Daphna Levin-Kahn – Head of Jewish Studies High School

Moved by Purpose, by the Wise-Hearted
(Vayakhel, Shemot, Chapter 35 ויקהל)

The time has come for Moshe to galvanise the materials and workforce to build the Mishkan, the mobile desert temple, in all its intricate detail and regal glory.

How was he to get this to happen, especially to a level of accuracy, grandeur and holiness as would befit God’s Presence?

It would make sense at this time for Moshe to levy taxes to acquire the myriad of precious metals, stones, materials and wood, and to set up training schools to ensure he had the right people with the required skills.

Incredibly, neither of these becomes necessary. What takes place instead is a flood of voluntary donations of treasured items and materials from all parts of the community, including both men and women, (to the extent that they had to be asked to stop!) and an unbridled enthusiasm for being involved hands-on in all manner of craftmanship.

When reading the Hebrew verses in Chapter 35, a seemingly superfluous word ״לב״, “lev” (heart) is seen repeatedly connected to the wordsחכם  hakham (wise) or נדיב nadiv (charitable or generous), for example: נדיב-לב, חכמת-לב / חכם-לב, אשר נשא לבו. This just begs us to wonder why.

To best guide us in understanding the juxtaposition of these words, it helps to explore several different translation-interpretations:

Which sounds best to you?

The Jewish People are almost desperate to outpour their devotion and commitment by giving from their heart, as their soul moves them – no need for coercion. The Mishkan itself is built not by the trained elite, but by “ordinary” men AND women, those who already possess those gifts and talents, wisdom and skill at creating beautiful handiworks, so that the Mishkan, the place where God will connect with the people before they reach their destination, was built from and by the people, for the people and for God.

One of the books each staff member received as a generous (wise-hearted) gift from the School Board at the end of last year was the light-hearted yet thoughtful ‘Happy & Other Ridiculous Aspirations’ by the inspirational Turia Pitt. I happened to read the following (pages 199-201) this past weekend as I was also thinking about this Parasha. This excerpt is from an interview Turia conducted with Marie Forleo, entrepreneur and author of the number-one New York Times bestseller ‘Everything Is Figureoutable’.

Turia: Do you happen to have any thoughts on how happiness and purpose work together?

Marie: I actually think the concept of ‘finding your purpose’ can keep people navel-gazing and lost. I’d rather people start taking action and find a way to be of service to others. To get moving. I usually talk about sharing your gifts and contribution. We all want to feel useful in life, as though we’re somehow making a difference… When…you’re fully immersed in helping others, you tend to feel a sense of fulfillment, connection and meaning – feelings that many people would associate with happiness.

I think that Marie may be speaking about using our hokhmat-lev; when people are able to use their gifts and talents in their work, especially for others, they can feel that their life has meaning, and so their heart-mind-soul are joined in purposeful living.

Shabbat Shalom