The Copper Laver: The Women's Vessel: Rashi

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The Copper Laver: The Women’

s Vessel
Rabbi Etan Moshe Berman
Just when it seemed that the parshios were finished presenting the often tedious details of the Mishkan and the
vestments of the kohanim, and we would, at last, return to the more familiar stories of the Torah, suddenly we find
ourselves back in the Mishkan section of the library.
This weeks parshah begins discussing the half shekel, and as we are about to return to the narrative of the travels
of the Jewish people on their way to the Holy Land, God says, “Oh right, by the way, I almost forgot... and don’ t forget
to wash your hands!” Hashem instructs Moshe to construct a copper laver, the kiyor, for the kohanim to wash their
hands and feet prior to their Mishkan/Temple service. Obviously, nothing is forgotten before God’ s throne of glory1, so
why is the command regarding the kiyor disparate from everything else involving the Mishkan?
Both the Seforno and the Netziv answer that there is a fundamental distinction between the kiyor and all the
other Temple vessels. Every other vessel involves the actual service in the Temple, whereas the kiyor is a preparatory act.
In the language of the Netziv, it is a Machshir for the Avodah. For this reason, it’ s construction is not commanded in
conjunction with any other vessel.
When one examines the kiyor, he begins to discover it’
s fascinating history.
Rashi2 explains that the kiyor was made out of copper mirrors that were donated by the Jewish women. When
the Jews were slaves in Egypt, the oppression weighed so heavily upon them, physically, psychologically and emotionally,
that procreation was nearly an impossibility. Such a reality would certainly have put an end to the existence of the Jewish
people. To avoid this disastrous eventuality, the Jewish wives developed a game. When they would deliver food and drink
to their husbands in the fields, they would bring along their copper mirrors, and say, "I'm cuter than you" all the while
showing their husbands face and their face in the mirrors. In this way they relaxed their husbands from the stress, aroused
them, and were able to produce the next generation of Jews amidst the horrendous oppression.
When the women discovered that the “Mishkan fund”was open for donations, they offered their copper mirrors.
The initial reaction of Moses was that these mirrors were inappropriate to be donated to the Mishkan, because they are
"made for the evil inclination." God though, had a different perspective on the matter, and told Moshe that these mirrors
are more precious to Him than anything else, because it was through these mirrors that the next generation of Jews were
produced in Mitzrayim.
The Ramban3 points out that this was not the first time that items "made for the evil inclination" were donated.
In fact, certain adornments popular among the women at the time, were certainly more objectionable. Yet we find this
dialog between Moshe and Hashem only regarding the copper mirrors! Why didn’ t Moshe object to any of the other
items?
The Ramban explains that every other donated item was melted down along with everything else and became
indistinguishable, but the kiyor was to be composed solely of these copper mirrors. It was for this reason that Moshe

1. Mussaf of Rosh HaShanah.


2. Exodus 38:8
3. Ibid.

The Copper Laver: The Women’


s Vessel 1
initially found it objectionable.
Apparently, the kiyor was destined to be the “women’
s vessel”.
Now, copper was used for many things in the Mishkan, including the outer alter and all of its utensils. The
women’ s mirrors could have been melted down and used for anything. Why were they all used for the kiyor -in effect,
making the kiyor the "women's vessel." Is there something about the kiyor that lent itself to this identification?
Here we will digress to answer this question.
In Meggilas Esther4 we are told that Mordechai took Esther as a "z©A." The simplest understanding would be that
he adopted her, like a daughter. However, Rashi quotes the Talmud5, that you should not read the word as "z©A," but
rather as "z¦i©A," a “house”. From this reading, was are apparently supposed to understand that Mordechai married her.
Why does the word “house”indicate a wife? It is striking to note that Chazal are consistent with this terminology. In the
first Mishnah in Yoma, we are informed that the Kohen Gadol must be married during Yom Kippur, because the verse
says he must, “Atone for himself and ezi¥A'.”The word ezi¥A refers to his wife.
It gets worse. The Talmud6 relates that forty days before a fetus is formed (perhaps the moment of conception)
a voice echoes from heaven saying, "The daughter of so and so is destined for this boy." This is the source for the
common term bashert. However, the Talmud goes on to relate that the echo continues, "This house is destined for this
boy," and "This field is destined for this boy." Why do Chazal put a wife a house and a field together as the things
predestined for this boy? Can the three be said together in one breath? Is a woman merely another form of property
belonging to her husband? The Halachah is clear that such is not the case. What did Chazal have in mind7?
I think that Chazal are telling us something very deep about the nature of women and their role in Jewish life.
The verse in Proverbs8 says, "Listen my son to the mussar of your father and do not abandon the Torah of your
mother." King Solomon here tells us to listen to the mussar -discipline of our fathers, because, apparently, if we do not
listen, we will not learn it. Yet when it comes to the Torah of our mothers, instead of instructing us to listen, he says not
to abandon it! If we never pay attention to listen, how will we acquire the Torah of our mothers that we should ever need
to be warned about abandoning it!
My Rebbi, Rav Aharon Kahn Shlit"a, explained that certain things we never actively learn. We do certain things
merely because that is how we were raised. Often other people notice these things about us, while we take them for
granted. A friend might say to us, “Why did you do that? It was so thoughtful!” To which we might respond, “Idon't
know, that's just how I was raised.”This is the Torah of the mother. It refers to those things that we never learn actively.
We simply imbibe them by growing up in our homes. It is for this reason that King Solomon admonishes us not to
abandon the Torah of our mothers, while never instructing us to listen to it in the first place.
Let’
s go one step deeper.
Twice in the Torah we find a series of ten, where the first one is not like the other nine. One is the ten
4. Chapter II verse 7.
5. Meggilah 13a.
6. Sota 2a.
7. It’
s also interesting to note that linguistically, the Aramaic word for a wife is Edzi¥aC§ , obviously rooted in the word z¦iA© .
8. Chapter I verse 8.

