An Invitation

[clears throat] >> By Yikra El Moshe Vayedaber Hashem elav me'ohal mo'ed leimor. He called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to Moshe from the Ohel Moed. And Rashi says that even though it says it here, Vayikra El Moshe Vayedaber Hashem elav, even though it says here that before Hashem spoke to Moshe, he called out to him, Moshe Moshe, as Chazal say, lashon chibah, a lashon loving lashon, lashon she'amalachei hashareis mishtamshim bo, a lashon that the malachim use, but the truth is every single time you see in the Torah, dozens and dozens of times, that you see in the Torah Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor, kodem makriah. And the obvious question is if that's true, that every time it says Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe, kodem makriah, Hashem was Vayikra El Moshe first, why is the place that we're informed of that, the beginning of Parshas Vayikra? There could have been so many other places to have Vayikra El Moshe. And Vayikra is so important that Vayikra remains the name of the parsha, and Vayikra remains the name of the Chumash. Now there's another pshat in why it says Vayikra. You can take a look at the Ramban. The the Ramban says that the pshat is because of the end of Parshas Pekudei. Because in the end of Parshas Pekudei, the pasuk says, Velo yachol Moshe lavo el Ohel Moed. It says that Moshe wasn't able to enter the Ohel Moed, ki shachan alav he'anan, because the anan, the cloud, was resting on the Ohel Moed. Ukhvod Hashem male et haMishkan. And the honor of Hashem filled the Mishkan and Moshe did not feel that he can go into the Mishkan. >> [cough] >> Says the Ramban, that's why the beginning of the next parsha is vaYikra el Moshe. Hashem called to Moshe. vaYedaber Hashem elav meOhel Moed. From that Ohel Moed that Moshe felt like he can't go in. He didn't feel invited into vaYikra el Moshe. Hashem summoned Moshe to enter that Ohel Moed. Now, when the Torah tells us this, that Moshe Rabbeinu hesitated to go into the Ohel Moed, ki shachan alav ha'anan, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu called to Moshe, we know that there's nothing in the Torah that's not there to teach us yesodos about avodas Hashem. There's no random tidbits of historical information. And it's important to think about what the Torah is telling us when it tells us that Moshe couldn't go in, vaLo yachol Moshe lavo el Ohel Moed. Moshe couldn't enter the Ohel Moed. And then Hakadosh Baruch Hu then summons him in. What is the What is What does the Torah want by telling us that? Okay, certainly on a simple level you could say that the Torah is teaching us very basic derech eretz. The Torah is teaching us not to make ourselves at home, not to enter places without being invited. A simple derech eretz not to go in. On a even deeper level, perhaps the Torah is teaching us that there's a certain eima from kavod shamayim. That when we enter a shul, when we enter a beit haknesset, when we enter a beit hamidrash, we should have a sense of entering a place that has kavod shamayim in it. We should feel um honored to be invited by Hakadosh Baruch Hu into his into his Mishkan. But the truth is that there's a much deeper understanding which is not a steer to anything I just said, but there's a much deeper understanding that's very relevant to every single day of our lives and very very important in our avoid the Hashem. And if you look at Rashi on the possible come at the end of Parshas Pekudei of Moshe love I you'll see how deep it goes. I'm not speaking it out now, but go check it out in the end of Parshas Pekudei. But the Indian is as follows. The Mishkan is the place of the service of Hashem. It's the place of avoid the Hashem. Now, the Mishkan is a martial, of course, of the world, which is the place to serve Hashem. In fact, the Sefarim say that there were many things in the Mishkan that were mashalim to things in the world at large. Like, for example, the dark yeriah that covered were like the sky. And then the silver >> [cough] >> um [clears throat] uh hooks that you were able to see across the the oires with the because um halfway through there was were two halves of the oires that were connected by by uh by hooks by by krasim. So, those hooks were represented the kochavim. They represented the stars. And there are many other examples that are brought in the Sefarim of that the Mishkan was like a small world. It was an olam katan. It was a small world. Because in in a sense, in fact, who built the Mishkan? Who's the architect of the whole Mishkan? Betzalel. And Chazal [snorts] say about Betzalel, listen to the lashon of Chazal, you can't miss it. Yodea haya Betzalel. Betzalel knew letzarer oisios, how to put together the oisios of aleph beis shenivru bahem shamayim va'aretz in the way that shamayim and aretz were created. Why is it important that Betzalel knew how to create in ruchniyus the power to be able to to to create shamayim and aretz? Why is that important? Because that's what the mishkan was. The mishkan was a mini shamayim and aretz. And it's important to understand that because Hakadosh Baruchu wanted us to have a mishkan that's a place where we serve Hashem. Um another example, another example which is reflects even more a person himself, is that in the kodesh, I'm not talking about the kodesh hakodashim, but in the kodesh there were three kaylim, right? There was the menorah, there was the mizbayach, and there was the shulchan. And we know that there's three parts of a person. There's his [snorts] body, there's his heart, and there's his mind. And we of course it goes without saying that the shulchan, which had food on it, that corresponds to the body. And the mizbayach, which is a makom avodah, eizehi avodah she balev, that corresponds to the heart. >> [snorts] >> And the menorah, which represents kiner mitzvah vetorah or, that represents the seichel. So we see that the human being that does the avodah and the world as the makom avodah are represented by the mishkan. So now let's think about the fact that Moshe couldn't go into the mishkan. Well, Moshe couldn't go into the ohel moed. Velo yachol Moshe lavo. What is the What