Everyone is given the Time and the Power
to complete his or her Mission
By Rabbi Shimon Raichik
This Shabbos is the 12th day of Sivan. In the time of the Bais HaMikdash this was the last day that a korban could be brought for the Yom Tov. That's why they are called 'yemei tashlumim, the days of completion'. Therefore this is the time we focus on what we take from Shavuos into our daily lives. We can find this lesson in the parsha of the week, parshas Naso.
In this week's Torah portion we are told how the Nesiim, aside from their offerings, brought wagons and oxen and brought them to Moshe Rabbenu who was told by Hashem to give them to the Leviim. The Leviim used the oxen and the wagons to carry the boards and coverings of the Mishkon from place to place in the desert. All in all they gave one wagon for every two Nessiim and one ox each. The Gemara in Shabbos explains how careful they had to be stacking the boards on the wagons and how a Levi would have to stand behind the wagons in order to prevent the boards from falling because they were stacked to full capacity.
Why couldn't they make it easier by providing some extra wagons to give more space for stacking? The Rebbe explains everything we have needs to be used to it's utmost. If six wagons can do the job, then using a seventh wagon would amount having extra unnecessary space. That means that there would be space in the Mishkon without a purpose or use. In the Mishkon nothing is extra, everything has purpose.
This is a very important lesson in the service of Hashem and life in general. We learn that is there is no concept of extra time or wasted energy. We do our best to fully utilize everything we have in the service of the Mishkon because Hashem did not create anything without a purpose.
On the other hand this idea is not meant to produce anxiety or worry. It also doesn't mean that we feel that we can never take a break or rest up. We need time to to rejuvenate, refocus and reinvigorate. Rest is part of filling our purpose. We don't need to be worried about resting while we're active nor do we need worry that we are being idle while resting. Both are valuable and there's a time for everything.
As summer arrives and many of us go on vacation and many of our children attend camps we are reminded of the many Sichos from the Rebbe about how important the camp experience is in reinvigorating and inspiring us in our service of Hashem.
There is a story in the fourth volume of the Igros Kodesh of the Previous Rebbe. On one of the weekly trips of the Rebbe Rashab back from the datche to Lubavitch to visit his mother and to receive people for Yechidus he overheard Shaul the Wagon Driver dealing with the horses. After he stopped by a well to give them water he whipped them and said to them the following. "Do you think I gave you water to make your hay tastier? No! I gave you the water so that you should have more strength to pull the wagon."
After hearing this the Rebbe sat for a long while deep in thought and then said that the Baal Shem Tov teaches that everything a Jew sees or hears is a lesson for the service of Hashem. A Jew needs to realize that he is given his physical needs in order to schlep, to pull his spiritual wagon through learning the Torah and his service of Hashem. One should not err in thinking that what really counts is the hay, our personal indulgences.
A Good Shabbos and a Gezunten Zumer!