הָאֶחָד הוּא גּוּף קִיּוּם הַמִּצְוָוה, אֲשֶׁר חֵלֶק זֶה מְקַיְּימִים כָּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַךְ מִלְּבַד זֶה יֶשְׁנוֹ אֶת חֵלֶק הַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה, וְדָבָר זֶה רוֹב בְּנֵי אָדָם אֵין זוֹכִים לַעֲשׂוֹת כָּרָאוּי, שֶׁכֵּן עִנְיַן הַהֲכָנָה נֶחְשָׁב אֶצְלָם כְּדָבָר פָּשׁוּט וְלֹא כְּחֵלֶק מִן הַמִּצְוָה, אַךְ אֵצֶל הַצַּדִּיקִים עוֹבְדֵי הַשֵּׁם הָאֲמִיתִּיִּים גַּם חֵלֶק זֶה שֶׁל הַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה הִיא עֲבוֹדַת קוֹדֶשׁ כְּמוֹ הַמִּצְוָה עַצְמָהּ.
In shortEvery mitzvah has its doing and its preparation; most people treat the preparation as ordinary, but for tzaddikim it is holy service too.
4There is a story along these lines about my holy great-grandfather of Biala, author of Divrei Binah, zy"a. He used to spend a long time preparing for prayer, and so he prayed late. Once he was invited to be sandak, the one who holds the baby at a bris milah, and as usual he arrived late. A certain great Torah scholar challenged him: “Have we not learned, ‘The zealous are early for mitzvos’?”6 My holy great-grandfather answered: “Did we learn that the zealous do the mitzvos early? It says only that they are early for the mitzvos, which means that they set out early toward the mitzvah. Since the preparation for a mitzvah is also part of the mitzvah, I was already engaged in the mitzvah from the moment I began preparing for the mitzvah of milah, to be sandak. So I have been engaged in the mitzvah since morning, and I have kept ‘The zealous are early for mitzvos’ perfectly well.”
וְכֵן הֲוָה עוּבְדָא בְּזִקְנֵי זצללה״ה מִבְּיָאלָא בַּעַל הַדִּבְרֵי בִּינָה זיע״א, שֶׁהָיָה דַּרְכּוֹ לְהַרְבּוֹת בַּהֲכָנוֹת לִתְפִילָּה וְהָיָה מִתְפַּלֵּל בְּשָׁעָה מְאוּחֶרֶת. וְהָיָה פַּעַם שֶׁהוּזְמַן לְשַׁמֵּשׁ כְּסַנְדָּק בִּבְרִית מִילָה, וְהִגִּיעַ כְּדַרְכּוֹ בְּשָׁעָה מְאוּחֶרֶת, נַעֲנָה לְעוּמָּתוֹ גָּאוֹן אֶחָד וְאָמַר, הֲלֹא שָׁנִינוּ ׳זְרִיזִין מַקְדִּימִין לְמִצְוֹות׳ (פסחים ד, א), וְהֵשִׁיב לוֹ זְקֵנִי וְכִי שָׁנִינוּ ׳זְרִיזִין מַקְדִּימִין אֶת הַמִּצְוֹות׳, הֲלֹא לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא ׳מַקְדִּימִין לַמִּצְוֹות׳, וְהַיְינוּ שֶׁמַּקְדִּימִין עַצְמָן לִקְרַאת הַמִּצְוָה, וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה אַף הִיא חֵלֶק מִן הַמִּצְוָה, נִמְצָא שֶׁמֵּעֵת הַהֲכָנָה שֶׁלִּי לְמִצְוַת הַמִּילָה לִהְיוֹת סַנְדָּק, נֶחְשָׁב כְּבָר שֶׁאֲנִי עוֹסֵק בְּמִצְוָה, וְאִם כֵּן הִנְנִי עוֹסֵק בְּמִצְוָוה מֵהַבּוֹקֶר, וְשַׁפִּיר קִיַּימְתִּי עִנְיַן זְרִיזִין מַקְדִּימִין לְמִצְוֹות.
- Pesachim 4a. The Gemara learns from this principle that a bris is done early in the day. ↩
In shortChallenged for arriving late as sandak, the first Biala Rebbe answered that his long preparation meant he had been engaged in the mitzvah since morning.
