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PARSHAT PEKUDEI BEHIND THE FA?ADE This weeks parsha Pekudei is a parsha which is often neglected. Usually parshat Pekudei is joined to parshat V'yakhel, and most of the attention is naturally given to the first parsha, while parshat pekudei seems to be hiding behind it. Obviously, every Torah reading has equal importance, since every word of the Torah comprises the word of the living G-d. Thus, in order to understand the importance and spiritual message of parshat Pekudei, we need to look deeper. This can be compared to the relationship between husband and wife. Although the wife may appear to be standing in the shade of her husband, it does not indicate that she has less value, since both man and woman are equally created in the image of G-d. As the saying goes: "Behind every great man is a great woman." Therefore, if we are to understand the spiritual impact of the Jewish woman, we also need to look deeper- behind the facade. CONNECTING THE SPIRITUAL WITH THE MUNDANE "All the gold that was applied for the work in all the work
of the holy place, even the gold of the offering, was twenty nine
talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel
of the sanctuary." (Shemot 38:24) One can only wonder, why
the book of Shemot, called "The Book of Redemption" culminates
in a mere accounting of materials, instead of ending on a grand
spiritual note, such as the Revelation at Sinai. Yet, this teaches
us an important principle of Judaism. Unlike certain other religions,
Judaism is not just a spiritual ideology, but a way of life. We
are not supposed to separate ourselves from the world, and just
meditate on Hashem's name. If that were the purpose of the Torah,
it would have been given to the angels, instead. Our purpose, however,
is to build a dwelling place for Hashem below, by carrying out the
spiritual message of the Torah, and applying it to daily issues.
It is our task to forge a connection between the Torah and even
the most mundane business. The culmination of the Exodus is therefore,
not just receiving the Torah, but rather how to fulfill its ways,
even when dealing with monetary matters and the most material issues.
Similarly, it is the challenge of the Jewish women to connect our
mundane tasks of cooking, cleaning, and changing diapers, etc. with
the spirit of building a dwelling place for G-d below.
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