Pekudei: Did You Schedule It In??

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.org, translated by Hillel Fendel

A certain very industrious businessman went to a personal coach, hoping to learn how to make the most of his time and become more time-effective. The coach asked to see his personal day-planner, and looked quickly through it. He put it down and asked one question: "I see that whatever is important to you is written down – so why don't I see any family time? If family is important to you, then you have to set times for it in your schedule!"

Anyone who has learned anything about using time efficiently and getting things done, knows that if you want to advance a certain matter, you must allocate a specific time for it. Important things can't be left for "in between," just by the by. 

This concept is found, fascinatingly, in the Torah portions of these weeks discussing the construction of the Tabernacle, the mishkan. This structure is also called the Ohel Moed, which can be translated to mean "Tent of Appointment." What precisely is meant by this? 

Onkelos, whose translation of the Torah into Aramaic also adds explanations and clarifications, says that the Ohel Moed is a "Tent of Time." Rashi elaborates on this. When the Torah states (Sh'mot 25,22) that G-d will "meet" – no'adti, from the same root as moed – with Moshe there, Rashi explains: "When I set a time to speak with you, it will be at that place that I set for the meeting where I will come to speak to you."

That is to say, the word moed has to do with "time." Thus, the Tabernacle is a "tent of moed" because G-d sets a time to speak there with Moshe and teach him the Torah for Israel. This raises an interesting point: "Tent" refers to place, while "moed" refers to time; how do these two fit together? 

The answer would seem to be as we said above. The term ohel moed expresses the importance of Torah and G-d's word to Israel. Hashem did not give us the Torah incidentally or "by the by," but rather commanded us to have a specific time and place for it. This is how we must relate to important things: with set-aside times in the schedule, and set places as well.

This leads us to another level of depth in the word moed. Note these two verses, referring to the Tent of Meeting: "…where I will [set aside a time to] meet with you [plural], to speak to you [Moshe] there. I will [set a time to] meet there with the Children of Israel…" (Sh'mot 29,42-43). Why is this matter of "setting a time to meet" repeated twice in a row, both with words from the same root as moed? 

Rashi explains there that the first one refers to a set time, and the second refers to a set place. The clear conclusion is that when speaking about important things, such as G-d's words to Moshe and Israel about the Torah, we set aside a special time and place to discuss them, paving the way for closeness and intimacy. 

Let us also note that this Tent of Meeting was not meant only for G-d to talk with Moshe, but also for the entire nation – as we saw in the verses above – then and forever. The presence of the Mishkan or Beit Mikdash in our midst creates the time and place for a meeting with Hashem, enabling a close and intimate relationship with Him. 

Note, too, that between the time Moshe brought down the second set of Tablets and the construction of the Mishkan, he built a special tent that he called an "Ohel moed for those seeking G-d." This was not a Tabernacle, but rather, as per Onkelos, a Beit Midrash for the study of Torah. See Rashi to 33,7; we see that here, too, this tent of moed was designed for connection with G-d.

This teaches us about our service of G-d in every generation: We must give it a special and important place and time. Every Jew must reserve particular times for the study of Torah. Similarly, every Jew must have a permanent place in the Beit Midrash in which he learns. Every Jew must join up with a group of Jews who strive to advance in their service of G-d, and with this group he will establish a "house of appointment for those who seek Torah."

We are now only a month away from the month of Nissan, the month in which we were redeemed from Egypt and when we will again be redeemed, with G-d's help. Feelings of yearning for the Mikdash and to ascend to Jerusalem on the three Festivals arouse in our hearts. These holidays are called moadim (plural of moed) because they are critical times in which we are to meet at a special place and commune there and then with Hashem our King. 

May we very soon merit to experience, in the rebuilt Beit HaMikdash, that which we read at the end of this week's Parshat Pekudei, the verses that conclude the Book of Exodus. Referring to the completion of the Tabernacle and the Divine Presence that filled it, the Torah states: "The glory of G-d filled the Mishkan… the cloud of G-d upon the Mishkan… before the eyes of the entire House of Israel." Speedily in our days!