Yeruchem Eilfort-Rabbi

As the name of the portion indicates this week’s Torah reading begins on the eighth day of the process of inaugurating the Mishkan / The Tabernacle. For a full week Moses had assembled and disassembled the mobile sanctuary as well as modeling the services that would be done within it. At the end of that week, his brother, Aharon HaKohen / Aaron the High Priest, took over the duties for which he had been designated. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

As the final days of Passover are only hours away (sunset of April 14 through nightfall of April 16) we are pleased to share information and resources about the final days of Passover and the customary ‘Meal of Moshiach.’ which is held on the last day of Passover; a tradition that was instituted over 250 years ago by the Baal Shem Tov (The Baal Shem Tov, which means Master of the Good Name, was the originator of Chasidic Philosophy. ) [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

This promises to be a Pesach / Passover for the ages! It will be completely different from anything we have previously experienced. It would be fair to ask, “How is this Passover different from Passovers of every other year?” [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

This is a very special Shabbos. It is so special, in fact, that it is designated Shabbat HaGadol – The Great Shabbos. This Shabbos is intrinsically connected with the holiday of Passover, which is in many ways considered the greatest of all the holidays. The story behind Shabbat HaGadol stretches back over 3,300 years ago. The Jews were still enslaved in Egypt despite the fact that the Egyptians had suffered through nine horrific plagues. Still, however, they obstinately held captive the Jewish people. The long-awaited redemption had begun, the suffering had decreased, yet the Jews were still not free. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

Animal sacrifice was one of the primary modes of service until the destruction of the Second Temple two thousand years ago. Many people do not understand the effectiveness of animal sacrifice. It was not the idea that a person sinned so he/she could have an animal slaughtered in his/her place. An animal sacrifice that was not accompanied by genuine contrition and deep Kavanah/intent, was utterly without value. No, the physical sacrifice represented the necessity of an internal sacrifice made by the individual who offered it. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

Wow! What a long and involved Torah reading this week! Just look at the title of this article; it took up a significant portion of this page. This week we read a double portion plus a special additional reading, which has to do with the impending month of Nissan. Let’s start at the beginning. The first portion we read is titled VaYakhel / And (Moses) Assembled. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

This week’s Torah Portion is titled ‘Ki Tisa’, translated as, ‘And you shall count.’ The beginning of the portion tells us about the commandment to take a census of the men of Israel, from the ages of 20-60, who would be eligible to serve in the army. The census was not done in a typical fashion by direct count. Instead each person gave a half-shekel coin and those coins were then counted. The money taken from this census was used for communal needs. Later in our portion the difficult story of the infamous Golden Calf is related. … [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

What we do not find mentioned in this week’s portion is the name Moses. This is an anomaly, which grabs the attention of the Sages, as Moses’ name appears in every portion of the Torah from the time he is first introduced to us at the beginning of Exodus to the time of the Book of Deuteronomy, which Moses wrote largely in the first person. This omission is strange especially when one considers the fact that Moses is referenced numerous times within the portion, as he is commanded to do numerous things. [Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort]

This week’s Torah portion is titled, Terumah, which means gifts. Just as last week’s portion – which dealt in detailed specifics of Torah law in everyday life – represented a dramatic shift from the portion before – which told the story of the 10 Commandments – so too this week’s portion makes another dramatic turn and conveys the specifics of building the Tabernacle. The word ‘Tabernacle’ comes from the Latin ‘tabernaculum,’ which means ‘tent.’ The Torah describes this unique mobile structure as the Mishkan (Dwelling Place) and as the Ohel Mo’ed (Tent of Meeting).