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28 chapters · by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg

Light from the Future: Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei

Published by the Jewish Discovery Center. Every chapter is free to read below.

  1. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Betzalel’s Passion Frequently, we have to go back a generation or more to explain the source of our empowerment. Parents, grandparents and other ancestors bequeath to us…
  2. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Completing the Task PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  3. Vayakhel-Pikudei – First “Doubleheader” The first two Torah portions reflect the two pronged thrust of Torah. We must see the community through the prism of the individual and the individual…
  4. Vayakhel-Pikudei – “Fossil Fuel” for the Sanctuary The Mishkan and subsequent Holy Temples correspond to the human body. The holiness from the three divisions of the Sanctuary would flow through the…
  5. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Gathering Within Gathering Construction of the Sanctuary does not override the Shabbos because one cannot build in the realm of holiness at the expense of compromising holiness.…
  6. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Half to the Very End We are humbled when we are helpless. Our challenge is to be humble when we have achieved our goals. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  7. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Here We Go Again! Judaism fuses objective devotion with subjective feelings. These two expressions are reflected in the command to build a Sanctuary and the followup…
  8. Vayakhel-Pikudei – In Your Face Judaism Judaism encourages us to become public figures so we can maximize our influence over others. Humility that leads to withdrawing from the public arena…
  9. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Jewish Pyrotechnics There is an inner fire and an external fire. The external fire we use in the weekdays to destroy the resistant forces of nature and convert them into…
  10. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Moses the Cpa One of the ways of testing a person is through money. Along with anger and wine, money can bring out the best or the worst in people. Money is not the…
  11. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Prime Suspect! PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  12. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Put Out the Fires! Shabbos is a day of rest, peace, tranquility and holiness. Our part in observing Shabbos and preserving its serenity is to avoid all conflict. The…
  13. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Self- Transcendence To construct a Mishkan-Sanctuary for G-d, we have to first discover within ourselves a Divine spirit of selflessness and unity. The Sanctuary, once…
  14. Vayakhel-Pikudei – – Seven Telescope and Microscope Some see the forest but not the trees. Some see the trees but not the forest. Judaism is about seeing the trees and the forest. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  15. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Shabbos and the Mishkan: Patent Protected The Shabbos and the Mishkan are the two most dramatic representations of G-d’s vision for the Messianic Age. They were given as a gift to the Jewish…
  16. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Shabbos Shabbos There are times when we have to prevent people from expressing to much zeal. In some extreme situations excessive zeal can cause us to trample over…
  17. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Smoke Alarm Existence is a union between space, time and energy. The acronym for these three components is ashan-smoke. Mount Sinai was engulfed in smoke. The…
  18. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Sweet Light Judaism is multi-colored and sweet. Judaism is both rational and mystical. Judaism is warm and inviting as well as firm and demanding. All of this was…
  19. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Completed Bais Hamikdash PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  20. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Feminine Mystique The feminine spiritual dynamic is from a transcendent G-dly source. The future Messianic Age will be the age where the higher feminine energy will…
  21. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Mishkan-Déjà Vu The construction of the Sanctuary is G-d’s way of expressing His love for us and that He wants to live with us. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  22. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Preeminence of Women Men and women both possess an inner fountain of faith. Women, however, were blessed with fewer obstructions to their inner faith and love for G-d.…
  23. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Real Completion Most feel fulfillment when they complete a task; True fulfillment is when we realize that we are on an endless journey. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  24. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The Second Mishkan Everything exists on two planes; the earthly and the heavenly. This is especially true with the Mishkan, where the heavenly was openly reflected in…
  25. Vayakhel-Pikudei – The State of Our Union Is Strong! PIKUDEI PIKUDEI
  26. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Voluntary Commandments Some love volunteering. Others celebrate the opportunity to serve G-d unconditionally. To create a home for G-d in this world requires both a spirit…
  27. Vayakhel-Pikudei – When Counting Counts We count material items. But we deeply value spiritual experiences. The best of both worlds will be when we will have a spiritual experience even as…
  28. Vayakhel-Pikudei – Whose Building Is It? What is the test of true friendship? When small things that affect the other matter to you, even when they don’t matter very much when it comes to…

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