Vaeyra 5777: I Will Be, Who I Choose To Be
Shemos 5777: Courage and Conviction
Parsha Thought: Shemos 5777
Parsha Thoughts: Vayakhel 5776
The pasuk tells us: “The materials were sufficient for all the work to be done, and too much” (Shemos 36:7). The commentaries are bothered by the redundancy stated her. We are told that there was enough, but immediately following that there was “too much”. The Lubliner Rav (R’ Meir Shapiro) explains that although the funds were sufficient to meet the demands of the structure and its associated instruments, the driving spirit of the people to give did not cease or relax. V’hoser (and there was too much) refers to the mantra of the Jew to always look for more opportunities to give and accomplish even after the current demands have been met, and to never be satisfied to rest on our accomplishments in the moment.
Parsha Thoughts: Shemos 5776
The Parsha begins recounting the names of all of the Shevatim and their families. Rashi, quoting the Medrash, tells us that this was done out of the especial love that the Ribono Shel Olam has for Klal Yisroel. Just as we are told in the prophet Yeshaya that every night G-d takes out the stars and counts them individually, so too we are compared to stars and counted in a similar fashion. The S’fas Emes comments on this striking camparison. We live in a world of darkness. Even on the brightest days, true holiness is obscured. Klal Yisroel, all of us individually, has the capacity to shine a bright light of spirituality that can dispel the darkness and reveal the underlying Kedusha.
