This week’s parsha is Shemini which this year falls on the Shabbos after Purim. What is the connection between this week’s parsha and the festival of Purim?
The message Purim teaches us that a Yid is not subject to nature, that everything is from Hashem and nature is only a garment. The Megilla describes how Ester first fasted and only afterward went to seek an audience with King Achashverosh. This teaches us an important lesson about our emunah. It teaches us that not only does Hashem intervene at times through miracles, but events that occur through natural patterns also only come through Hashem. Mordecai and Ester’s political successes only came after they first aroused everyone to do teshuva and have an open connection to Hashem.
This is the meaning of the Gemara Yerushalmi which says that a Jewish farmer is; “maamin b’Chai Haolamim v’zoreah- he places his faith in the Life of the World- Hashem, and then plants his seeds”. One may ask that even those who do not place their faith in Hashem know that the laws of nature act predictably and will produce plants from seeds? The difference is that a Yid does not plant his seeds because of nature, but because Hashem says to plant and He will see to it that everything will grow.
During the first seven days of the dedication of the Mishkan, each day Moshe Rabbenu set up the Mishkan and offered Korbanos but still the Shechina did not come to rest upon it. Even on the eighth day after all was completed; the Mishkon, the Kelim, Moshe and Aaron were present, yet still no Shechina. Moshe told Aaron and his sons to bring an eigel-a calf as a burnt offering. The calf represents forgiveness for the cheit haeigel-the golden calf. A fire came from on high and consumed the offering. The Yidden saw through this that Hashem had forgiven the sin of the golden calf.
The mefarshim explain that the sin was not that they denied Hashem chas v’Shalom. Their sin was that they sought an intermediary to work through to get their necessities addressed and not go directly to Hashem. This was their avodah zara. Until they received forgiveness for this the Shechina would not rest in the Mishkan. Only by bringing the calf were they able to achieve forgiveness. The calf was completely burnt for Hashem with no other procedure or anything in between. It was burnt in its entirety. This represents the direct bonding of the Yidden with Hashem with no one or no-thing in between. Therefore this offering brought complete forgiveness and the dwelling of Hashem’s Shechina on the Mishkan.
This is the connection to Purim. When the Yidden sincerely turned directly to Hashem and acknowledged that everything comes through him and nature is only a garment; then the great miracle of Purim occurred.
The lesson we can take from this is that we can have the parts in place. We can have a Mishkon and Kelim and curtains, and Kehuna and Tefilla and Karbonos. We can achieve spiritual intimacy and reach great heights. At the same time we can still get lost in the belief that when it comes to business affairs we need an intermediary! We can allow ourselves to over worry about worldly affairs. We need to recognize that such an approach is avodah zara! After everything is said and done and he has accomplished what he is responsible as Shulchan Aruch demands he needs to now rely only upon Hashem. If he nonetheless allows himself to become further dichotomized and fractionalized in his living, and while davening is one kind of Jew and at work (or when worried about work) another, he has set up a little eigel in his heart. What is the answer? To burn away the eigel with a complete lifestyle of “bkol darchecha d’eihu- knowing Hashem in ALL your ways” and “tamim tehiyeh im Hashem- be wholehearted with Hashem”. Realize that we are all Hashem’s children, and through living this way we allow our life and the world we are part of to become a fitting Mishkon and Mikdash for Hashem and for His Shechina to dwell.
(Based on Purim 5717- 1957)