In this weeks Parshiyot, Vayakhel and Pekudai, the building of the Mishkan and vessels is discussed. Everybody brought gold, silver and copper for the building, but one of the things that really stood out were the mirrors because Hashem said that they were the most beautiful thing. In fact, there are big spaces before and after this Pasuk (לח:ח) to acknowledge that this is it’s own concept.

I learned an important concept from my Rabbi. He started with a very straightforward question. Why were these mirrors considered the most beautiful things? Rashi comments on this Pasuk. He says that men would come home everyday after a long, hard day and their wives would feed them and then take out theirs mirrors and say, “I’m handsomer than you are.” Why on earth would anybody say that? This just sounds like a very rude way to greet your husband. This is a concept that we can’t fully understand unless we dig a little deeper. In this time, the women had a specific job and the men did too. These are jobs that we wouldn’t want to confuse between the two genders. When the woman looks at the mirror and says that she is “handsomer”, she is acknowledging the fact that she is the beauty in the house and the man is the muscle and works all day-that’s his job. Through the mirror, she is able to see her and her husband’s reflection to understand who they really are. She is pointing out each of their “Kohot” (strengths).

This is why these mirrors were so important. Gold and silver is nice, but they don’t have any real meaning to them and they don’t say anything about you, like the mirrors do. With a mirror, you are able to see and understand yourself and know that you have a purpose in this world, just like the wives and the husbands in the Parasha. You can’t serve Hashem or have a relationship with Him without knowing that you are important. So, never lose sight of your capabilities! Each one of us is special in our own way! Shabbat Shalom! :)