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Dedicating the Altar



This week we read Parshas Naso - Number 4 - 7. For twelve consecutive days, the princes of each tribe brought dedication sacrifices for the newly built sanctuary - one each day. The Torah gives a total of the sacrifices at the end saying, "This is the dedication of the altar on the day it was dedicated… this is the dedication of the altar after it was dedicated." The Midrash explains the apparent redundancy: It is considered as though all the sacrifices were brought on the first day; it is considered as though all the sacrifices were brought on the last day. The importance of the first day is understood. What significance does the last day have?

Each prince brought exactly the same sacrifice, but each brought their sacrifice in a unique way and emphasis. There is no one way to serve Hashem. Each way of serving Hashem is valid (provided it fits in the parameters of correctness). Each tribe maintained its own way of serving Hashem. It was up to the prince of each tribe to teach its constituents their path. With each day, a new and proper path of serving Hashem was introduced to the populace. The last was the culmination of all twelve correct ways of serving Hashem. 

For a Liter of Gold

A Chabad chassid remained childless for many years. Several times he traveled to Liozhna to beseech his rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman, to arouse Heaven's mercy, but the Rebbe responded each time that it was not in his power to help him, and recommended the man go to Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin. Arriving in Karlin, he was told that the best time to gain access to the Rebbe was when he set out on one of his journeys. After several days the Karliner announced he was about to leave on a trip, and that anyone who needed anything of him was welcome to come along.

The Rebbe and his entourage passed through many towns and villages. Finally, after they stopped at a certain village, the Karliner summoned the Chabad chassid and told him that if he would pay a certain large sum of money, he would then merit to be blessed with offspring. The chasid was by no means a wealthy man and did not want to pay such a high fee. He respectfully took leave of the Rebbe and departed for home. He felt resentful how could a tzadik request so much money for a blessing.

The chassid decided to go again to Liozhna to visit his own Rebbe. When his turn came for a private audience, the Rebbe asked him if he had gone to the Karliner Rebbe, and if so, what had the tzaddik advised him?

The chassid answered that indeed he had gone, but in the end the Karliner had requested a large sum of money which he was not able to provide and what kind of business is this to demand so much money for a blessing? The Rebbe gazed at him and then remarked, "The reason you do not have children is because you once gravely insulted the great scholar and righteous man, the Rav of Lubavitch, Rabbi Yisachar Ber, of blessed memory." "It is written in the Jerusalem Talmud*," continued the Rebbe, "that part of the appeasement process is to pay a litra of gold. But as Rabbi Yisachar is no longer in this world, it is no longer possible for you to apologize to him and make amends. There are certain latter rabbinical authorities, however, who have ruled that even posthumously, paying the litra of gold helps to ease the censure. The Karliner Rebbe took you around with him to all the places where those rabbinical authorities are buried in order to garner support for you. The large sum of money he requested from you was exactly equivalent to a liter if gold. Unfortunately, you passed up the opportunity. "I, myself am not able to help you in this matter," explained the Rebbe, "because R. Yisaschar was my teacher, and a student cannot forego the honor of his teacher."

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