Shalom my friends this is Simcha Hochbaum standing in the eastern wing of the Maarat HaMachpela. This Shabbat is parshat Pekudai, the end of the book of redemption. Am Yisrael left Egypt and the Jewish nation received the Torah. And now we’re ready for the grand finale of the Divine Presence finally coming down.
At the same time, this Shabbat is also Parshat HaHodesh, the Shabbat of renewal. And we’re going right now into the opportunity to renew ourselves, to renew our connections and to get that new energy and revitalization in the service of God. We know when Moshe Rabeinu started to build the Tabernacle, and he tried to erect it seven days.
He built it and the divine presence didn’t come down, he tried again, and the divine presence didn’t come down. And people started to murmur and say Moshe Rabeinu is a thief. He took all the money. He just made up this whole idea of building a tabernacle for Hashem and maybe God didn’t really forgive us for the golden calf. And it was only on the eighth day, Rosh Hodesh Nisan, that the Jewish people didn’t give up, didn’t despair. And finally the divine presence came down and dwelled amongst the Jewish people. A lot of people are murmuring now. A lot of people are complaining. A lot of people are blaming Bibi. Or maybe mad at the Shabak. Everyone’s pointing fingers. Everyone’s demonstrating from a different angle.
But we should be privileged this Shabbat to see that divine revelation and God reveal Himself in such an open and revealed way, how we should jump from the geula of Purim to the geula of Pesach to the ultimate third temple.
