Restoring Structure and Happiness
By
Rabbi Daniel Korobkin
In what way is reading about the Mishkan’s inventory and construction relevant to us today? How do we gain any kind of education or inspiration from the details, especially when, in our parsha, they’re merely a repetition of the past few sections? While there are many latent messages contained within these passages, we’ll focus on the name of our parsha, Pekudei, which literally translates into “inventory items.” The word introduces a list of all the raw materials that were collected for the construction of the Mishkan. As we’ll see, this word is one of the most elastic words in the Hebrew language, having so many different meanings depending upon context.
Let’s look at all the different meanings of the root of this word, which is “פקד”. The first time it’s used in the Torah, it means “to remember,” as in (Gen. 21:1) “וַיקֹוָק פָּקַד אֶת־שָׂרָה” “Hashem remembered Sarah” after years of barrenness, and blessed her with a child.
The second time the word appears, in the context of the Yoseph story, it’s conjugated to mean “appoint” or “command,” as in (Gen. 39:4) “וַיַּפְקִדֵהוּ עַל־בֵּיתוֹ” – “Potiphar appointed Yoseph in charge of his household.” This is how it’s used in modern Hebrew today as well, in that a “מְפַקֵד” is a commanding officer in the IDF.
When the word is conjugated in noun form, it means “assurance” or “collateral,” as in when Yoseph collected food during the years of plenty to act as an assurance (pikadon) for the years of famine (Gen. 41:36): “וְהָיָה הָאֹכֶל לְפִקָּדוֹן לָאָרֶץ לְשֶׁבַע שְׁנֵי הָרָעָב”, or when the Torah discusses a person who has a collateral item (pikadon) in his possession from a debtor (Lev. 5:21): “וְכִחֵשׁ בַּעֲמִיתוֹ בְּפִקָּדוֹן”.
It also means “to compensate,” either with a reward or a punishment, as in (Ex. 20:5) “פֹּקֵד עֲוֹן אָבֹת עַל־בָּנִים” – “Hashem compensates the sin of the fathers unto the children.” It can also refer to something lost or missing, as in (Num. 31:49) “וְלֹא־נִפְקַד מִמֶּנּוּ אִישׁ:” – “No man was lost from our army.”
The most common usage of the verb translates as “counting,” as in (Ex. 30:12) “כִּי תִשָּׂא אֶת־רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְקֻדֵיהֶם” - “When you lift up the heads of the Bnei Israel for counting.” The word appears this way multiple times throughout Sefer Bamidbar. Indeed, Bamidbar has so many counts of the Jewish men of each tribe, described as “פקודים” (pekudim), that the book is also called “חומש הפקודים”, the Book of Counts (see TB Yoma 70a), or, as we commonly refer to it in English, the Book of Numbers.
This seems to be how it’s used in our Parsha, Pekudei, where the Torah itemizes all the things that were donated. But how do we connect all these other meanings of “פקד”? What does “remembering” have to do with “counting,” “appointing,” or “compensating”? Plus: why are the mitzvot of Hashem called by the very same word as our Parsha (Ps. 19:9): “פִּקּוּדֵי יְקֹוָק יְשָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵב” – “The ‘pekudim’ of Hashem are upright,” and why in that verse are the mitzvot described as making the heart happy?
An objective with immediate results
Here’s a working definition of the root that will tie all the different meanings – remember, appoint, assurance, compensate, and counting – together: When the Torah wishes to describe someone focusing their attention on something or someone, with the objective of doing something productive immediately afterwards as a result of that focus, this is when the verb “פקד” is used.
When it was time for Sarah to have a child, Hashem was “פקד” Sarah, meaning He focused His attention upon her for the sake of granting her a child. The Malbim explains that this is the difference between the verbs “זכר” and “פקד”: “זכר” means I haven’t forgotten you. But “פקד” means that in addition to just remembering you, my memory is causing me to take immediate action as a result of that remembrance. This is why the language that Hashem employed when announcing that He was imminently bringing the redemption from Egypt was (Ex. 3:16): “פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי אֶתְכֶם”
When Potiphar appointed Yoseph, or when Moshe asked for a leader to be appointed to replace him (Num. 27:16), the Torah uses the verb “פקד” to describe how they focused their attention on an individual to perform a certain task. A “פקדון” is an object that a creditor can focus upon as a source of collecting a debt in the event that the debtor defaults on the loan. When Hashem seeks to compensate a person for their deeds, He is “פוקד”, that is, He focuses His attention on their sins so that He can take the damage caused by those sins and place them upon the life of the sinner in the form of punishment.
“פקד” is used when counting a person or thing with the objective of using that number for some purpose. When Hashem told Moshe in the desert to count the Jewish men over 20 years of age, it was in order to know how to organize the Jewish army that would be shortly invading Canaan. As the Malbim explains, this is the difference between the verbs “ספר” and “פקד”: They both mean to count, but “פקד” means to count for the purpose of doing something with that knowledge of how many you have. And ultimately, this is how it is used at the beginning of our parsha, to describe the inventory of all the materials donated, which was important to know in order to use those materials in the construction of the Mishkan.
Pekudim = "mitzvot"
How is this all relevant? Sometimes, Torah text has multiple meanings. Pekudei doesn’t just mean a “count,” but also “commandments,” as in the verse from Psalms, above. As the Sfas Emes writes, a deeper reading of this opening verse tells us that the pekudim, that is, the Divine commandments, are what bring about the “mishkan,” the indwelling of the Divine Presence within each and every one of us.
Based on our definition, why are the Torah’s mitzvot called “pekudim”? Because they draw our attention to a particular action and spur us to make that action a part of our lives. I may instinctively sense that I should give charity, but when the Torah commands me to give charity, my attention is all the more focused on that activity. I may instinctively know that I need to unplug and take time off from the world, but the Torah commands (“פוקד”) and legislates that practice of Sabbath so that I have a greater sense of satisfaction that I’ve rested properly.
Letting Hashem into our lives
This is why King David said that the “pekudei Hashem” cause one to rejoice. We all know that there are things we would do in our lives even without a Torah. But the Torah provides us a manual, a structured set of protocols, that gives each of us the confidence and peace of mind that we’re doing something worthwhile with our lives. What greater happiness is there in life than knowing that Hashem is happy with your actions and you are living your life according to His dictates?
The Midrash teaches that the reason why Bnei Israel first believed Moshe when he told them that he was sent by God was specifically because he used the term “פָּקֹד פָּקַדְתִּי֙”, “I have surely remembered you.” The Jews in Egypt had a tradition that had been passed down to them all the way from Yaakov Avinu, who passed it down to Yoseph, who further passed it down to Serach bat Asher, who was alive at the time. “Any redeemer who uses this language is authentic,” she announced. What was significant about this term? It implies that the purpose of becoming the Chosen People is so that we may assume a structured lifestyle that is the most liberating of all, a life of “pekudim.”
The Kotzker used to ask: “Where is God? Anywhere you let Him in.” Let’s all bring the Mishkan, God’s Divinity, into our lives. We do that when we structure our lives with His pekudim. May we experience that joy in this new month of simcha, Adar 2, and may it usher the final Redemption, bb”a.
