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(Shemos 38:21)
These are the reckonings of the Mishkan; the Mishkan of testimony, which
were reckoned at Moshe’s request.
Parshas Pikudei
begins with a detailed accounting of all of the gold and silver that was
collected for the Mishkan. A cursory reading would lead us to assume that
while a man as great as Moshe was, of course, above question, he must have
asked for this calculation because public leaders must remove all suspicion
no matter how farfetched.
However, the Baalei
Tosfos explain things a bit differently. It seems that Moshe was in fact
suspected of stealing money from the Mishkan. There were sixteen shekalim
that were unaccounted for, and Moshe was suspected to have taken them.
Therefore, Moshe asked for a formal accounting to remove the suspicion. At
that point, it was discovered that those sixteen shekalim were actually used
in the construction of the hooks of the Mishkan.
The difficulty with
this Baalei Tosfos is understanding how anyone would suspect Moshe
Rabbenu of stealing. The Mishkan was to be the dwelling place of HASHEM on
this earth. It was one of the holiest objects ever created. Monies that were
separated for the Mishkan were consecrated and holy. How could anyone
suspect Moshe Rabbenu of pilfering those monies? And more than that, the
people who accused Moshe Rabbeinu knew who he was. From the time that he
came down from Har Sinai, his face shone like the sun, and for that reason,
he constantly wore a veil. These people had seen Moshe go up to Shmayaim and
receive the Torah. They heard the sound of HASHEM’s voice speaking through
him. They understood him to be the greatest human ever created. How is it
possible that they suspected him of petty thievery — sixteen shekalim, no
less?
This question
becomes even more difficult when we take into account the circumstances of
those times. This was the generation of the Midbar when all the Jews’ daily
needs were taken care of. They ate Mon that fell from the Heavens. They
drank water from a huge rock that followed them through the desert. Their
clothes grew on their backs, and their shoes never wore out. They didn’t
work for a living, and had no need for their money. Their entire focus and
occupation was growing in learning and Yiras Shamayim. It was the ultimate
kollel community. What possible motivation would Moshe have to steal the
shekalim?
The answer to this question is based on a
perspective of living during those times.
Appreciating Gedolim
The story is told that one day a poor man came
to the Chofetz Chaim’s door asking for tzedakah. The Chofetz Chaim invited
him in and offered him a full meal. When the man was finished eating, he
left. As the Chofetz Chaim was cleaning up, he realized that this man had
stolen a spoon. The Chofetz Chaim ran out into the street after him
calling, “Wait, wait! Don’t forget the spoon is fleishig!”
While this is a beautiful illustration of the
giving nature of a Tzadik, there is as subtle message here. The man stole
a spoon from the Chofetz Chaim. How was that possible? The Chofetz Chaim!
The revered sage, the final word in Halacha, the teacher of generations.
Could we imagine anyone today being lowly enough to actually steal something
from such a holy man?
The answer is that no one today would
act that way to the Chofetz Chaim because we have an appreciation as to who
the man was. In his own generation, they didn’t. That stature was only
something that he acquired long after he died. For most of his life, he was
viewed as a regular man — maybe a talmid chacham but nothing extraordinary.
And even when the world began hearing of the Chofetz Chaim, it wasn’t as
some huge, towering, historic figure — a gadol maybe, but not someone who
would shape history.
This seems to be a quirk in human nature. When
we live in proximity to greatness, it is hard to appreciate its magnitude,
so we tend to minimize it. It is far easier to lump gedolim together with
other people of the generation and assume that they can’t be that much
greater. Acharei Mos- Kedoshim; it isn’t until a person has passed on
that people begin to appreciate who he was.
The view from that generation
This seems to be the answer to Moshe Rabbeinu.
While the people living then knew of the greatness of Moshe, they still
viewed him as a man of their generation. Granted he went up to Shmayim and
received the Torah, “but he is a man like you and me, and who is to say that
he didn’t just pocket some of the shekalim? While later generations wouldn’t
in their wildest dreams suspect such a man, people living in those times
didn’t have that historical perspective, so they couldn’t see him for the
lofty giant that he was.
This concept has particular relevance to us
as we look at the leaders of our generation and say, “Where are the Gedolim
today? Where are the powerful beacons of the Mesorah?” We aren’t the first
to utter that cry; it has been expressed by every generation since Har
Sinai, and will continue through the generations. What we see from Baalei
Tosfos is that this sentiment was even expressed in regards to Moshe Rabbenu.
If they suspected him of pilfering funds from the Mishkan, they didn’t quite
appreciate who the man was.
The correct attitude is that HASHEM provides
Gedolim for each generation to guide the people living in those times.
Chazal tell us that as Yiftach was for his generation, so too, was Shmuel
for his. It is our job to seek out the Torah leaders of our times, to take
counsel from them, and to learn the ways of HASHEM from those whom He sends
to lead us.
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