Drasha Parashat Pekudei Shabbat 16/3/2024 "These are the records (Pekudei) of the Tabernacle…" (Exodus 38:21) What does the word Pedudei mean? Rabbi Mordechai Leiner of Izhbitz teaches: "In Parashat Vayakhel it is written "the creation of the Ark", and here in Parashat Pekudei it is written "and he placed the Tablets into the Ark". In Parashat Vayakhel it is written "the creation of the table" and in Pekudei it is written "and he put a measure of bread on it". In Parshat Vayakhel it is written "the creation of the menorah" and in Pekudei it is written "and the candles are lit". In Parashat Vayakhel it is written "a water basin" and here it is written "and he filled it with water for washing". "Pekudei" means that the vessels that were deficient and lacking were filled with what they were crafted for.” That is, in Parshat Vayakhel the vessels were built and in Parshat Pekudei the vessels were each filled with the substance appropriate to its purpose. Pekudei, according to the Izhbitzer, means "deficiency", similar also to the term “to desert” or leave – like a deserter who left his or her combat unit – in Hebrew. Where else is "deficiency",  mentioned in Jewish tradition? During the Berakhah Aharonah, the blessing said after eating a meal that does not include bread (meals with bread are followed by a different blessing formula – Birkat Hamazon, as of after the Shabbat meal). It says: "Blessed are you sovereign of the world, who created many needy souls, and there deficiencies, for all that You have (also) created (in order) to revive every living soul, blessed is the Life-Force of the world." The blessing narrative suggests that the world and the souls in it were purposefully created with a built-in deficiency. Like the vessels of the Mishkan created by Bezalel and Ohaliav. Humans by design were created with deficiencies that must be filled. For example the need for food, drink, air for breathing, love for the soul, knowledge for the mind, etc. And similarly were created the other living creatures in nature along with their various basic needs. We have all heard of the food chain, and we are all somewhere on it. So what do the Sages teach about filling deficiencies? The Talmud teaches (Berakhot 51): "…Ten things were said of the a Cup Of Blessing (over wine for) : It should be scoured, rinsed, (filled with fresh) living wine, it should be full…etc.". And elsewhere in the Talmud we read: "Whoever’s house does is not one where wine is overflowing like water, has no blessing at all." (Eruvin 65). These aphorisms of our Sages inspired the Ashkenazi custom of filling the Havdalah (end of Shabbat ritual) cup with wine until it overflows. Overflowing wine, then, is a sign of blessing and a mark of a good week to come. This custom symbolizes that even though life is full of inherent deficiency, humans must make complete any deficiency and then some in order to complete the Creator's creation. Let's go back now to the Tabernacle. The various vessels of the Mishkan: the cabinet, the table, the lamp, the sink symbolize the deficiencies in the world that were meant to be filled. But what else standing right before our eyes also serves as a general symbol for this? What else in this situation requires filling with a very specific substance? The Tabernacle herself. Just like a glass of Havdalah wine, the Tabernacle must be completely filled. What with? We read at the end of the Parasha (chapter 40: Verses 34) “The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Presence of יהוה filled the Tabernacle.” In other words, the tabernacle is meant to be filled with the Shekinah or "God’s Presence". That is to say that there are things in the realm of the Holy that we do not fill up but are rather filled-up by, such as the Tabernacle itself or our very selves – as we read in Genesis 2: 7 “God יהוה formed the Human from the soil’s humus, blowing into his nostrils the breath of life: the Human became a living being.” We were originally filled with Shekhinah just like the Tabernacle was. What do we learn from the above string of deficiencies and their fulfillment, starting from the name of our Parasha "Pekudi", through the final blessing after a certain meal, through the blessing of the Havdalah wine, and ending with the dedication of the tabernacle and its filling by the Shekinah? What lesson here can be relevant to both our private lives and our national lives? There are endless examples where filling up the gap is required, in our material lives, our relationships, our intellectual live including the study of Torah, and filling the gap in the lives of the hostages’ families by bringing them home, to name a few. The Gevatron Choir sang a song which was also a famous folk dance and one of the first songs of the early Zionist pioneers: "Our silos are full with grain and our wineries with wine, our houses are bustling with young children…" This song was written in 1932 by Pinchas Lander and composed by David Zahavi. May we likewise have full silos which allude to our material needs. Now, especially, before Purim may we possess an abundance of wine and spirits and most importantly the joy this generates. May we too, merit the joy and fulfillment that comes from our children, our grandchildren, and our families. May the hostages return to fill the painful void their absence has created for their families and for all of us.  May we never know deficiency or Pekudei ever again. Amen! Shabbat Shalom