Reply To: Short & Sweet

Shemini: Get Ready

R’ Dovid Feinstein asks why the Torah refers to the day the Mishkan was erected as the eighth day of the Mishkans preparations; why wasn’t it referred to as the first day of the Mishkan’s completion?

He suggests that this is to teach us the importance of preparing to do a mitzva. The time we spend getting ready for Pesach and the like should not be viewed merely as a necessary chore; they are an integral part of the process of the mitzva.

The time and effort we spend preparing for a mitzva do more than ensure that the mitzva is done properly. The more time and effort we spend preparing, the more we will view mitzva as being important. And the more we view the mitzva as being important, the more of an effect it will have on how we conduct the rest of our lives.

This idea is also integral to ספירת העומר – if we want the Torah to change who we are, we must prepare ourselves first.

לע״נ דוד חיים בו ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בו ר׳ בןציון שלום