5785/2025
When you look through Parashat VaYakhel, you are learning through all the different Keilim in the Beit HaMikdash and the Aron in the Kodesh HaKodashim. The Aron was made up of 3 components: Gold, wood, and gold on the outside.
Rav Meilech Biderman gives the following interpretation: The Aron represents Torah; when you start to learn Torah, it’s exciting, it’s wonderful like gold. But then you continue you to learn, and you hit that point where it’s hard, and you need to put in a lot more effort and עמלות בתורה to understand. That effort is represented by the dried-out wood. However, what’s going to happen if you put in that effort? You’ll find the gold again. So the wood and the gold represents our process of learning with the initial excitement, like gold, and the hard work, like the wood; but then you’ll find the gold again. What is another name for the Aron? עצי שיטים! When we think of the Aron, we think of the “Golden Aron”; but no, the essence of it is the wood. Why is that? Because what is most important to HaKadosh Baruch Hu is our effort.
All of these Parshi’ot focus on the Beit Hamikdash; another name for it is the “בית הבחירה”. Pesach Moshe explains, that in the Beit HaMikdash, not even Melachim can go into the Kodesh HaKodashim, only the Kohen Gadol. Man has to put in that effort, and that effort could even allow you to go into the Kodesh HaKodashim. The word “בחירה” means our “choice”. A choice means that we are often pulled in different directions, but I’m going to dig deeper with my Hishtadlut; and that’s what brings Hashem the most Nachat.
For instance, a little boy comes home from yeshiva one day and brings a paper that has crayon marks all over it. And the mother says to her son: “What is it that you drew on the paper?” The boy responds: “This is an airplane… and this is a palace…and over here I made a Sefer Torah.” The mother is full of joy by seeing it; and what does she do with the paper full of crayon scribble? She hangs it up on the wall for everyone to see. The next day, the boy came back with another piece of paper. This time with an airplane that actually looks like an airplane, a beautiful palace drawn in the background, and a Sefer Torah that looks real. And the mother said to the boy, “Where did that come from?” The little boy responds, “My Morah drew it for me.” The mother takes the paper, and when he wasn’t looking, threw it in the garbage. The drawing might be nicer, but that didn’t take any effort, it didn’t have any meaning to it. The mother looks at her child’s drawing as something her child worked hard on and put his effort in making it, which is why she decided to hang that up on the wall.
It is when we put the heart into it, when we put in our own effort, that it’s most meaningful to Hashem. It’s the עצי שיטים more so than the gold. It is the choices that we make; and when we make those choices, Hashem will put our pictures on his fridge.