Parashat Vayakhel - Parah - The True Boss

Adar 22, 5785 - Saturday, March 22, 2025

A respected Jewish man from New York who was blessed with wealth and owned a large business. He spent many hours there daily, and it naturally became the place where he received visitors, including fundraisers and emissaries, to whom he generously donated.

Because his business was large and spacious, some of the emissaries posted signs throughout the building indicating where the "boss" was located to save visitors the trouble of searching for him.

One day, a certain emissary entered his office and, before saying anything else, immediately criticized the signs posted around the building. "How can you write 'The Boss'... 'The Boss'?" he asked. "Who made you the boss? The Almighty is the true Master of everything.

He is the only real Boss of the world! How can you take for yourself a title that belongs to the Creator Himself?"

To the businessman’s credit, not only did he not dismiss the emissary’s words, thinking, You came here to receive my donation, and instead, you are lecturing me with such noise, but he humbly accepted the rebuke. He acknowledged the truth in the words, promised to correct the mistake, and gave the emissary ten times the usual donation. All the signs were replaced with new ones stating, "The Manager is in such-and-such a location," because "The Boss" sits in Heaven above.

Now we come to the heart of the story. Around that time, one of the water pipes in his factory burst. A non-Jewish female employee was nearby but paid no attention to the growing flood that was pouring into the room. The businessman, who saw the situation through security cameras, called out to her to turn off the water, but she ignored him and continued with her work. Meanwhile, significant damage was caused, with some equipment becoming irreparably ruined. As a result, she was dismissed according to standard procedures.

Afterward, her husband, furious over her termination and the loss of their livelihood, decided to take revenge. The next day, he entered the Jewish businessman’s factory, carrying a loaded weapon, intending to kill him. He asked the workers where the "Boss" was. Unaware of his intentions, they directed him to a specific office where the "Boss" was supposedly located. However, upon entering, he saw a sign clearly stating that this was the Manager’s office.

"Where is the Boss?" he asked the manager. The manager pointed upward and said, "The Boss is up above; He runs the entire world, including this business." The man, taking this literally, quickly rushed upstairs, believing the real "Boss" was on the upper floors.

The Jewish businessman, sensing something was wrong, immediately checked the security cameras and realized that the man was preparing to commit an attack. He quickly locked his office doors and secured all the factory entrances, then called the police. They arrived promptly, catching the attacker red-handed and arresting him on the spot.

Thus, the Jewish businessman was miraculously saved from death. All because he had recognized and proclaimed that the true "Boss" is above.

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The verse states (Exodus 35:5), "Take from among you a donation for Hashem; everyone whose heart is generous shall bring the donation of Hashem: gold, silver, and copper." The Ketav Sofer, of blessed memory, examines the wording of the verse. Initially, it says "a donation for Hashem", but later it refers to "bringing the donation of Hashem" rather than "bringing a donation for Hashem." Why the change in phrasing?

He explains this based on the teaching of our Sages in Pirkei Avot (3:7), where Rabbi Elazar of Bartota states: "Give Him from His own, for you and all that is yours belong to Him." Similarly, King David said (I Chronicles 29:14), "For everything is from You, and from Your hand we have given to You."

With human transactions, when a person gives an item to another, it leaves the giver’s ownership and belongs entirely to the recipient. However, when Hashem grants a person sustenance and life, these gifts do not truly become the person's own; they always remain under Divine ownership. Thus, when a person gives charity or a donation, they are not giving from something that is inherently theirs, for their wealth remains in Hashem’s domain. "The earth and all it contains belong to Hashem." Hashem does not require the material act of giving itself, but rather the intent and generosity of the heart.

This is why the verse states: "Take from among you a donation for Hashem." The act of taking is meant to express one’s willingness and heartfelt desire to give. However, when one actually brings the donation, the Torah refers to it as "the donation of Hashem", not "a donation for Hashem", because ultimately, one is merely returning to Hashem what already belongs to Him. "Give Him from His own."

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The great Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, of blessed memory, writes (Drash Moshe on Purim) regarding the verse (Esther 9:26): "Therefore, they called these days Purim after the lot (pur)." Many commentators have grappled with this: What is so significant about the "lot" that the entire holiday is named after it? The lot itself did not bring salvation to the Jewish people, nor does it seem particularly meaningful. After all, what difference does it make whether Haman designated the 13th of Adar through a lottery or some other means? As Rabbi Feinstein puts it, "The name of a festival should reflect its essence, and this does not seem central,nor even secondary, to the miracle."

He explains: The lesson here is that a person should never assume that when Hashem blesses him with success or wealth, he no longer needs divine assistance. Just as one must pray before receiving a blessing, one must continue praying even after receiving it. Possessing wealth does not guarantee it will remain his; everything remains in Hashem’s hands.

This was precisely Haman’s downfall. When the lottery determined that the 13th of Adar would be the day of destruction for the Jews, he was certain that fate was in his favor. He believed the day was his. But "it was overturned". That very day became the day of his downfall. This is the most fundamental lesson of faith that Purim teaches more than anything else, and thus the holiday is aptly named.

From this, a person should live with the constant awareness that he owns nothing. Everything belongs to Hashem. What is in his possession is merely an entrusted deposit, and he must always look heavenward, hoping and praying that Hashem allows him to retain the blessings he has been given. whether in spiritual or material matters.

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A remarkable observation has been made: Nowhere in the Torah is the term "Baal HaBayit" ("owner of the house") used, except in one place. Parshat Mishpatim (Exodus 22:7): "And the owner of the house shall approach the judges to swear that he has not laid his hand upon his neighbor’s property." But in reality, this "owner of the house" is merely a guardian. Someone who was entrusted with another’s property and must now prove his innocence in a case of theft.

This teaches a powerful message to those who consider themselves masters of their wealth: Know that your possessions are not truly yours. As Hashem declares (Haggai 2:8), "Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold." You are merely custodians of His wealth. And if the true Master of the house so desires, He can reclaim His "deposit" in an instant, for "Hashem impoverishes and enriches."

Shabbat Shalom!