In this week’s Parsha, Hashem’s home, the Mishkan is finally inaugurated. After a seven-day process in which Moshe had to assemble and disassemble and build and demolish the Mishkan – on the eighth day it was finally permanent. On the eighth day the Mishkan was finally ready. The question is why? Why all the upheaval? Why the turmoil? Why did Hashem make Moshe assemble and disassemble the Mishkan for seven days? Why couldn’t the Mishkan just be permanent and ready on day one? Why couldn’t the Mishkan be ready on the first try?
I heard from my father, Rav Yitzchok Fingerer shlita that the Nesivas Shalom says something so inspiring – something that can give us tremendous chizuk. He says that in each person, in every single one of us, we build a house, we build a repository for Hashem’s existence. Sometimes our house gets shattered. Sometimes our house falls. We aren’t perfect. We all mess up. We all slip and fall religiously and spiritually. The Nesivos Shalom says that just as Hashem’s home fell but got put back up, we too experience falls and we must get back up. We all experience our own demolishing and rebuilding. We all experience our own rising and falling. What we must do is get back up and keep on trying – and with Hashem’s help one day we will persevere, and we will win the battle!
When Rav Mendele Vishover zt”l was very sick, his nephew, Rav Yidele Horowitz, zt”l visited him. While he was there, the doctor entered the room and asked Rav Mendele how he was feeling. The Rebbe looked up and said, “Baruch Hashem I am feeling great. In fact, the pain has almost gone away.” Rav Yidele heard this and breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor however gasped. Rav Yidele looked at the doctor in concern. “What’s wrong? Isn’t this good news? My uncle, the Rabbe is doing better! Hopefully he will fully recover! Quietly, the doctor explained that the disease was still there. The disease hadn’t gone away. However, as long as the body was fighting the disease, it hurts. When the body is fighting it causes the person to experience pain. So, if there is no more pain that means that the body has given up. If there is no pain that means that the body has stopped fighting the disease. A few hours later the Vishover sadly passed away.
The lesson to us is that we must realize that we all have a yetzer hara. At times we may fall but that is normal. As long as it’s painful, as long as it hurts, we know that we are alive and fighting. Falling does not signify weakness – it signifies strength and greatness. The pain we endure is a sign of life. It means that we care, and that we are fighting. It means that we are striving for greatness and that we haven’t given up. Sometimes our house – our repository for Hashem’s existence gets shattered. Sometimes it rises and falls. However, that can’t stop us. We must rise again no matter how many times we fall. Let’s not give up! We must hold on tight. We have the power, strength, and courage to persevere and stay strong! Hashem’s home is in us! In us – it will be forever!
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