Community Magazine February 2014

14 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE I t’s the first thing a Jewish man, woman or child is supposed to do upon awaking in the morning – go to the sink and wash his or her hands. Different explanations have been given for this halachic obligation, one of which associates the morning hand washing with the service of the kohanim in the Bet Hamikdash . The first thing a kohen does when he comes to perform the service in the Temple is wash his hands from the kiyor , the special copper faucet designed for this purpose. When we wake up in the morning and begin our day, we are like a kohen , ready to serve our Creator in the “ Mikdash ,” within the framework of our lives which, hopefully, is infused with holiness. And thus like the kohen , we, too, wash our hands, formally preparing ourselves for a day of devoted and faithful service to the Almighty. This explanation presents us with a beautiful and powerful concept which has much to teach us about Jewish life. We march into each day of our lives ready to serve Gd much as a kohen steps into the Temple to serve. But if we probe a bit deeper into the washing of the kohanim , we can gain further insight into this daily ritual which we perform each and every morning, and its particular importance in today’s day and age. The Sacred Mirrors In Parashat Ki-Tisa (Shemot 30:17-21), in the section that concludes the commands regarding the Mishkan (Tabernacle), the Torah commands Bene Yisrael to construct the kiyor from which the kohanim would wash before entering the Sanctuary. Later, in Parashat Vayakhel (38:8), we learn that the kiyor was made, surprisingly, from the mirrors donated by the women of Bene Yisrael to be used in the construction of the Mishkan . The Midrash explains that these mirrors have a remarkable history. During the period of Egyptian bondage, the men spent their days performing excruciating, backbreaking labor. By the time they returned home at night, both their bodies and spirits were crushed. They had no interest in intimacy, or in building families. Physically worn and emotionally despondent, marital fulfillment was the furthest thing from their minds. But the righteous women among the nation came to the rescue. The Midrash describes how the women would adorn themselves, using their mirrors, and would bring water with which to bathe their husbands and clean them from the mud and grime that accumulated over the course of their work. They did this to lift their husbands’ spirits and entice them, thereby sustaining the Jewish population and its continued growth even during this period of bondage and persecution. Under circumstances where procreation seemed all but impossible, the women rose to this formidable challenge and ensured the continuation of the Israelite nation. Gd valued the women’s efforts to such an extent that He wanted them commemorated in the Mishkan , in the most sacred place What is the Most Important Piece of Furniture of Them All? Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall, RABBI ELI J. MANSOUR