is the What is the pasuk telling us? The pasuk is telling us that if you think about it, what do we have to add to malchus shamayim? Hashem gave us a a job to do? Hashem needs our help? Hashem gave us mitzvos Hashem gave us the job of baruchu Elokeinu shebaranu lechvodo, that Hashem created us to honor him? Really Hashem needs us? the world without the mistakes of man the world without the limitations of man that's not a world that's more complete and that's the sense that Moshe Rabbeinu has what mocking does an Adam have in serving Hashem? What do I have to be masochist to Malchus Shamayim? What can I do that adds to the Malchus to the covenant of Hashem? The Yochal Moshe love Elohim what's Hashem's response? Hashem's response is that is none of your business I want you I want your Avodah I that's what brings me covered what brings me covered is when you serve me Hashem says maybe it's imperfect maybe it's a struggle maybe there are ups and downs maybe you make mistakes ain't that it for sure you have to tell you what you have to but I want your Avodah and that's the beginning of this parsha you realize how much power is in the first few words of the parsha by Yikra El Moshe by Yidaber Hashem Elohim Elohim Elohim Hashem calls out to Moshe Moshe Moshe I want your Avodah I want you you feel like maybe you have nothing to add but I want you I want you to serve me I have that ratzei'n to be served by Klal Yisrael so despite the fact that we may feel the Yochal Moshe love Hakadosh Baruchu calls to us by Yikra El Moshe and the Mishkan that's the place of Avodah that's the place of that's what Adam was created for in fact the first few words in the parsha Adam ki yakriv mikem korban lashem. Adam, doesn't say ish ki yakriv mikem. It says Adam. Look in Rashi over there. Rashi brings drashos that have to do with Adam Harishon. Adam ki yakriv mikem because this is the place of the avodah of Adam. The avodah of Adam that Hashem created. >> [cough] >> And that's why there's a summoning of Moshe to this place. So now let's get back to Rashi. Rashi who said the Vayikra el Moshe is telling us really that every time Hashem said Vayedaber Hashem el Moshe lemor, it was kadma keriah. Every time was kadma keriah. So we asked if that's true, so why does it wait till here? Why is this the place? And the answer is cuz this is the place that represents all of the avodah of man. Adam ki yakriv mikem. Velo yakhol Moshe lehavin el Elohim even though one is shot in the Ramban and one is shot in Rashi, but they both are emes in terms of the fact that this parsha represents the ultimate avodah of man. >> [cough] >> And this is our job this Shabbos. And this is our job as we head into Pesach. This is our job as we prepare for yetzias Mitzrayim to realize when we're sitting by the seder and we're thanking Hakadosh Baruch Hu for taking us out of Mitzrayim that that Hashem says that I'm going to take you out of Mitzrayim and ultimately ta'avduni sham al hagiv'ah hazeh that you'll be mekabel the Torah, you'll be my servants. We have to realize how much love we're being mekabel from Hakadosh Baruch Hu that he took us out of Mitzrayim avadim mibais avadim. He took us out of Mitzrayim because he wanted us to serve him. He chose us to serve him. He was mezakeh us and he gave us the godless, the malchus, the the the the grandeur, the the the royalty, the majesty of being able to serve him. And that's what we daven for throughout Pesach and we'll start this Shabbos with the beginning of Chodesh Nisan with Parshas Vayikra as we daven for that ability to feel the kriya of Hakadosh Baruchu, Moshe Moshe. Hakadosh Baruchu calling out to each one of us. Hakadosh Baruchu summoning each one of us to his avodah. >> [cough] >> So, I always felt that when we daven to Hashem and we thank Hashem for taking us out of Mitzrayim and we express to Hashem that we need that Yetziat Mitzrayim to take place in every generation, that that's a very broad statement, but it's also a very personal statement. Because all of us have our moments of feeling trapped, of feeling not called, of feeling not summoned, and that blocks us sometimes from saying our hineini to Hashem calling us. So, it was with that in mind that I wrote the uh these words for the Yish'amdu. Hashem we set up over there? I think we should start with the Yish'amdu. And then we'll do the uh we'll do the words. I printed out a few copies if you guys want to see it. I don't know if you can see it in this light, [music] but a few copies. >> [music] [music] >> Can you see it? >> [chanting] [music] [music and singing] [singing] [music] [singing] [music] [chanting] [music] >> Hey. >> [chanting and singing] [singing] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [singing] [music and singing] [music] [singing] [music] [chanting] [singing] [music] >> La la la la la la. >> [singing] [music] [singing and music] [chanting] >> This is a story that's personal [music] and true. >> [singing] >> The yetzer hara tries new ways over time >> [music] >> to stop you from continuing [music] his climb to bring him down. >> [music and singing] >> To remove from his head his royal [chanting] crown. Each generation has [singing] its challenges and tests. >> [music] >> The yetzer hara brings new ailments and distress. >> [singing] [music] >> He's trying mightily to remove our majesty and though he tries, >> [music] >> Hashem, please listen [singing] to our desperate cry. The Akeida >> [singing] [music] >> I can't do it [singing] alone. I'm depending on you. >> [singing] >> You [music] took us out from bitter [singing] slavery. >> [music] >> Hashem, I'm still a slave. Oh, please set [music and singing] me free. And then the day will come, a future so clear. >> [music] >> It may have been a mountain, [singing] but now there's nothing [music] to fear. The >> [singing and music] >> allowing us to >> [music and singing] >> elevate to our goal. >> [music] [singing] >> Teaching [music and singing] us his word, it's what we were created for. [singing and music] And then the day will come, a [music] future [singing] so clear. It may have been a mountain, [music] but now >> [singing] >> there's nothing to fear. >> [music] [music]