5What, then, are most people to do? Their preparation for a mitzvah is not on so exalted a level, and so they do not keep the mitzvos as fully and properly as they should. The remedy is to bind oneself to the tzaddik of the generation. Through his service the tzaddik raises up all the Torah and mitzvos of everyone else, and in this way they too are considered to have done the preparation for the mitzvah in full, as it should be done.
וְהִנֵּה מַה יַעֲשׂוּ רוֹב בְּנֵי הָאָדָם שֶׁאֵין הֲכָנָתָם לְמִצְוָה בְּאוֹפֶן נַעֲלֶה שֶׁכָּזֶה, וְנִמְצָא שֶׁאֵין מְקַיְּימִים הַמִּצְוֹות כְּתִיקּוּנָם בִּשְׁלֵימוּת הָרָאוּי, אָכֵן הָעֵצָה בָּזֶה הִיא הַהִתְקַשְּׁרוּת לְצַדִּיק הַדּוֹר, אֲשֶׁר מַעֲלֶה בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ כָּל הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹות שֶׁל שְׁאָר כָּל הָעָם, וְעַל יְדֵי זֶה נֶחְשָׁב שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהֶם גַּם חֵלֶק הַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה בִּשְׁלֵימוּת הָרָאוּי.
In shortThose who cannot prepare on that level gain the missing preparation by binding themselves to the tzaddik of the generation.
6aThis is what the verse means by “All the avodah of the Mishkan of the Tent of Meeting was completed.” The skilled craftsmen who built the Mishkan carried out the preparation for the mitzvah in full as well. [Examples are slaughtering the tachash animals to obtain their hides for the Mishkan,7 or preparing gold threads to be woven in among the other threads.8 These labors are not really part of putting up the Mishkan itself and count only as preparation for making it.] The craftsmen regarded the preparation for the mitzvah, too, as avodas Hashem, the service of Hashem, part of the mitzvah itself. That is the hint in “All the avodah of the Mishkan was completed”: even the preparation for building the Mishkan was something “Bnei Yisrael did according to all that Hashem had commanded,” because for them all of it fell under Hashem's command, as holy service.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב ׳וַתֵּכֶל כָּל עֲבוֹדַת מִשְׁכַּן אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד׳, דְּהִנֵּה הַחֲכָמִים עוֹשֵׂי מְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן הָיָה אֶצְלָם גַּם חֵלֶק הַהֲכָנָה לַמִּצְוָה בִּשְׁלֵימוּת, [כְּגוֹן מַה שֶׁשָּׁחֲטוּ הַתְּחָשִׁים כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה מֵהֶם עוֹרוֹת לַמִּשְׁכָּן, אוֹ מַה שֶׁהֵכִינוּ חוּטֵי זָהָב לְצוֹרֶךְ טְוִויָּתָם בְּתוֹךְ הַחוּטִים, שֶׁמְּלָאכוֹת אֵלּוּ אֵינָם מַמָּשׁ מֵעֶצֶם גּוּף מְלֶאכֶת הֲקָמַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְנֶחְשָׁבִים רַק כַּהֲכָנָה לִמְלֶאכֶת עֲשִׂיַּית הַמִּשְׁכָּן], דְּהֵם הֶחְשִׁיבוּ אֶת חֵלֶק הַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה גַּם בְּתוֹרַת עֲבוֹדַת ה׳, כְּחֵלֶק מִגּוּף הַמִּצְוָה. וְזֶהוּ הָרֶמֶז ׳וַתֵּכֶל כָּל עֲבוֹדַת מִשְׁכָּן׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁגַּם חֵלֶק מַעֲשֵׂה הַהֲכָנָה לַעֲבוֹדַת בְּנִיַּית הַמִּשְׁכָּן, גַּם אֶת זֶה ׳וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳׳, שֶׁהַכֹּל הָיָה אֶצְלָם בְּגֶדֶר צִיוּוּי ה׳ עֲבוֹדַת הַקּוֹדֶשׁ.
6bRashi hints at the same thing when he writes, “Bnei Yisrael did the melachah,” rather than “the avodah,” as the verse says. Avodah points to the work of the Mishkan itself, and melachah to the preparation for that work. Rashi is hinting that even labor that was not really the work of the Mishkan itself, only preparation for it, counted for them as if they were engaged in the avodah. They reached this level by binding themselves to Moshe, the faithful shepherd. That is the meaning of “according to all that Hashem had commanded Moshe, so they did.” Because they did everything bound to Moshe Rabbeinu, in keeping with his mind and intention, they reached the level where even the preparation for a mitzvah was to them like the service of Hashem itself.
