To merit Divine assistance, Moshe needed to act first

“They brought to Moshe…all the components of the Mishkan…” (Shemos 39:33)

Rashi asks, “Why did Bnei Yisrael bring the Mishkan to Moshe to erect?” It was humanly impossible to erect the Mishkan because of the weight of the beams. Even Moshe initially asked Hashem, “How is it possible for me to lift the beams?”

Hashem responded, “You take the initiative to lift the beams, so that it’ll appear that you’re erecting the Mishkan, and then they’ll erect themselves (through a miracle).” That’s why the pasuk (40:17) says, “The Mishkan was completed,” indicating that it completed itself.  (Rabbi Yosef Kalatzky, Beyond Pshat)

It’s that time of year again. I don’t think I need to specify. It’s what I call PPP: Peritzman Prepesach Panic.

It doesn’t matter that I’ve been making Pesach for over 20 years. It doesn’t matter that yes, I have a system, and a timetable, and endless lists.

When I wake up on the morning of Rosh Chodesh Nissan, I know that this year we’re not going to make it. This year it’s simply impossible to make it to the finish line.

The Mishkan was built for the Shechinah to dwell amidst Klal Yisrael. Moshe understood that although the Jewish people were able to build the individual components of the Mishkan, its erection and completion needed to be done by Hashem Himself. Just as He created the world in six days and entered into it on the seventh, so too would He Himself need to complete the Mishkan to accommodate His Presence.

The world was initially created through Middas Hachesed. As it says in Tehillim (89:3), “Olam chesed yibaneh.” In order for man be a beneficiary of that kindness, he needs to take the initiative in chesed opportunities.  In order for Hashem to enter into the midst of Klal Yisrael, Moshe needed to take the initiative to be worthy of Divine Assistance to bring the Mishkan to completion.  Similarly, it’s only through a Jew’s initiative and toiling that he’s able to come upon the truth of Torah.

Take the hamsters, for example. (As a matter of fact, I don’t mind if you literally do take the hamsters!) I’m not even sure how I got manipulated into having hamsters again. But no reason Shloime should lose out just because I’ve hosted hamsters for his brothers so many times before. But. The hamsters’ food is chometz. And they currently reside in my laundry room. And those tiny pellets have made their way into every crack and crevice of said laundry room, and I’ll never ever find them all in a lifetime, forget a fortnight.

And then there are the grandchildren… zohl zein gezunt and shtark. But last week when they popped in, my delicious two-year-old grandson found an open box of soup nuts and poured them all on the floor before I could reach him. Soup nuts are the ultimate straw that breaks the Pesach back. Unless that’s uncooked spaghetti. (Incidentally, on the same note, if you’re ever building a house and are short on cement… dry cornflakes work just as well. Trust me.)

The Gemara in Megillah says: If one says that he’d toiled in his pursuit of Torah and had seen success, he should be believed.  However, if one claims that he didn’t toil and saw success, he shouldn’t be believed. Since he didn’t toil, he doesn’t merit Hashem’s assistance for success. Similarly, the Gemara in Kiddushin says that one isn’t able to repent unless Hashem assists him. However, one must take the initiative to advance his own spirituality to merit Hashem’s assistance. As Chazal say, “One who comes to purify himself will be assisted.”

So I’m finishing Hallel on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and then I close the siddur and… I’m paralyzed. I simply don’t know where to begin (by selling the hamsters?). If I begin in the kitchen, everyone will starve. (This is a known scientific fact; my teenagers have confirmed this.) If I do the bedrooms, then the kitchen will be looming in my brain, and I won’t sleep. (Also scientifically proven, by me.)

So I pick up a rag and do the first thing that breaks the ice on my frozen brain: I clean the ice maker. There, I’ve started the fridge. That wasn’t so bad, was it? Maybe we’ll make it this year after all.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 937)