Tetzaveh

My Take On This Shiur BY Eli Weber on Tetzaveh

Toward end of Parshat Tetzaveh there’s a sum up of what was done for the Mishkan done so far. 29:43- “We’ll meet and I will become holy through my honor… and I will dwell amidst Bnei Yisrael, as a result of which I will be their G-d. They will know that I am their G-d who took them out of Egypt in order to dwell amongst them.”

Ramban – It simply means that they will know when I dwell among them that I took them out of Egypt; they will become convinced of this via knowing my kavod when I dwell among them.

Ibn Ezra – G-d is saying that the only reason He took us out of Mitzrayim was so that He would dwell amongst us. The Ramban says, unusually- regarding Ibn Ezra, “veyafeh pireish" - that he likes what he said. The Ramban says that his has a big sod in it, which is not pshat, yet is important. We think simply that we have a human need for the Shechina to dwell among us. The Ramban says by implication that G-d had a need to dwell amongst us.

How can perfection include having a need? Rav Ezra Bick (as cited by Eli Weber) said that without having a need one cannot be perfect! Perfection includes vulnerability! Philosophically we say that G-d had a need to create the world, which is somewhat related here. Adon Olam says that G-d ruled the world before there was any being, yet he could only really be called King until after he had people to be king for. This is also, somewhat related to the idea presented here that G-d, on a Kabbalistic level, has a need.

My take away from this is that it relates to the idea of "Vehalachta biderachav" - of following what G-d emulates for us. As difficult as this concept is to understand the concept of needing in relation to G-d, it is easy to understand in relation to people. G-d is teaching us that for us to become who we are we need to be vulnerable, we need to need. We think that showing our emotions makes us weak and incomplete when in reality it makes us strong and whole. May we be blessed to address our needs and be complete.