L’iluy Nishmat Rabbi Shimon Cohen - Shimon Hayim ben Ayeesha Haya A”H
L’iluy Nishmat Mr. Meyer (Mickey) Kairey - Meir ben Latife A”H
We know that the words of the Torah are precise. There are no extra words unless they carry additional teachings. Every phrase, even every letter, serves a purpose.
At the end of Ki Tisa, Moshe descends from Mt. Sinai with the second tablets after another forty days and nights with G-d. At the start of Vayakhel, he gathers the people, imparts upon them the importance of Shabbat, and begins detailing the instructions to construct the Mishkan (Shemot 35:1).
All that Moshe was instructed in Terumah and Tesave is now repeated by the Torah to the people. Every measurement, and almost every detail. Why? What is the purpose of repeating it all again? It could have simply said Moshe commanded and the Jewish People did.
The answer is that the repetition of the Mishkan is in itself a language of love. The Torah first records G-d’s command for the Mishkan in Terumah and Tesave. When the Jewish People carry it out, it repeats those same details almost word for word in Vayakhel and Pekudei. The Ramban (Shemot 36:8) explains that when something is especially beloved, we linger over it and retell it, savoring each part. So too, G-d dwells on the story of the Mishkan because He cherishes this dwelling place among His people and the willing hearts that built it. What looks like redundancy is actually affection. All the more so after the Golden Calf, G-d doubles down, still showing His love.
When we truly love that special someone, we find ourselves wanting to say more, to speak about them, to sing their praises, to make sure they know how loved they are, because no amount of words ever feels quite enough.
In fact, at the dedication of the Mishkan, the Ramban (Bemidbar 7:1-2) states that each of the twelve nesi’im (princes) brings the exact same korban, day after day, and yet the Torah records each one in full, twelve times, identical words and all. What looks like repetition to us is, in G-d’s eyes, a unique act of devotion worthy of each being counted on its own.
Perhaps the greatest expression of devotion is the love we impart to our children. To invest in them, to nurture them, to show up for them, not because we have to but because we want to. That is the highest form of dedication.
We need look no further than our own Rabbi Shimon Cohen A”H and Mr. Mickey Kairey A”H as the perfect examples. Their endless love and devotion to our community, especially our children, knew no bounds. Rabbi Cohen never let a single occasion pass without showing that love and warmth, always bringing out the best in every person. I can personally attest to this, having been part of his minyan for 30 years. Mickey and Hazzan Isaac Cabasso A”H treated all equally, making sure our customs and traditions were passed on to future generations, teaching children and adults alike.
Those children, myself amongst them, are now fathers bringing our own children to “Rabbi Cohen’s minyan”, continuing the traditions he set. Now on the tenth yahrzeit, this past Thursday and Friday, respectively, we remember Rabbi Cohen and Mickey, as people who showed us what it truly means to love and cherish those around us. May their memories be a blessing.