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Why were the women's copper mirrors the most precious gift to the Mishkan? Moshe initially rejected them as instruments of lust. The shiur explains that these mirrors restored men's masculine identity after Egyptian slavery forced them into women's roles, crushing their spirits and desire. This yesod teaches that shalom bayis depends on each spouse validating the other's proper role—not career success.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes the Torah (תורה)'s account in Parshas Vayakhel of the copper mirrors donated by Jewish women for the Mishkan. The text states that the washbasin (kiyor) was fashioned from the mirrors of the women who gathered at the Tent of Meeting. Rashi (רש"י) explains that Moshe initially rejected these mirrors because they were instruments designed to arouse desire and beautify women—inappropriate for the holy Mishkan. However, God told Moshe to accept them, declaring these mirrors "more precious than all the rest" because they enabled the population explosion in Egypt despite brutal slavery. The shiur poses a fundamental question: What did God reveal to Moshe that he didn't already know? Moshe was aware that the Jewish population had multiplied greatly in Egypt despite the oppression. Why did he reject the mirrors, and what insight caused God to declare them the most precious gift?
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Vayakhel (Shemos 38:8)
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