Building a future together
Parasha and its realization - Parshat Shimini - HaChodesh - and the war of the 'Iron Swords' 5784
Rabbi Eliezer Haim Shenvald
Dedicated to the IDF soldiers' success, to safeguard them lest any harm come to them, to the healing of all the wounded and the return of the abducted.
The tragedy that happened to us on Shabbat Simchat Torah taught everyone who needed it that we are all brothers. Brothers for a common future and destiny.
Some doubted this on the holiday's eve, and some even acted aggressively by investing millions to divide and sow brotherly hatred to emphasize the divider and the difference. Obviously, the goal was political, to overthrow a government and return to power, and all under disguised names and various pretenses. Worst of all were the chants that 'we are not brothers'. And against them are the pleas of the 'brothers' who wanted to remind us that throughout history, every time we denied that we were 'brothers', it was the enemies who took advantage of this, and beat us and reminded us that indeed 'we are brothers'.
At dawn on Shabbat Simchat Torah, the monstrous Satanic terrorists raided. They killed, butchered, and raped our brothers and sisters chanting 'I will slaughter a Jew' without discrimination, between religious and secular, between right-wing and left-wing people, people of Kibbutz, Moshav, and the city. For them, all Jews are brothers, they are all 'settlers' and all have equal destinies. A painful reminder.
To differentiate between the light and the darkness, between holy and profane, the heroic 'brothers' from all over the country rushed to the south, to save their 'brothers' in the kibbutzim, whom they did not know, and were not asked, regardless of affiliation and origin. On their way, they reminded us that we are 'brothers'. Some paid for it with their lives. Their will was: 'We will not let anything separate us anymore!'
However, it was not a one-moment awakening of brotherhood. It has accompanied us ever since, the fighters at the front, from all sectors without distinction. In fighting 'shoulder to shoulder' and dedication to each other's lives. And those enlisting in the home front to help the fighters, in connecting people. From Israel and the diaspora. This is the majority of the people. It longs for unity, forever. We are sure that only in unity can the future be built. Only unity will allow us to face the challenges. The uncompleted challenge is still in Gaza. Victory over Hamas and the return of our kidnapped loved ones. And facing Hezbollah in Lebanon, a challenge that the State of Israel has never known. Only unity can form an infrastructure for the treatment and restoration of society after the Shabbat Simchat Torah, for the renewed building of public leadership, and for the restoration of the people's trust in leadership. For the IDF to draw lessons from the failure, without bias, in the face of future challenges, to provide the country with existential security.
In the last few days it seems that there is a minority among us that the 'lesson' drawn was not enough for them. Amid a war when our soldiers are fighting fiercely in the heart of Gaza, and their friends are defending like a fortified wall on the border of Lebanon. They, as in a 'rerun', return to the same callings of before Shabbat Simchat Torah. To incite one another, to block roads, to burn tires, to try to overturn a police car, and huge signs. The goal is the same political goal; the excuses have been updated. A demand to submit to Hamas' demands in exchange for the return of the abductees now, recruiting ultra-Orthodox now, elections now, and more. This means, defeat in the war, the loss of the achievements brought with the blood of those fallen and whose sacrifice would be in vain, a fatal injury to the regional deterrence, the loss of the chance to return the abducted, and more.
But this time, the general public, who learned the lesson, will not allow it. The reservists who fought shoulder to shoulder, and gave their lives for each other, and those sitting in the home front who rallied to help the soldiers, will not let them separate us. The bereaved families who lost their dearest, and the injured, will not accept that their sacrifice was in vain. The tens of thousands who were exiled from their homes in the northern and southern borders because of the war, will not agree that groundless hatred will send them to exile again. All the energies of all these will be directed to building the future of the people of Israel and the State of Israel, together.
In our Parasha, the process of building the Tabernacle and the preparations for work in the Tabernacle were sealed:
וְהָיָ֥ה הַמִּשְׁכָּ֖ן אֶחָֽד
"…the tabernacle becomes one whole" (Shmot 26:6). The structure of the Mishkan reflects the model of unity in the world:
והמשכן קראו אחד כולל הכל. כי כל גוף אינו דבר אחד רק הוא מחובר מאחדים.
