פרשת נשא
This week’s Parsha continues along a similar vein to the previous week in which the Torah discussed the various responsibilities of the Levite families in regard to the Mishkan. The Ramban perceptively notices that there wasn’t merely a general commandment for each family to take care of the maintenance of the Mishkan, but rather each and every Levite was given specific tasks which were to be carried out with exact precision, and there was no room for deviance in these responsibilities. There was, however, one exception as we mentioned last week. Elazar the son of Ahron the Kohen was expected to manage all of his own chores, as well as a great deal of the other Kohanim’s assignments. As we stated, he was to carry an enormous burden every time the Jews traveled. He was, so to speak, the Mishkan’s “Renaissance man”. The Ramban continues by explaining that this dictum for each Kohen or Levite to not step beyond his own tasks is illustrated poignantly by a Gemorah in Eruchin (11b). The Gemorah relates that R’ Yehoshua once wanted to help R’ Yochanan with the waving of the doors, a job which was apparently allocated to R’ Yochanan. R’ Yochanan commented to him, “Stand back, for you are liable the death penalty, because this is not your realm”.
The Sefas Emes says that there is a valuable lesson we can all learn from this instruction for each worker to handle his own responsibilities and not take on any more or less than was assigned to him. Since Hashem himself distributed the jobs in the Mishkan, it stands to reason that each post given out was tailor made to compliment and challenge its master with laser-like precision. The Sefas Emes extends this understanding by applying it to our lives. We too face daily challenges and confrontations which are often daunting to say the least. Very often, we may be tempted to give up or try to shirk these challenges by running away from them. But the Sefas Emes tells us that the Torah here is teaching us that there is nowhere to run. If Hashem places in front of us these particular set of circumstances, it is not by accident. He expects us to face them and do the best we can. However, we can certainly take comfort in one thought. We definitely can succeed. There is no such thing as an obstacle which in insurmountable. By definition, if Hashem gave it to us, than we can overcome it.
From these intriguing words of the Sefas Emes, we find something which is both comforting, and frightening simultaneously. On the one hand, Hashem doesn’t expect us to perform beyond our abilities in any way. He will not ask us why we didn’t reach the level of Moshe Rabenu. On the other hand, He also will not tolerate us performing any less than our absolute potential either. This means that we will not be able to get away with lines in Heaven that sound like, “Well, I learned more then most of my friends”. Or, “Everybody else was speaking Lashon Hara, so I thought it was permitted”. This point is further understood if we examine the Gemorah in Kesuvos (66b). The Gemorah says that R’ Yochanan once saw a young lady who was so destitute, she was fingering through the feces of animals to pick out the edible parts which were fit for consumption. Upon closer inspection, he realized that this girl was the daughter of the fabulously wealthy Nakdimon Ben Gurion. The Gemorah concludes that this must have happened to his family because he didn’t give Tzedaka. But the Gemorah challenges, we know from many sources that he was extremely generous. The Gemorah than recalibrates and says that while he may have given a lot of charity, compared to what Hashem had blessed him with, he could have given more. We see from this Gemorah the extent that Hashem expects us to use the blessing which He gave us. If we could have given $1000 to charity, and we only gave $600, we will have been considered a failure. Even though we may look great to the world around us, and may be applauded by our peers for our generosity, Hashem who is the true judge knows differently. On a practical level, the words of the Sefas Emes mean for us that there are no subjective barometers which can accurately gauge our success. While it is certainly true that we may use our peers for general guidelines of socio-Halachic norms, for an exact understanding of our responsibilities toward Heaven, our own hearts are the sole instruments which can be relied upon.
I think there is one more point which can be gleaned from the description of the Levites’ work. We find that the children of Kehath were charged with carrying the most spiritual part of the Mishkan, the Holy of Holies. One may have expected to find that in order to fulfill this task, they were given the most advanced equipment. However, the verse says that while all the other Levites were supplied with wagons, the children of Kehath had to actually carry their burden on their shoulders, and do everything manually. We see from here a fascinating point. When a person has spiritual challenges, he may have thought that they do not require as much attention or consideration as the physical or financial ones, but this is not the case. They actually require more toil to overcome as is evidenced by the amount of exertion the children of Kehath had to extend in order to carry the “spiritual” part of the Mishkan.
On the flip side, we also see that a person whose challenges are spiritual will enjoy a greater level of inner satisfaction than one whose challenges are elsewhere. This can be seen from the Gemorah in Eruchin (11a). The Gemorah says that the word used to describe the carrying was “ישאו” – which literally means to carry. But the Gemorah learns out that whenever this word is mentioned it is a language which connotes bliss. This Gemorah, in combination with what we mentioned earlier, is teaching us that although a spiritual burden is a cumbersome one, it will ultimately bring a person a greater level of happiness and song in his heart. This truth is self-evident to anyone who has studied in Yeshiva, even for a short period of time. While other challenges can easily get a person down, one who is involved with the personal growth that takes place in the hallowed halls of the Yeshiva, is keenly aware of the pleasure and the delight which comes with personal, spiritual growth.
May we merit to utilize our gifts to withstand all of our challenges, and enjoy the great elation which comes with it!