Weekly Parsha

Refuah Sheimah: "May it be Your will, LORD my G-d, and the G-d of my forefathers, that You quickly send refuah sh'lemah (complete healing) from heaven, spiritual healing and physical healing to Aryeh ben Leah, Esther bat Simcha and Stuart Holtzclaw from Syracuse, NY.

Continue praying for: Teddy Welz, Miriam (Mariana) "bat Zulay", Adina (Heidi) "bat Sarah" e Yosefa (Josie) "bat Sharon", Rafael ben Gladis e Esther Bracha "bat Sarah".

Pekudei

Exodus 38:21 -- 40:38

"Pekudei" (פְקוּדֵי), the 23rd weekly Torah portion, means "accounts" or "amounts of" and is the final part of the Book of Exodus, focusing on the completion of the Tabernacle and the accounts of the materials used for its construction. 

Parashat Pekudei marks the culmination of the Israelites' work on the Tabernacle, a traveling sacred space that served as God's dwelling place on earth during their journey through the wilderness. 

Pekudei includes an accounting of all the materials that went into the making of the Mishkan (the portable Tabernacle) and details of the construction of the clothing of the Cohanim. The Tabernacle is completed, Moses examines all of the components and gives his approval to the quality and exactness of construction, the Almighty commands to erect the Tabernacle, it's erected and the various vessels are placed in their proper place.

Moshe teaches Betzalel the order of construction of the Mishkan (Portable Sanctuary) starting with the Ark. Betzalel respectfully maintains that first one builds the home, then one makes the furnishings. Moshe replies that Betzalel is correct and the Almighty Himself had thus commanded Moshe, though Moshe conveyed instructions regarding the Ark first because of its primary importance. The Torah praises Betzalel for his intuitive understanding of the Almighty's will with the verse:

"And Betzalel, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Yehudah did all that the Almighty commanded Moshe" (Exodus 38:22).

Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz comments that we see from here the importance of doing things in their proper order. One always needs to clarify his priorities and to have the organizational skills to do things in their proper order.

This is an important tool for accomplishing anything in life. One needs to know what he must do and then he must have an order of priorities. We will never have enough time to do everything we would like to do. By being aware of the order of importance of what you have to do, you will ensure that you will effectively accomplish the most possible within the limitations of the time allotted to you.

Each day make a list of the various tasks you need to complete. Then decide on a proper order in which to do them. If you don't prioritize and don't set aside the time you won't accomplish what's most important in life -- spending time with your family, growing as a human being, helping others or even preparing for the Seder. No one on his death bed ever wished he spent more time at the office.

* * *

After being told to anoint his brother Aharon (Aaron), Moshe was told in reference to Aharon's sons:

"And you shall anoint them as you anointed their father (Aaron)" (Exodus 40:15).

Why did the Almighty give Moses this special instruction?

Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen explains in his commentary Meshech Hochmah that when Moses was told to anoint his brother Aaron, he was able to do it with a complete heart. Moses, the younger brother, was the leader of the Israelites and was happy that his brother was the High Priest. However, in reference to Aaron's sons, the situation was different. Moses' own sons were not going to succeed him as leaders. So, when it came to anointing Aaron's sons, Moses might have felt envy. Therefore, the Almighty told Moses to anoint Aaron's sons with the same whole heartedness and joy with which he anointed their father.

Our lesson: If even a person as great as Moses needs to internalize attitudes to avoid envy, all the more so do we! Also, it IS possible to feel joy and enthusiasm for another person's success even if he has something that you do not.

The goal is to fix the problem, not to affix the blame!

Failure is not an option. It is a privilege reserved only for those who try.

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them!

Shabbat Shalom,

R. Ovadiah Tank

Online Learning 

Rabbi Tank is a professor at the American Jewish College in New York, where he teaches classes on Talmud, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Law. Rabbi Tank is dedicated to finding modern utility and meaning in ancient wisdom texts and is pleased to provide spiritual, cultural, social and educational programming to communities around the world. 

Rabbi Tank was educated at Yeshivas in New York and Miami. He studied Biblical Archeology at Bar Ilan University and Jewish Studies at Harvard University. Rabbi Tank has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration and he is also graduated in International Economic Development from the University of Oxford. 

Rabbi Tank is actively involved in peace negotiations and relief operations. Rabbi Tank is the director of international affairs at the World Jewish Confederation in the United States and He is member of the White House National Religious Leaders , an Executive Office of the President of the United States in Washington, D.C.

Ask Rabbi Tank