And every wise hearted person among you shall come and make everything that Hashem has commanded. The Mishkan… (Shemos 35:10-11)

What is the reason for this week’s and next week’s parsha — almost all of both of these parshios is a repetition of Parshas Terumah and Tetzaveh.

The reason is to teach us the timing of the events when we lived in the desert. Parshas Terumah and Tetzaveh explained the building of the Mishkan, but the actual command and building of it did not occur until after Parshas Ki Sisa. Last week’s parsha includes an account of the terrible moment in our history when the Golden Calf was built. After that moment, we come to this week’s parsha which is the building of the Mishkan. This order teaches us a very important lesson: after we fall, we rise. After we go through tragedy, great things happen.

Seventy years ago was certainly a low point in Jewish history – the Holocaust killed six million Jewish souls and those who were left did not look like they had much to hope for. But look at what has happened since that moment. Eretz Yisrael is a Jewish land. Yeshivas are opening everywhere. Jews are coming back to Judaism in flocks. Even materially, Jews are doing very well. I heard a Rosh Yeshiva say that who would have imagined that a school rebbe would have two cars and a house with a backyard a hundred years ago. From the low moment seventy years ago, we have come to a great moment today.

This past Tuesday was the 20th anniversary of Dan Jansen winning a gold medal. I know that I wrote about this before, but I still find this event very inspiring. Dan Jansen was a speed skater who participated in 7 events over 4 Olympics. There were high expectations for him, but during the first 6 competitions, he did not win a single medal. Actually, he fell down in a few of these races, disqualifying himself. As he came to his last event, the 1000 meter, on Feb 18, 1994, everyone was wondering if Dan Jansen would fail at his last Olympic race. Well, not only did he not fail, but he won Gold with a World Record. Dan Jansen is now a hero. He is hired to tell his story for thousands of dollars for each event.

We all have fallings in our lives, but these fallings lead to great moments. Tragedies lead to greatness. That is why we have this week’s parsha.

Good Shabbos!
-yes
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