VAYAKHEL - PEKUDAI 1981

In life there is nothing that can be gained without effort.  In order for people to do well they must work at it.  One of the most misleading slogans of the past few years has been the slogan that learning is fun.  It is true that after you learn something it is fun but the process of learning is hard work.  You cannot learn anything unless you put a lot of work in.  Sometimes we put in a lot of games and tricks but in order to learn anything we have to put in the effort.  This is illustrated very clearly in the Torah portion we read yesterday.  We learned how the original Ten Commandments were given with much fanfare, with thunder and lightning and then complete silence.  Even a bird did not fly.  The people themselves heard G‑d's voice.  Moshe Rabbeinu went up the mountain accompanied by the elders and a little further by Joshua.  When he reached the top alone G‑d gave him the Commandments.  These Commandments were destroyed because the people worshipped the golden calf.  After Moshe had secured G‑d's forgiveness by going up the mountain the second time G‑d told him to go up a third time in order to receive the second Ten Commandments.  This time Moshe was told that he had to chisel out the raw tablets himself, that he had to ascend the mountain himself.  There was no thunder or lightning followed by a great silence.  It was arduous work.  Moshe had to chisel out the tablets on granite himself.  It was hard work.  Then G‑d wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets when he ascended the mountain.  This time, though, Moshe Rabbeinu came down from the mountain his face glowed.  He was radiant so much so that all the people noticed it and he was forced to put on a veil.  Moshe glowed with an inner glow with the second Ten Commandments but not with the first.  The second he worked for.  He put effort into and because he did it transformed him.  We nowadays make a mistake.  We do not judge people the way we should judge them.  We do not judge them by the effort they put in but by the skills and things they accomplish.  In the Torah portion Vayakel we learn about this.  Moshe when he appoints Betzalel to be the main.  architect and artisan of the Tabernacle there is an extra Hebrew word R'uh which means see.  See, artisans are important.  People who work with their hands have dignity.  We should not look down on people just because they do not have fancy degrees or titles.  What makes for a good human being is not necessarily skills or titles.  It is the ability to relate to offer warmth, comfort, understanding, and help.  Some of the people with the fanciest titles are fools in every other aspect of life.  The Hebrew word for leader is N'seeyeem is spelled defectively in this Torah portion.  the yee is left out.  The yee stands for Yud, for every Jew or every man.  Every person is important.  Leaders cannot function without the people.  Not everyone tries the best they can and learns how to be kind and humane and loving when that is all that can be asked of them in life.  They are tremendous successes.  Everyone should try to be what he is not what he is not.  Not everybody can be a doctor or lawyer.  Not everybody can be a skilled artisan but it is not important.

The story about two little boys who pretend they want to be cowboys and they walk into a saloon.  One of them walks up to the bar, slams his fist down, and says, "Give me a rye".  The other little boy, not to be outdone, slams his fist down on the table and says, "Make mine a wholewheat.".
We have to be what we are and as long as we are doing the best we can and are warm and understanding that is all that can be asked of us.