Dwellers and Guests
STUDENT SUMMARIES OF SICHOT OF THE ROSHEI YESHIVA
Parashat pekudei
guest sicha by
Dwellers and Guests
Adapted by
Translated by
At the end of our parasha we read, The cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting, and Gods glory filled the Mishkan. And Moshe could not come to the
Tent of Meeting for the cloud rested upon it, and the cloud covered the Tent of
Meeting (Shemot 40:34-35).
Rashi, Ramban and others point out that this verse seems to contradict what we
read elsewhere: When Moshe went into the Tent of Meeting, that God might speak
with him, then he heard the Voice speaking to him
(Bamidbar 7:89). The verse in our parasha
implies that Moshe could not enter the Tent of Meeting when God was present,
while the verse in Naso indicates that Moshe entered the Tent to speak to
God.
Different explanations are offered.
a. There are two positions of the cloud over the Mishkan. When the cloud has
risen, Moshe is able to enter. When the cloud is upon the Mishkan, Moshe cannot
enter.
b. The Midrash teaches that Moshe could enter only when summoned by God. Even
though he was the most trusted in Gods House, he was still a guest there and
was not free to come and go as he pleased.
In our parasha, he had not yet been summoned, but in Naso
Moshe was summoned.
When we say, And also two texts which contradict one another, until a third
text comes and decides [the matter] between them what do we mean by the
introductory expression and also (ve-khen)? The source for this
beraita is to be found in the introduction to the Sifra on Vayikra,
which deals with the verse (1:1) where Moshe is summoned by God to enter the
Mishkan. This verse resolves the
contradiction between the verses in Pekudei and in Naso. Hence the beraita should be
read, And here (ve-kan) are two texts which contradict one another
(i.e., Shemot 40:34 and Bamidbar 7:89), until a third text (i.e.,
Vayikra 1:1) comes and decides between them.
This understanding carries a profound message. There are some people who feel
quite free to act as they please, while others understand that they should do
only what they have permission to do. This is the difference between someone at
home and a guest. If someone has studied much Torah and feels at home in
Torah, he will wage the war of Torah, debate others, and advocate for his own
understanding of Torah. This is a
positive characteristic, as long as ones feeling of being at home is
justified.
Today, however, the situation has somehow become reversed: people who have less
knowledge feel free to say whatever they think, while those who are inside,
at home in the Torah, are humble and do not rush to render judgment on every
subject. People from the outside, guests as it were, arrogantly express
criticism of the Torah. It is important to delve profoundly into Torah, but at
the same time one should always keep in mind the mishnas teaching that one
should cling to the dust of the sages feet.
If even great sages behave with humility towards Torah, how much more so
should the rest of us.
(This sicha was delivered on Shabbat parashat Pekudei 5763 [2003].)
This website is constantly being improved. We would appreciate hearing from you. Questions and comments on the classes are welcome, as is help in tagging, categorizing, and creating brief summaries of the classes. Thank you for being part of the Torat Har Etzion community!