"The tabernacle is called one, and it encompasses all ten [curtains] for all physical entities are made of various elements". (Ibn Ezra ibid)
Its construction united the entire nation, all of whom participated with their donation.
The Shabbat is called the Shabbat HaChodesh because it is adjacent to Rosh Chodesh Nisan, and we also read the Parasha " "הַחֹ֧דֶשׁ הַזֶּ֛ה לָכֶ֖ם- "This month shall mark for you…" (Shmot 12:2).
The commandment on the preparations for redemption and the offering of the Passover sacrifice, which expresses in its laws the foundation of unity in the people of Israel and its election by G-d:
ומפני שהשם יתברך לקח ובחר בישראל בפרט מכל האומות להיות שלו, מורה בזה שהוא יחיד, שכיון שהוא יחיד בוחר באומה יחידית… וזאת העבודה היא עבודה מאומה יחידה למי שהוא אחד. וזהו עצם הקרבן הזה. לכך היה כל העבודה הזאת בענין אחדות. כי היה מצות הקרבן לאכול אותו על כרעיו ועל קרבו (שמות יב, ט), שאין ראוי שיהיה הקרבן הזה מחולק ... כי הדבר שהוא מחולק אינו אחד... אבל דבר שהוא שלם יש בו אחדות... וכן (שמות יב, מו) "בבית אחד יאכל", כל הענין הזה שאסור לחלק הקרבן לשתי חבורות, או שאסור לאכול אותו בשתי מקומות ... וכן "אל תאכלו ממנו נא ובשל מבושל כי אם צלי אש" (שמות יב, ט), הכל ענין זה, כי הבשול במים או בשאר משקין, חלקיו מתפרדין על ידי הבשול ומתחלקין, אבל צלי אש, מכח האש, אדרבה, נעשה הבשר אחד...
"And because G-d, may He be blessed, took and chose the Jewish people in particular from all of the nations to be His; He showed through this that He is unique. For since He is unique, He chose a unique nation… However, since He is unique, He chose the unique. And this service is the service of a unique people to the One who is one.
And that is the essence of this sacrifice, and that is why all of this service is related to oneness. For the commandment of this sacrifice is to eat it, "with its legs and its inner organs" (Shmot 12:9), since it is not fitting for this sacrifice to be divided up… For something divided up is not one… But something that is whole has oneness… And likewise, "It shall be eaten in one house" (Shmot 12:46): This whole idea is that it is forbidden to divide a sacrifice between two groups or that it is forbidden to eat it in two places…
And similarly, "Do not eat it raw, nor cooked, but rather roasted" (Shmot 12:9). This is all the same idea, that cooking in water or in other liquids causes the parts to detach through the cooking process, and disconnect. But with roasting, because of the fire's power, it is the opposite. The piece of meat becomes unified…" (Rabbi Loew, the Maharal of Prague - Gevurot Hashem 60)
The Haftarah is read from the prophecy of Ezekiel (45) about the Future Redemption, the building and dedication of the third Temple which will be on Rosh Chodesh Nisan. The redemption also depends on the unity of the nation:
וְכֵן אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שֶׁאֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל נִגְאֲלִין עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כֻּלָּן אֲגֻדָּה אַחַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בַּיָּמִים הָהֵמָּה וּבָעֵת הַהִיא נְאֻם ה' יָבֹאוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְנֵי יְהוּדָה יַחְדָּו וְגוֹ' (ירמיה נ, ד). כְּשֶׁהֵן אֲגוּדִים, מְקַבְּלִין פְּנֵי שְׁכִינָה.
"…So also you find that Israel was not redeemed until they became one group, as stated (in Jer. 50:4), “’In those days and at that time,’ says Hashem,’ the children of Israel, they and the children of Judah, shall come together.’” When they are united, they shall welcome the face of the Divine Presence". (Midrash Tanhuma Nitzvim 1).