וְזֶה הָרֶמֶז בְּמַה שֶׁכָּתַב רש״י ׳וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַמְּלָאכָה׳ וְלֹא כָּתַב ׳אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה׳ כִּלְשׁוֹן הַכָּתוּב, דְּ׳עֲבוֹדָה׳ רוֹמֵז לִמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַצְמָהּ, וְ׳מְלָאכָה׳ רוֹמֵז לְחֵלֶק הַהֲכָנָה לִמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן כַּנִּזְכָּר, וּבָא רש״י לְרַמֵּז שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ הַמְּלָאכָה שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה מַמָּשׁ עֲבוֹדַת הַמִּשְׁכָּן עַצְמָהּ רַק הֲכָנָה אֵלֶיהָ, גַּם כֵּן הָיְתָה חֲשׁוּבָה אֶצְלָם כְּאִילּוּ עָסְקוּ בַּעֲבוֹדָה. וְהִנֵּה מַה שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לִידֵי מַדְרֵגָה זוֹ הָיָה מִתּוֹךְ הִתְקַשְּׁרוּתָם לְמֹשֶׁה רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב ׳כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ אֶת מֹשֶׁה כֵּן עָשׂוּ׳, שֶׁמֵּחֲמַת שֶׁעָשׂוּ כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם מִתּוֹךְ הִתְקַשְּׁרוּת לְמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ וְעַל דַּעְתּוֹ וְכַוָּונָתוֹ, מִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ הִגִּיעוּ לְמַדְרֵגָה זוֹ שֶׁנֶּחְשָׁב בְּעֵינֵיהֶם גַּם הַהֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָוה כְּגוּף הָעֲבוֹדָה לַה׳.
6cThis is also the meaning of the verse “Moshe saw all the melachah, and behold, they had done it; as Hashem had commanded, so had they done.” Moshe saw that even what was only melachah, preparation for the mitzvah, they had done on the same exalted level as the mitzvah itself. So he blessed them: “May it be His will that the Shechinah rest upon the work of your hands.” In other words: even when you are busy with the work of your hands and not with an actual mitzvah, may the Shechinah rest upon you as well, since you do everything with the intention of honoring the Creator, blessed be He.
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ׳וַיַּרְא מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל הַמְּלָאכָה וְהִנֵּה עָשׂוּ אוֹתָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה׳ כֵּן עָשׂוּ׳, דְּהַיְינוּ שֶׁרָאָה אֵיךְ שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת ׳מְלָאכָה׳ שֶׁהֵם בְּגֶדֶר הֲכָנָה לְמִצְוָה כַּנִּזְכָּר, גַּם אוֹתָם עָשׂוּ בַּדַּרְגָּה נַעֲלֵית שֶׁל הַמִּצְוָה גּוּפָא, וְלָזֶה בֵּרְכָם ׳יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁתִּשְׁרֶה שְׁכִינָה בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם׳, הַיְינוּ שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ בְּעֵת שֶׁתַּעַסְקוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיכֶם וְלֹא תַּעַסְקוּ בְּמִצְוֹת מַמָּשׁ גַּם כֵּן תִּשְׁרֶה עֲלֵיכֶם הַשְּׁכִינָה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁאַתֶּם עוֹשִׂים הַכֹּל בְּכַוָּונָה לִכְבוֹד הַבּוֹרֵא יִתְבָּרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ.
In shortBound to Moshe, the builders made even preparatory melachah into holy avodah, so Moshe blessed them that the Shechinah rest even on their handiwork.
7May it be His will that we always be privileged to serve the Creator. Amen.
יְהִי רָצוֹן שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה תָּמִיד לַעֲבוֹד אֶת הַבּוֹרֵא, אָמֵן.
In shortMay we always be privileged to serve the Creator.
Takeaway
Much of our day goes not into the mitzvos themselves but into getting ready for them, and the tzaddikim teach that this preparation, done for Hashem's honor, is already part of the mitzvah and holy service from the very start. Where our own preparation falls short, binding ourselves to the tzaddik, as Bnei Yisrael were bound to Moshe, raises it up. Then even the ordinary work of our hands can become a place where the Shechinah rests.
Learn this in the merit of Rav Dovid Matisyohu Rabinowitz. His yahrzeit and life ›
English translation, notes and summaries © Zechusam.