Perashat Vayakhel-Pekudei 5777

Perashat Vayakhel-Pekudei 5777

In this Shabbat’s Torah portions Vayakhel-Pekudei, we conclude Sefer Shemot which relates how we became a nation. The book of Shemot started out with describing the very beginning of our nation as slaves, working at hard labor under the harsh and cruel hand of the evil Pharaoh, who made the lives of Bnei Yisrael miserable through a brutal enslavement of both body and soul, along with horrible decrees.  When the people cried out about their hardship, Hashem revealed himself to Moshe and sent him to salvage and rescue them from bondage to freedom, through signs and wonders and, “an outstretched arm.” He then led us through dry land in the midst of the sea, and brought us close to Him, standing in front of Him on Har Sinai, where He revealed Himself to us, along with thunder and lightning flashes before the whole world. He chose us from all the nations and made us His treasured people, and as the first born of Hashem, He gave us His Torah; the Torah of truth and eternal life. Moreover, Hashem raised and exalted us above all other peoples and desired to dwell amongst us, since, “The heavens are his throne and the earth is his footstool,” and He commanded us to take for Him an offering, and told us: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst.”

It is possible to say that Sefer Shemot is the book of the children – Bnei Yisrael. The book of Beresheet is called Sefer HaYahshar - “the Book of the Just” - since the “just” ways of our forefathers are recounted in it. Accordingly, Shemot is the book of Bnei Yisrael. 

This Shabbat is Shabbat HaHodesh in which we bless the upcoming month of Nissan, which is the “head” – the first - of all the other months. Even though we get a renewal to our souls every Rosh Hodesh, still the renewal of the month of Nissan surpasses that of all the other months, since it is the month of redemption, in which we were redeemed from Egypt, and in Nissan we are destined to be redeemed, as it says in the prophets: “As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show him wonders.” Our firm trust is in Hashem, and our hope is steadfast, that soon Hashem will appear and his divine presence will be shown to ‘Am Yisrael and He will rescue us mercifully for the second time in front of the eyes of the entire world, in happiness and in comfort.