Turning The Wheel

We built the most beautiful shuls, the most stunning yeshivas. We give tzedakah, we do chesed, and somehow in the middle of it all, people in our community are still suffering alone, in silence, convinced that if anyone knows what's really going on, they would be abandoned. How did we let that happen? And more importantly, what are we going to do about it? Parshas Vayakhel opens up with Moshe gathering the entire klal Yisrael. Not just the leaders, [music] not just the people with money, but everybody. Every person. Why? Because you can't build [music] a Mishkan with only some of the people. There were those who gave gold and those who gave goat hair. There were skilled craftsmen and simple [music] laborers. Everyone brought something to the table, and everyone was needed. But that's not just the story of the Mishkan, that's the story of all of us. >> [music] >> Every family, every community. There's a famous story about Reb Moshe Feinstein, zt"l, when he was once asked, "Why do you make yourself available to everyone who came to him, whether they were great tzaddikim or whether they were simple people that were broken?" He Other people could have answered those questions as well. Reb Moshe replied that he came from a family of great talmidei chachamim, and yet he was the only one to survive the war. He couldn't explain it. But he reached the conclusion that he was spared because he had a mission, to be there for the people, to [music] answer, to guide, and simply to listen. He survived in order to show up. That's the question [music] for all of us today, not just those who are hurting, but everybody. What is your part in building the Mishkan? Because if you know someone who is struggling and you look the other way, [music] that wall doesn't get built. The Shechinah cannot rest in a Mishkan with holes. Pekudei tells us that every person played a role. Nobody said someone else will take care [music] of it. And then everybody was able to rest inside. An entire nation refused to leave [music] anyone behind. Ish echad b'lev echad. If you're watching this and you're struggling with addiction, trauma, or pain, just know that your Mishkan is not built yet. You are not a burden. You are the reason why we're here. And if Baruch Hashem things are good and you're watching this, pick up the phone, check on someone. Be the peace that they're waiting for for someone to bring healing. Because that is our job. This is turning the wheel. The road to healing is not straight, but nobody >> [music] >> should have to travel it alone. Thank you and have a wonderful and peaceful [music] Shabbos.