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"A Call to Action!”

Writer's picture: Elissa FelderElissa Felder

"A Call to Action!”


“And you shall make a menorah of pure gold.

The menorah will be made of hammered work;

its base and its stem, its goblets, its knobs, and

its flowers shall [all] be [one piece] with it.”

 

The Midrash observes that at first

Moses was commanded “to make a menorah,”

but much as he tried, he was unable to produce it according to God’s specifications.

Finally, Hashem told him to throw the gold into the fire and

 “The menorah will be made” by itself - miraculously.

 

Moses made his most valiant attempt possible

to fulfill the commandment of making a menorah.

He exerted himself to the full extent of his considerable talents and abilities.

Yet he was not able to succeed in the task.

He was not able to make the menorah by himself.

 

In this parsha God also commands that the Holy Ark

be carried by long wooden rods

inserted through golden rings in its sides, and

that these rods never be removed.

Our Sages tell us that the Holy Ark traveled under its own power and

actually, it carried itself and its bearers along with it.

 

The act of carrying was only an illusion.

The bearers of the Holy Ark contributed nothing to its transportation.

The bearers had to take some action yet in reality

the Ark carried not only itself but also them.

 

 “You are not obligated to complete the task,

but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirke Avot 2:21).


This is a call to action and a rejection of apathy,

even when the task at hand seems overwhelming.

 

We are all enjoined to put in our best efforts to anything we attempt,

regardless of whether our efforts will be crowned with success.

 This is called hishtadlus.

We know God controls the world and everything that happens in it.

And yet we must exert ourselves to the full extent of our abilities,

as if it were all up to us.

Whether we are successful or not is not up to us.

Moses was rewarded for all his attempts to make the menorah,

even though, in the end, it took a miracle to produce it.

 

In our own lives, we are sometimes overwhelmed

by the daunting tasks that we face.

We cannot always see how we will ever achieve success, and

we may become discouraged and lose heart.

Let us reflect on the lessons of the golden menorah and the Holy Ark;

that we must exert ourselves and put our best effort in

knowing that success and failure are not up to us.


Let us pray that God 'looks’ favorably on our efforts

and blesses them with success.

 

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos filled with miracles, joy and success.

 

Much love

 

Elissa



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