Parashat Vayakhel
Printable Version
Golden Earrings and Elevating the
Material
Spiritual Wings of Gold and Silver
Just as a bird needs two wings to fly,
love and fear of G-d are the two wings that make our mitzvot soar and ascend to
the upper Worlds (Tanya part 1, chapter 40(. In Parashat
Lech Lecha, we learn how “Avraham rose from Egypt, he and his wife, all his
belongings, and Lot went with him, to the south. Then Avraham was very heavy
with cattle, with silver and with gold” (Bereishit 13:1-2). It is
interesting to note, that although Lot also became exceedingly wealthy in
Egypt, it doesn’t state that Lot had gold and silver. He only had “flocks,
cattle and tents” (ibid. 5). Silver and gold representאַהֲבָה /ahavah – ‘love of G-d’ and יִרְאָהּ/yirah – ‘awe of G-d,’ respectively. In order to elevate
the fallen sparks, we need both awe and love of Hashem, presented by the gold
and silver that Avraham brought up with him. However, Lot was not on the level
of Avraham to raise holy sparks from the depths of decadent Egypt (S’fat
Emet). Since Lot was unable to raise the fallen sparks, they instead
brought him down, making him stoop to lowly materialism and allowing his flock
to graze on his neighbors’ grass. The separation process between Avraham and
Lot thus stemmed from Lot’s inability to bring gold and silver up from Egypt.
Without awe and love of G-d, Lot was therefore unable to keep up with Avraham’s
spiritual path but instead became preoccupied with amassing wealth.
Awe and Love Through Indulgence in
Worldly Pleasures
If we want to be affluent without
letting wealth cause our detriment, we need to develop awe and love of Hashem.
The more awe and love we have, the more we will be able to elevate the material.
This explains the extravagant Tabernacle with its gold and silver. By donating
our gold and silver to the Mishkan our hearts became imbued with the awe and
love of Hashem. The Mishkan was erected on Yom Kippur, as a rectification for
the Golden Calf, which symbolizes materialism. On Yom Kippur, we leave all
worldly pursuits behind in order to dedicate ourselves to the awe and love of
G-d. In contrast, on Purim, we indulge in eating and drinking. Yet, Yom Kippur
is compared to Purim as hinted in the similarities of their names. Actually, הַכִּפּוּרִים יוֹם/Yom Hakipurim means ‘a day like Purim.’ Perhaps, these two holidays
complement each other while teaching us that we can express awe and love of
Hashem not only through abstinence and self-abnegation but also through
indulgence in worldly pleasures, as long as it is for the sake of a mitzvah.
This encapsulates the distinction between the Golden Calf and the Golden
Cherubs, their only difference being that the Cherubs were constructed for the
mitzvah of Hashem.
Extending the Golden Scepter through
Awe of G-d
In ‘new age spirituality,’ gold is
described as a bright glittering metal of imperishable nature, unaffected by
fire. It is compared to the immortal, imperishable and permanent part of
spiritual man. Similarly, in the Torah, awe of G-d is the quality that
eternalizes our good characteristics, as its states, “…fear of Hashem is its
treasure” (Yesha’yahu 33:6); (Babylonian Talmud Berachot 33b). In
the Purim story, gold plays an important role in Esther’s ability to save the
Jewish people from imminent annihilation. When she entered the inner courtyard
of the King which can also refer to Hashem, He extended His golden scepter to
Esther (Esther 5:2). This symbolizes her awe of G-d, which comprises the
outer key, by which we can enter the inner dimension (Imrei Emet, Shushan
Purim). The Ba’al Teshuvah (returnee to Judaism) needs to remember Hashem
constantly, in order not to slip from continuously acting for the sake of
Heaven. When we have gold which represents awe, we will find favor and become
beautiful like Esther. Yet, even when we purify ourselves from the lowly lusts
of this world, by means of acquiring awe of G-d, we still need love of G-d in
order that divine holiness can enter our heart (Imrei Emet, Motzei Yom
Kippur).
Elevating Our Desires through Silvery
Love of G-d
In new age spirituality silver is
associated with intuition, self-reflection, and inner wisdom. It is a symbol of
purity and is connected to vision, clarity, awareness, healing, protection,
emotion and love. Silver is a pure white metal with a brilliant luster,
representing the nutritive functions of the human body. Both in society and in
the life of the individual, gold supplies the vitality, while silver furnishes
the food for subsistence. It is the medium of exchange through which homes are
supplied with food and the wheels of industry are kept turning. Silver excels
all other metals as a conductor of electricity and heat. The Hebrew
word כֶּסֶף/kesef – ‘silver’ is related to the word כִּסּוּפִים/kisufim – ‘longing’ and love. The treasure hidden in
Israel is the yearning to serve Hashem. Conversely, the longing and love of the
Egyptians and Canaanites – the fathers of impurity – were to gratify their
impure lusts. Therefore, “Yosef collected all the money that was found in the
land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan by the sale of grain, and Yosef brought
הַכֶּסֶף/hakesef – ‘the silver’ into Pharaoh's house” (Bereishit
47:14). This verse hints that Yosef collected all the evil longings and
desires of Egypt and Canaan through their payment, which represented the holy
sparks that had fallen there (Degel Machane Efraim, Vayigash). Through
his awe of G-d, Yosef overcame the love and desire for fallen pleasures and
transformed them into the love of Hashem. Therefore, he was able to elevate all
these fallen sparks.
