The Medrash in Shir Hashirim tells us about Rav Chanina, who was a very poor man. As he observed the masses making their way towards Yerushalayim with their many gifts and korbanos, he felt terrible that he had nothing to offer or bring to the Beis Hamikdash. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a large stone that would make a beautiful platform.
He lovingly scrubbed it and polished it until it shone as befitting a gift for the Beis Hamikdash. But when he tried to hire some help to assist him with bringing the stone to Yerushalayim, he realized he couldn’t afford to pay the cost. He felt utterly dejected. Suddenly he noticed five people who the Midrash tells us in truth were angels.
who offered to help him for a very affordable five coins. Their only condition was that Rav Chanina carry the stone alongside them. Elated, he was able to bring his gift to the Beis Hamikdash. There’s something strange about the story though. Why did the angels only agree to help him if he would carry the stone alongside them?
If it was a miracle, why did he need to pitch in? I’m reminded of this story by a puzzling episode cited in the Magen Avraham in the halachos of blowing the shofar. It happened once, says the Magen Avraham, that the baal tokeiah in a certain shul could not sound the shofar. Try as he might, no sound came out. He took the shofar and whispered into the wide end, “Vayhi noam Hashem elokeinu, maaseh yodeinu, konenuh aleinu.”
May the pleasantness of Hashem be upon us and grant success in our work. Immediately he was able to blow the shofar. What is this story doing in the middle of a halachic work? The Magen Avraham’s goal is to teach us practical behavior. What is the relevance of this story? The posuk is associated with this week’s parashah.
When the Mishkan was to be erected, it was too heavy for the Jewish people to lift. Try as they might, they were unable to pick it up. And when Moshe finally succeeded in lifting it, he recited this posuk as a blessing, May Hashem grant success to the work of our hands. Moshe was telling the Jewish people a powerful lesson.
The Mishkan was a miraculous structure that needed divine construction, but Hashem wanted us to be invested in its establishment. Things may seem impossible. There are times when we put in the work and we don’t see a natural way for us to achieve our desired outcome. “Umaaseh yadeinu konenuh aleinu.” If we do our part, Hashem promises to bless our efforts with a successful outcome.
The Baal Tokeiah in the Magen Avraham’s story recited this posuk because he had done everything that he possibly could and he knew that the rest was up to Hashem. And this, in a nutshell, encapsulates the essence of our avodas Hashem. We have to heed the call of the hour and do our best and Hashem will do the rest.
Rav Chanina needed to carry the stone alongside the angels because for a miracle to manifest, he needed to put in the work and invest. It is our willingness to do everything that is in our ability that determines the ultimate success of our activity. Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos.
