In Parshat Viakal mentions the various contributions given by the Bni Israel to the mishkan
And he made the washstand of copper and its base of copper from the mirrors of the women who had set up the legions, who congregated at the entrance of the tent of meeting. חוַיַּ֗עַשׂ אֵ֚ת הַכִּיּ֣וֹר נְח֔שֶׁת וְאֵ֖ת כַּנּ֣וֹ נְח֑שֶׁת בְּמַרְאֹת֙ הַצֹּ֣בְאֹ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֣ר צָֽבְא֔וּ פֶּ֖תַח אֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵֽד: (passuk ח perek 38)
1)What were these mirrors that the women donated? What is the significance of mirrors? Shouldn’t they not be in the Mishnah if Mirrors are used for vanity?
Rashi comments that the significance is that even the mirrors were not held back in the donations and the women were willing to donate even the mirrors. At first, Moshe rejects them because they were used for temptation however Hashem instructs Moshe to use them because Hashem was able to show Moshe how they were positive and not a negative thing.
2) it is clear that women had some part in the creation of the mishkan. To what extent and what jobs specifically did women have?
3) where else in this week's parsha do we see women involved and what is the significance. 4) what other places in the Torah do we see women positively involved. If possible, how does it relate to women’s role in this week's parsha
5) what other interesting objects are used in the creation of the mishkan and what is their significance
There is a concept from the Talmud that it is because of the righteous women that the whole nature on was saved from Egypt. ״בשכר נשים צדקניות שהיו באותו הדור נגאלו ישראל ממצרים״
ReplyDeleteAlong those same lines, Rashi on Shemot 15:20, writes about the singing after the splitting of the sea that the reason only the women were singing with musical instruments is that they believed in the redemption and brought instruments.
Both these sources really show the role women played in the redemption from Egypt so it makes sense that they should be able to participate in the building mishkan which is almost a culmination of the event because that’s how they are b”ringing” Hashem into their camp and that’s what they’ve been trying to do before with the instruments-bring him close.
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1128933/jewish/The-Womans-Role.htm
DeleteR. Moshe Isserles comments that one should not use an old item in order to cover a Torah scroll. The point is not that they are old and worn but because it was designed for another purpose. In his footnote, the Magen Avraham comments that one MAY use a hand-me-down for a Torah if it’s somehow changed or modified for its new purpose. Then, it is not a discarded object being used for the Torah, but a newly-constructed item that has been custom-made for the Torah. The Magen Avraham’s proof for this is the pasuk about the mirrors used in the Mishkan.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Magen Avraham, they melted down these mirrors and used the copper from them for the basin (kiyor) or changed them in some other fundamental way, in order to use them for the purpose of building the Mishkan. In this way, they are no longer mirrors that have been donated, but custom-made objects.
https://oujlic.org/shiurim/mirror_mirror_on_the_wall_parshat_vayakhel/
^ Tovi Malek
ReplyDeleteThe Eben Ezra says that the women giving over their mirrors was a symbol of their dedication- even the women who valued their mirrors more than anything gave them up along with the rest of their possessions. Eben Ezra goes on to say these women cared so much they waited outside the Ohel Moed to dave and receive instructions on the mitzvot.
ReplyDeleteI found this idea interesting and inspiring that all of Bnei Yisrael gave up literally everything for Hashem and the opportunity to donate to the mishkan.
The Daas Zekeinim explains that women restrained from taking part in the sin of the golden calf and therefore the men donated most of their own jewelry, or took their wives’ jewelry by force. He then compares this to the building of the Mishkan where the Torah emphasizes the role played by women through their willingness to contribute to the making of the Mishkan by donating things like their jewelry. I like this answer since one could easily argue that the woman hesitated to donate to the making of the golden calf not because they knew it was wrong, but rather since they didn’t want to part with their own jewelry. However, this answer proves the opposite; both instances display the women’s loyalty and eagerness to serve hashem.
ReplyDeleteMaytal
ReplyDeleteThe Ibn Ezra comments on this pasuk by saying that women would normally go in front of mirrors in the morning to see how beautiful they were, but there were few women that instead of following what all those women were doing went and “renounced worldly vanities” and donated there mirrors to building things in the Mishkan. This answers the question of why the mirrors were used if normally mirrors were sued for vanity. The reason is because these women that donated the mirrors did it in an act to rebel and go against vanity. I agree with this answer because it shows that not everyone has to be the same and that these women wanted to take something normally important to women and give it to Hashem.