FROM NACHASH TO MOSHIACH
A Lesson from the Mirrors of the Jewish Women - Vayakhel-Pekudei
When describing how the Keilim of the Mishkan were made, the Torah notes that the Kiyor was made from the polished copper mirrors donated by the Jewish women.
The Midrash relates that when the women presented these mirrors to Moshe, he did not want to accept them. Since they were items that were made for arousing the Yetzer Hora, they had no place in building a holy sanctuary for the Divine Presence.
Hashem told Moshe to take the mirrors “for they are more precious to Me than anything else”.
These mirrors were not used by the Jewish women for immodesty, vanity or immorality. The Midrash describes how righteous women of that generation used their mirrors to beautify themselves for their husbands. They would revive their broken husbands’ spirits and arouse their affection, thereby continuing to give birth to the future Jewish nation, even in the darkness and suffering of Golus.
Chassidus teaches that the Mitzvah of making a Mishkan was not limited to a physical structure. Hashem’s desire is to rest within each one of us, that through our Avodah we become a resting place and sanctuary for the Shechina.
In the construction of the physical Mishkan, different materials were used. Some were naturally conducive for this holy purpose and Moshe was ready to accept them. In our Avodah, these are the innately holy activities of Torah study and prayer. These are the pursuits of our G-dly soul.
But Hashem does not only desire to dwell within us when we are engaged in Torah study and prayer. Hashem wants our Mishkan to be all-encompassing, incorporating every facet of our lives, including our engagements in physicality; our eating and drinking, business, relationships and our regular day-to-day.
This was Hashem’s message to Moshe. Hashem was telling Moshe that the spiritual Mishkan cannot be limited to the innately holy parts of our lives. We need to elevate the drives and passions of our animalistic soul and our involvements in the mundane physical world, things that are not so readily G-dly. They too must be brought into our inner Mishkan and dedicated to Hashem.
Transforming our animalistic drives and desires to become holy is not easy and it comes with real inner struggle and effort. But it is the struggle that makes it so meaningful and precious. Like the mirrors, not only are our worldly and animalistic drives an essential part of building our Mishkan, they are more precious to Hashem than anything else.
The Tzemach Tzedek observes that the root of the word נחושת - copper, is נחש - a snake. The snake represents the Yetzer Hora and the unrefined physicality of the world. But the word נחש also shares the same Gematria as משיח - Moshiach.
Chassidus discusses the symbolism of a mirror. Unlike a window or transparent glass that allows the light to shine through uninterrupted, the mirror has a backing that obstructs the flow of light. But this backing or coating creates a deeper affect. Instead of the light shining through the glass, it reflects off of the coating to create a reflection, allowing us to see behind and beyond ourselves. This deeper vision would not be possible if there was no obstruction.
But this reflective quality can only be achieved if the coating of the mirror is of a refined material. If the coating is dense, the light will be absorbed instead of being reflected. Likewise, to make a reflective mirror out of copper, the dull copper must be honed and polished.
By default, the physicality of our body and the world around us obstructs and conceals the light of Hashem. But through our Avodah of ‘polishing’ the copper, transforming the נחש to משיח, we make our world into a mirror that will reflect the Divine light and sparkle with the greatest G-dly radiance.
The Midrash relates that when the women presented these mirrors to Moshe, he did not want to accept them. Since they were items that were made for arousing the Yetzer Hora, they had no place in building a holy sanctuary for the Divine Presence.
Hashem told Moshe to take the mirrors “for they are more precious to Me than anything else”.
These mirrors were not used by the Jewish women for immodesty, vanity or immorality. The Midrash describes how righteous women of that generation used their mirrors to beautify themselves for their husbands. They would revive their broken husbands’ spirits and arouse their affection, thereby continuing to give birth to the future Jewish nation, even in the darkness and suffering of Golus.
Chassidus teaches that the Mitzvah of making a Mishkan was not limited to a physical structure. Hashem’s desire is to rest within each one of us, that through our Avodah we become a resting place and sanctuary for the Shechina.
In the construction of the physical Mishkan, different materials were used. Some were naturally conducive for this holy purpose and Moshe was ready to accept them. In our Avodah, these are the innately holy activities of Torah study and prayer. These are the pursuits of our G-dly soul.
But Hashem does not only desire to dwell within us when we are engaged in Torah study and prayer. Hashem wants our Mishkan to be all-encompassing, incorporating every facet of our lives, including our engagements in physicality; our eating and drinking, business, relationships and our regular day-to-day.
This was Hashem’s message to Moshe. Hashem was telling Moshe that the spiritual Mishkan cannot be limited to the innately holy parts of our lives. We need to elevate the drives and passions of our animalistic soul and our involvements in the mundane physical world, things that are not so readily G-dly. They too must be brought into our inner Mishkan and dedicated to Hashem.
Transforming our animalistic drives and desires to become holy is not easy and it comes with real inner struggle and effort. But it is the struggle that makes it so meaningful and precious. Like the mirrors, not only are our worldly and animalistic drives an essential part of building our Mishkan, they are more precious to Hashem than anything else.
The Tzemach Tzedek observes that the root of the word נחושת - copper, is נחש - a snake. The snake represents the Yetzer Hora and the unrefined physicality of the world. But the word נחש also shares the same Gematria as משיח - Moshiach.
Chassidus discusses the symbolism of a mirror. Unlike a window or transparent glass that allows the light to shine through uninterrupted, the mirror has a backing that obstructs the flow of light. But this backing or coating creates a deeper affect. Instead of the light shining through the glass, it reflects off of the coating to create a reflection, allowing us to see behind and beyond ourselves. This deeper vision would not be possible if there was no obstruction.
But this reflective quality can only be achieved if the coating of the mirror is of a refined material. If the coating is dense, the light will be absorbed instead of being reflected. Likewise, to make a reflective mirror out of copper, the dull copper must be honed and polished.
By default, the physicality of our body and the world around us obstructs and conceals the light of Hashem. But through our Avodah of ‘polishing’ the copper, transforming the נחש to משיח, we make our world into a mirror that will reflect the Divine light and sparkle with the greatest G-dly radiance.