Contemplating Copper
ספר שמות פרק לה פסוק ה קְחוּ מֵאִתְּכֶם תְּרוּמָה
לַהָשֵׁם כֹּל נְדִיב לִבּוֹ יְבִיאֶהָ אֵת תְּרוּמַת הָשֵׁם זָהָב וָכֶסֶף וּנְחשֶׁת:
“Take from yourselves an offering for
Hashem; every generous hearted person shall bring it, [namely] Hashem’s
offering: gold, silver, and copper (Shemot 35:5).
The metals used in the Mishkan were
gold silver and copper. We have discussed the former at length but what about
the copper? Contemplating on copper brings to mind the נַחַשׁ הַנְּחשֶׁת/ nashash hanechoshet – ‘copper serpent’ that the Israelites
gazed at, it in order to be healed from the bite of the serpent (Bamidbar
21:9). Since then, copper has become a symbol of healing. Why did Hashem
command Moshe to construct a serpent specifically out of copper? Why not gold
or silver? Copper is a strong energy conductor that encourages emotional
alignment, by sending and amplifying thoughts and healing energy into our
energy field. Wearing copper may facilitate the release of the ‘excess charge’
of anger and resentment. Consequently, copper, engenders clearer thinking and
calmer behavior, which enabled the Israelites to gain perspective. When they
were lost in the narrowness of fear and despair, the copper snake shook them
into heightened consciousness, reminding them to move out of the narrow place
of fear and to lift their eyes upward into the expanded awareness of their
Creator. Just as Ya’acov overcame Esav’s impure forces, associated with the
seven-headed serpent, in the future, Mashiach will transform the venom of the
serpent. This is alluded to in the equal numerical value of both נָחָשׁ/nachash – ‘serpent’ and מָשִׁיחַ/Mashiach which is 358. Ultimately, the ‘holy serpent’
(Mashiach) will destroy all negativity, represented by the ‘evil
serpent.’
Balanced, Purifying, Protective
Copper
Copper is universally known to work
wonders in balancing the physical body as a whole. For example, it is common
knowledge that those suffering from arthritis can alleviate their symptoms by
wearing a copper bracelet against their skin. Copper is also believed to
strengthen the red blood cells, support blood circulation, make bones healthy,
improve metabolism, detoxify, alleviate rheumatism, anemia, viral and bacterial
infection, exhaustion, infertility, and more. However, care should be taken, as
it can be poisonous and sometimes even fatal in excessive amounts – just as the
bite of the serpent. In the Mishkan and Temple, the copper laver by which the
kohanim ceremoniously washed their hands, enacted purification from fears,
despair, anger and resentment etc. enabling the kohanim to eliminate any trace
of negativity in preparation for their holy service. It is interesting to note
that also the enclosure of the courtyard was made of copper, reflecting its
spiritual protective energy.
Elevating Reality through Gold,
Silver and Copper
According to the Midrash, gold, silver
and copper correspond respectively to the three archetypal exiles, Babylon,
Persia/Media and Greece. Each of these kingdoms will be elevated in the future
through the materials of the Temple. However, the cruelty of the Roman kingdom,
represented by iron, can never be elevated. Therefore, there was no iron in the
Mishkan and Temple (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 35:5). Avraham, Yitzchak and
Ya’acov also corresponded to the elevation of these three Temple metals.
Although Avraham is known to represent kindness and love, he corresponds to the
awe of G-d, which is represented by gold, because this was the area of his
rectification. His test when thrown into the burning furnace, represents gold
which is purified through the heat of a furnace. Yitzchak is compared to the
purity of silver, as he had to balance his inborn awe with the love of Hashem,
when he gave himself over to G-d at the Akeidah. Ya’acov corresponds to Tiferet
– the perfect balance represented by copper. The donations of the Israelites to
the Mishkan were according to the level of each person’s soul. Those whose
souls were connected to gevurah would desire to give gold. People whose soul
were of chesed, yearned to donate silver. By donating from the essence of their
soul, they were able to elevate their spirit. Due to Hashem’s love of Israel,
He desired that His abode in the Mishkan would be made by the sparks of all of
the Jewish souls. This way the souls of Israel would rise to cleave to the
Eternal (Sefer Bikurei Aviv, Parashat Terumah).
זָהָב/zahav
–
‘gold’
|
כֶּסֶף/kesef
–
‘silver’
|
נְחשֶׁת/nechoshet
–‘copper’
|
גבוּרָה/gevurah
– ‘severity’
|
חֶסֶד/chesed
–
‘kindness’
|
תִּפְאֶרֶת/Tiferet–
‘balanced
beauty’
|
יִרְאָהּ/yirah
–
‘awe’
|
אַהֲבָה/ahavah
–
‘love’
|
רַחֲמִים/rachamim
– ‘compassion’
|
Avraham’s rectification
|
Yitzchak’s rectification
|
Ya’acov’s rectification
|
שנבחן בכבשן האש כזהב–
He was tested
through the burning furnace which is like gold
|
שנצרף ככסף על גבי המזבח–
He was
purified like
silver on the
altar
|
נִחַשְׁתִּי וַיְבָרֲכֵנִי
הָשֵׁם בִּגְלָלֶךָ
Lavan said to Ya’acov,
“I have divined, and G-d has blessed me for your sake” (Bereishit
30:27).
|
בָּבֵל
Babylon
|
פְּרָס וּמָדַי
Persia and
Media
|
יָוָן
Greece
|
Shkoich! Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWonderfully fascinating!
ReplyDelete