In front and behind the scenes

Parsha and its realization - Parshat Vayakhel - Shkalim - 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.

Is the large, currently underway, resource-intensive campaign to 'recruit ultra-Orthodox' really motivated by the need to increase the IDF and fill the ranks with ultra-Orthodox soldiers, and to achieve real 'equality' in Israeli society?! Or is it designed to create a political crisis, for the sake of political achievements?!

Why don't its leaders transparently address the fact that it was precisely the "Commission for Equality in the Burden" from 2014 that seriously harmed the expansion trend of ultra-Orthodox recruitment?!

Is the large, resource-intensive campaign currently underway for 'this year's elections' really motivated by the need to heal Israeli society from the Simchat Torah tragedy?! Or is it led by political motives by those who seek to rule? Why don't its leaders transparently address the fact that an election campaign may result in the war ending even before 'total victory' has been achieved, and the loss of its achievements?!

In an ideal democratic world, whoever wants to lead a public move, and convince the public of its righteousness, conducts itself in complete transparency and reveals to the public its true goal. What goes on "in front of the scenes" is exactly the same as the intentions of whoever planned it "behind the scenes".

However, unfortunately, we have not been there for a while. Around us there are hidden processes, where leaders publicly declare that they are intended for a certain purpose, and seek to convince the public of the rightness of the move, its advantages, and how it will benefit them. But this is actually just a 'disguise'. "Behind the scenes", the move is meant for something completely different. The leaders know that if the real goal is revealed, the public would not support it. That's why they cast a heavy screen over the real goal. They hide it from them, and misrepresent that it is for another purpose. Sometimes they also lead a massive campaign to convince the public that this is indeed their goal.

No wonder the public is gradually losing its innocence, and is becoming suspicious and skeptical about the "behind the scenes" motives of public moves. Over the years, the public has developed tools to enable them to observe and discern the truth that is hidden "behind the scenes". After all, it is impossible to create a completely opaque screen. It has 'holes' through which the truth is reflected.

This is also the secret of the 'Megillah'. G-d acted "behind the scenes", hidden by a 'cloak' - a 'screen' that hid the truth from those observing the events "in front of the scenes". That is why it is a "Hidden Megillah" מגילת ההסתר. Reading from it, helps the 'disclosure of the hidden', the removal of the screen and the 'publicizing of the miracle'.

Similarly, the commandment of giving 'Half Shekel', in order to count the people, and not a whole shekel, is intended to 'discover' that in relation to the whole, the individual is nothing but 'half', and he is required to join the other 'half' in order to reach completeness.

Our Parsha deals with the building of the Tabernacle and devotes several verses to the 'hangings', the partition that surrounds the courtyard of the Tabernacle, and separates the 'Tabernacle of the testimony' from the camp:

וַיַּ֖עַשׂ אֶת הֶחָצֵ֑ר לִפְאַ֣ת נֶ֣גֶב תֵּימָ֗נָה קַלְעֵ֤י הֶֽחָצֵר֙ שֵׁ֣שׁ מׇשְׁזָ֔ר מֵאָ֖ה בָּאַמָּֽה׃

"He made the enclosure: On the south side, a hundred cubits of hangings of fine twisted linen for the enclosure" (Shmot 38:9)

Why is it called "hangings" קלעים and not "strips of cloth" יריעות like the curtains over the Sanctuary itself?

קלעים. עֲשׂוּיִין כְּמִין קַלְעֵי סְפִינָה, נְקָבִים נְקָבִים, מַעֲשֵׂה קְלִיעָה וְלֹא מַעֲשֵׂה אוֹרֵג, וְתַרְגּוּם סְרָדִים כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ שֶׁל מִכְבָּר הַמְתֻרְגָּם סְרָדָה, לְפִי שֶׁהֵן מְנֻקָּבִין כִּכְבָרָה:

קלעים HANGINGS — made like the sails of ships, full of holes, of plaited work and not weaver’s work. The rendering in the Targum, סרדין, is the same as the rendering of מִכְבָּר, which it renders by the singular סרדא; this is because they, both the hangings and the grate, are riddled with holes like a sieve. (Rashi Shmot 27:9)

The "cloths" formed a partition, but unlike in the tabernacle which were opaque, these were not.

The Mishkan itself was made from the beginning in a way that does not allow an ordinary person who is outside to 'approach' and look inside - at the work and the appearance of the Shechina which are meant to be in secret. On the other hand, the "yard hangings" were meant to hide only from a distant observer the work that was going on inside the Mishkan courtyard, "behind the scenes". But those who wanted to 'get close' and look inside the exalted work, 'came closer' to the "hangings" and looked through them:

וביאורו משום דמעשה קליעה יש בנקבים גדולים ויש בנקבים קטנים, משום הכי פירש הכתוב שיהיו קלעים הנהוגים בחצר שמקפידים על ראיה, כך היו הקליעות בנקבים קטנים שלא יראו מרחוק הנעשה שם, וכדאיתא בזבחים (נט,ב) ׳אפשר כהן עומד על גבי המזבח ועבודה בידו וכל העם רואין אותו מבחוץ׳.

“Because the act of weaving can be done with large holes and with small holes, therefore the scripture explained that the hangings used in the courtyard should have small holes so people close by can see but helped so people from a distance could not see what is being done in the courtyard, as stated in Zevahim 59b:

אפשר כהן עומד ע"ג המזבח ועבודה בידו וכל העם רואין אותו מבחוץ

Is it possible that the priest would stand atop the altar and hold the items with which he would perform the sacrificial service in his hand, and the whole nation could see him from outside the courtyard? That would constitute a lack of respect for the service in the Tabernacle.” (Ha’amek Davar Ibid)

This is how it can be possible to clarify the controversy in the Baraita (Re.  the Tabernacle): according to Rabbi Yehuda the "hangings" should be five cubits high and did not conceal at all the Mishkan which was ten cubits high. According to R. Yossi, the height of the "hangings" was fifteen cubits and they blocked everyone's view of the Tabernacle and the altar. Perhaps the point of dispute between them is how important it is that the "hangings" hide the "behind the scenes" activities.