The Copper Laver: The Women’


s Vessel 2
commandments, and the other, the ten sayings through which God created the world9. The first of the ten
commandments is not presented as a command, but rather as a statement of fact, "I am the Lord your God." To which
one might respond, albeit irreverently, “Yes, it's true, but what do you want from me!?”We derive from this verse that it
is a Mitzvah either to know or to believe that God exists, but either way, it is not presented as a command. Similarly,
regarding the ten sayings in which the world was created, the Talmud10 tells us that if one counts, he will discover only
nine times that God created through speech. Where then does the Mishnah see ten sayings? The Talmud answers that
the word "Bereishis" was also a saying of creation. According to the Vilna Gaon, with the word Bereishis God created
time, sequence11. Be that as it may, the first “saying”of creation is not presented by the Torah as speech. The Torah
does not say "And God said" whereas it does by the other nine. Why are the first of these ten not like the others?
Rav Moshe Shapiro explained that the first step is always to create a certain reality, a context for whatever it is
that one is about to do. To have commandments, one needs to have a commander. Therefore, God says, "I am
commander." Now that reality of the commander has been established, commandments make sense. Similarly, for
creation to occur, sequence is necessary. First there had to be “time”. The first of these series of ten is the creation of a
reality, a context in which everything else can then proceed.
I think that ultimately the Torah of the mother is the power of context. This is expressed most tangibly as the
atmosphere of a home. A wife and a mother is the Bayis, the “house”. She creates the context in which the father can
teach Torah and the children can learn it. To learn Torah one must pay attention and listen, but the Torah of the mother
is not learned, it is simply lived.
For example, a child comes home from school with two pieces of news: he finished Sefer Shmos in Chumash
class, and he hit a grand slam home run in bottom of the ninth, winning the game in gym. Which gets the greater
emphasis? A child learns priorities this way, even though no active teaching or learning is going on. This is an
opportunity for the Torah of the mother. The tone, the underlying values, the hidden sensitivities, are all essential aspects
of the Torah of the mother.
From what we have learned we can understand in a deep, abstract way, why Chazal refer to a wife as a house,
and list a wife together with a house and a field. It is because her’
s is the power of context, just as a house is the context
for everything that occurs within and a field is the context for produce. Mordechai made Esther his Bayis. A wife, a
mother is the “Iam the Lord your God,”and the “Bereishis”of the Jewish people.
Immediately prior to the giving of the Torah, the verse states:
".l«¥̀ ẍ§U¦i ¬i¥p§a¦l ciB¥z
© §e aw£
½ r«©i zi´a¥ §l Æxn© `z dM"
³

“So shall you say to the house of Jacob and tell to the children of Israel.”12
Three questions beg answers here. Why do we need two phrases for the Jewish people? Say simply, “Moses
go tell the Jews.” Why is the word x©n`z used in reference to the house of Jacob, while the word ci¥BY© is used in
reference to the children of Israel? Finally, if for some reason there is a need for a dichotomy among the Jewish people.

9. Avos chapter V Mishnah 1.


10. Rosh HaShanah 32a.
11. Perhaps others might say God created energy, or matter, as the Ramban says that first God created something from nothing, but subsequently the remainder of
creation was mere formation of that original matter.
12. Exodus chapter XIX verse 3.

The Copper Laver: The Women’


s Vessel 3
why is the house of Jacob spoken to first?13
Based on what we have said the questions almost fail to begin. Rashi explains that the “house”of Jacob refers
to the Jewish women, while the children of Israel refers to the men. Therefore, the word x©n`z, connoting soft spoken,
inspiring words is used in reference to the women, while the word ci¥BY© , connoting harsh language is used in reference to
the men. Why is Moshe instructed to first approach the women to accept the Torah? Because it is the women who will
determine its success. If there is no context for Torah, there will be no Torah. First Beis Yaakov, the “house”of Jacob
must create the reality for Torah to be accepted in the world.
Now we come full circle. We began by asking what it is about the kiyor that lent itself to become the women’ s'
vessel. The answer should be clear. The kiyor is not part of the Temple service, it is a preparatory act. However, it is
more than that. The kiyor provides the context for the Temple service. The Halachah is that if the kohen does not wash
his hands and feet from the kiyor, he is not considered a kohen, and his service is invalid14. Washing his hands and feet
from the kiyor makes him a kohen that can then do the service. This is the Torah of the mother; the power of context,
and this is why the kiyor is the “women’s vessel”.

13. As Rashi says there, “With this language and in this order.”
14. See the Mishnah beginning chapter Kol HaZevachim, the source for the invalidation in Zevachim 19b, and Rashi’
s explanation for the invalidation of service
performed without the required vestments on 18a, Aval.

The Copper Laver: The Women’


s Vessel 4

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