As
the traveling carnival known as primaries and caucuses continue to unfold in
the United States, as Republican and Democratic candidates crisscross the
United States saying incredibly stupid things, insightful things, or far-fetched
things; I have started paying a lot of attention to two topics. One topic is called “delegate math” based upon
the number of delegates for the Republican nomination, 1,237, and the Democratic
nomination 2,383. When focusing upon these numbers, one can begin to see
candidates’ strengths and weakness among different aspects of the electorate.
The other mathematical topic to which I have been paying attention, is the amount of
money that candidates are able to raise. Obviously the money really is the engine that allows for offices to open and advertisements to air. When the funds run out, even with a
path forward, the candidate will have to stop. Sometimes the money runs out
first and the candidate must stop. Sometimes the delegate math doesn’t add up
to the required number. Then the question becomes whether to continue campaigning and have fight at the convention (a plan espoused by Republican
leadership in order to combat Trump) or cease campaigning
and begin the process of reconciling (an idea that many
Democratic leaders have call upon Bernie Sanders to begin considering). In all cases, both in terms of delegates and
in terms of campaign dollars, the candidate and his/her brain trust must engage
in an accounting. They must look back on where they were, they need to
recognize where they are and they need to coldly analyze how far they still
need to go. Always they need to be crystal clear with themselves about the financial, political and emotional feasibility of continuing.
This week's Parsha is Pekudei. It is the last Parsha of
Sefer Shmot. The Parsha, in a very matter of fact way, provides us with an
accounting of all the material that was used for the Mishkan. The Parsha, in a
very matter of fact way, tell us all that Bezazel and Oholiab had done while
inspired by God and their art. We derive this idea of "taking stock"
from the first Pasuk. Eilah F'kudei
Ha'Mishkan Ha'Eidut Asher Pukad Al Pi Moshe Avodat Ha'Leviim - These are the countings of the Tabernacle,
the Tabernacle of Testimony, which was reckoned at Moshe's bidding
(Ex.38:21). What follows is essentially a ledger of all materials that were
used in the Mishkan's construction. What
follows is essentially a ledger of the order in which Bezazel, Oholiab, and
B'nai Yisroel used these materials and actually constructed the Mishkan. Why do
we need this accounting? We have been reading about the Mishkan for the last
four Parshiot. However it was not until now, when Moshe and B'nai Yisroel were
able to look back at the process and see exactly how far along they have come. Think
about it. For a lengthy period of time, B'nai Yisroel, as told to us in the Torah, had
experienced an individual, communal and spiritual revolution. They watched Ten
Plagues destroy Egypt, fled Egypt, and experienced the miracle of the Crossing
of the Yam Suf. They witnessed the revelation at Sinai, received the Ten
Commandments, panicked and built the Golden Calf. They began the T'shuvah
process by bringing a half Shekel as a means of expressing atonement. They
willingly brought their precious jewels and raw materials for the construction
of the Mishkan. They came together as a community and they successfully
constructed "God's dwelling place."
Certainly
there were specific events that we would deem as vitally important, including
the actual exodus from Egypt, the Crossing of the Reed Sea, and the Revelation
at Sinai. However, in each of these three pivotal moments, B'nai Yisroel
behaved as individuals. During each of these three pivotal moments, one could
argue that B'nai Yisroel was more reactive than proactive. After the Tenth
Plague, following God's direct command, B'nai Yisroel left Egypt. After God
opened the Reed Sea, B'nai Yisroel began to cross it. It is the Midrash that
explains that B'nai Yisroel took the first steps into the water prior to God's
miracle. Even the Revelation at Sinai was a more reactive experience than a
pro-active one. Even the Golden Calf fiasco could be argued as B'nai Yisroel's
response to the fact that Moshe delayed his descent from the mountain. However
Tshuva, and last week's Parsha's explanation that B'nai Yisroel brought its
offerings willingly, suggests that B'nai Yisroel took a more pro-active role in
the construction of the Mishkan. Constructing and completing the Mishkan, for
this generation was perhaps its greatest achievement. They were finally, at
least for the time being, pure of soul and pure of heart. They understood what
it meant to be a community, a holy community, and the Mishkan was an expression
of that. Therefore when B'nai Yisroel completed this transition to “people-hood”
culminating in the completion of the Mishkan; it makes sense that an accounting
of the Mishkan's construction would occur.
From Moshe's "accounting", we learn
something very important about human nature. As individuals, as part of a team
and as part of community; we need to do Cheshbon HaNefesh, an accounting of our
souls. While it is certainly important to do Cheshbon HaNefesh at prescribed times with the community (Yom
Kippur for example); it is also vital that we engage in this process when we
have survived and successfully or unsuccessfully navigated through transition. These transitions and changes are not
necessarily confined to lifecycle events or the calendar but as a part of life
in general. Certainly we can watch the
political carnival going on in the United States, and all the attention to “delegate
math” and “campaign finance” and view it through the lens of one enormous
transition from one Presidential administration to another. Parsha Pekudei reminds
us that we must possess the self-awareness to step back and look back at the
process and own it, and if it is appropriate, mourn it, celebrate it, or learn
from it. The result is that when the time comes for the next project, (The Holy
Temple), the next national endeavor (Bnai Yisroel’s entry in to the land of
Israel), the next primary, caucus or the next time that a candidate sits down
to determine whether it is time to stop fighting for the nomination or continue
fighting for the nomination; a careful and thorough Cheshbon HaNefesh will lead to thoughtful and correct decisions
that are to the benefit of the community and even the country.
Peace,
Rav Yitz
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