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Page 1 of 4A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication

Candle Lighting: 5:49 Havdala: 6:50

Note: The Halachic times listed here are from www.myzmanim.com .

Why Should We Wait?By Sonny Kugelman, 12 th Grade

As teenagers in this generation, we expectthings to go quickly and smoothly for us. Wewant our TV shows to buffer quickly and our

phones to be even faster. We don't have time tosit around and wait.

In this weeks Parashah, ParashatVayakhel, we learn that Bnei Yisrael waited forthree months to establish the Mishkan. RabbiYissocher Frand poses a question: If the buildingof the Mishkan was finished in Tevet, why waituntil Nissan to officially establish it?

The Be'er Yosef has a beautiful idea aboutthis. The sin of the Jewish people at Chet HaEgelhad to do with impatience. Therefore, they werenow forced to wait- in order to "reset" and get inthe proper mindset to start a new chapter in theirlives.

Impatience isn't a new problem- even theholy Jews that experienced open miracles in frontof their eyes had a hard time waiting. So why did

Hashem create such a Middah? It seems asthough He is setting us up to fail!

I believe that we can overcomeimpatience by just taking everything a littleslower, thinking about our actions just a little butmore. We don't have to give up on ourselves ifour growth in a certain area isn't going exactly asfast as we would have hoped. We forgiveourselves, we keep plugging away and we trustthat our Almighty Creator knows exactly whento give us the things that we need. Take it slowlyand patiently, and everything will fall into place!

Good Shabbos!

VayakhelFriday, February 21, 2014 / "-"

http://www.myzmanim.com/http://www.myzmanim.com/http://www.myzmanim.com/http://www.myzmanim.com/

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Page 2 of 4A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication

The Power of GivingBy Jenna Fox, 12 th Grade

In this week s Parashah, Vayakhel, thereare three ideas into which I think it can be

divided. The first is the contributions of BneiYisrael towards the construction of the Mishkan,the second is the ability of people to developleadership skills and fulfill their purpose, and thethird is the importance of the role of women inthe building of the Mishkan.

Though all these topics are veryimportant, I would like to focus on the first one.

In the beginning, Moshe gathers Bnei Yisrael toremind them of the importance of keepingShabbat. Afterwards, he discusses the building ofthe Mishkan according to Hashems command. Itseems strange that Moshe talks about Shabbat fora moment and then immediately moves on to theconstruction of the Mishkan! Why is it thatMoshe has to mention Shabbat when his mainpoint is about the Mishkan? Rashi answers this

by asserting that Moshe is stressing to BneiYisrael that although the Mishkan is important,its creation does not override Shabbat.

Following the digression about the day ofrest, Moshe goes on in great detail listing all ofthe materials needed for the Mishkan and urgesBnei Yisrael to help in any way they can. All ofBnei Yisrael, including the women, go above and beyond what was expected of them. At onepoint, Moshe even has to stop the people from being so generous, as it says, And they [the builders of the Mishkan,] spoke to Moshe saying,the people bring much more than enough(36:5) Subsequently, Moshe proclaims, Letneither man nor woman make any more workfor the offering of the sanctuary. (36:6)

What I find striking about these verses isthat Bnei Yisrael were doing what they werecommanded by being kind and donating; whydid they then have to stop?

In the Talmud Yerushalmi, Shkalim 1:1 it

says, Said Rabbi Aba bar Achah: Theres nounderstanding the character of this people!Theyre solicited for the Calf and they give;theyre solicited for the Mishkan and they give.In other words, the Jewish people are natural born givers, whether it is for a good or evil cause.We try to help in any way we can.

The Alshich also offers an explanation.He says that the reason the people wererestrained from bringing was because, when socommanded, refraining from doing a mitzvah isno less a mitzvah that doing a mitzvah. Whatthis means is that when one is commanded tostop doing a mitzvah, it is just as important as being charged to do a mitzvah would be.

We learn from here that it is better to dosomething fully, giving it your all, and be toldyou are giving too much, than to not do or giveat all. Generosity is something that is eternal andis a very important mitzvah. Whether its helpingsomeone by holding a door for them, or donatingmoney to a special cause, it is vital for us to beknown as a nation of givers. This is the ultimateway to be a light unto the nations, but it alsoshows the importance of paying it forward.

Shabbat Shalom!

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Page 3 of 4A Fuchs Mizrachi Stark High School Publication

Too Much or Just Enough?By Rabbi Avery Joel, Principal, Stark High School

The last two in deal withthe building of the . Now that donations

have been collected and the pieces and vessels ofthe have been crafted, all that is left isactually assembling it. Yet the makes it seemas if this is not a certainty. In fact, in nextweeks , "" , had togive a to all of the work had donethus far in creating the pieces. Yet the still

lacked a critical element

s (Presence).

Certain prerequisites had to exist before thisprocess could be completed.

While there are a number of suggestionsfor what prerequisites are necessary for to restHis on the , such as , humility, andTorah learning, Rabbi Baruch Simon offers adifferent approach I would like to share. It saysin this weeks :

", -;"

For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work

to make it, and too much.

Interestingly, the says both that thematerials donated were just enough whilealso saying that there was too much .Which one was it? Was too much donated or justthe right amount necessary for the ?

The explains that in reality, donated more than what was ultimately

necessary. But performed a . He made it sothat everyones donation s were necessary andultimately incorporated into the . The

donations were therefore both sufficient andtoo much simultaneously.

Two messages emerge from this. Firstly, truly loves His nation. felt so strongly about

that He wanted to honor everyone andinclude their gifts in the building of His home intheir midst. He didnt want anyone to sacrificewhat was theirs only to ultimately be excludedfrom this wonderful opportunity to express theirlove for Him.

Secondly, as we s aw the first time

was in

s midst at a

prerequisite for resting His Presence amongst is , unity. At , only once

became like one person with one heart would reveal Himself and

give them the gift of the . Here too, in the building of the , had to becomeunified. A situation where some people wereincluded in the creation of the and otherswere excluded was not an option for .Therefore, performed a and guaranteed thateveryones donation was a necessity in the building of the .

For us nowadays, when we dont havethe opportunity to contribute to the building ofthe , we must find ways to unite and ensure

that each and every Jew matters. Everyone hasthe ability to contribute to our sacred mission to be an , a light unto the nations, and bringthe world closer to perfection. Perhaps doingthis toget her would encourage to bring His

down to us yet again.

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