This week's Torah portion is Tetzaveh, which literally means "you shall command," from the word "mitzvah." Mitzvah comes from the word "Tzafsa," which means connection. A mitzvah creates a close connection between us and God. Tetzaveh describes the clothing and materials needed for the kohanim (priests) to perform their holy service ("Avodah"), thereby keeping the connection to God strong.
The completion of the Tabernacle is a culmination of everything that took place in the Book of Exodus, from the redemption from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Nowadays, although we do not have a Tabernacle or Temple with us, we can still perform this kind of service through prayer, which is known as "Avodah she'baLev," service of the heart.
Prayer is one of the most important and most underestimated concepts in all of Judaism. In the story of Purim, our main salvation came through prayer, as Esther, Mordechai and the entire Jewish people fasted and prayed for three consecutive days prior to her coming before the King. It is safe to assume that three days of fasting would not have helped Esther's appearance in the eyes of king Achverosh. Esther knew however, that Achverosh was just a tool for the fulfillment of God's will. In the Megillah, whenever the word "King," appears by itself, its a reference to God.
It's very interesting: in the story of Hannukah, the Greeks wanted to destroy us spiritually, so we went to war. In Purim, when we faced physical destruction, we turned to prayer.
If we could just realize the awesome power of prayer... The Alter Rebbe of Lubavitch explains in the Tanya that in these late generations, prayer surpasses Torah study in its importance. Rabbi Natan of Breslov teaches that prayer is higher than everything else and includes everything else (like the Tabernacle).
Rabbi Shalom Arush, one of the main leaders of the Breslov movement today, teaches that "Prayer is redemption, and redemption is prayer. To be with God is to have prayed, to not be with God is to not have prayed." If we could internalize this concept, we would be truly satisfied and truly liberated.
So why don't we pray more? Rabbi Arush explains that it's because we don't believe enough in the power of our own prayers. We don't truly understand that God listens and responds to each and every prayer, no matter how lowly we might be. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai states that the reason God created the world is so that He could be called "Merciful." Even if a person is a tremendous sinner, when he prays, God sees the good in him, and He accepts his prayers because of His great mercy. We are His children after all.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach would say that a person should have the approach to life that in every moment, it is Yom Kippur and you are the Kohen Gadol. When we pray, we must remember to approach God and evoke His mercy in a simple and humble manner, as when the Kohen Gadol (the High Priest) would enter the Holy of Holies.
For this, you don't have to actually be the Kohen Gadol. God hears each and every prayer, and, as the Baal Shem Tov (the founder of Chassidism) taught, he is especially fond of the prayers of simple Jews. The Baal Shem Tov would send his disciples to learn how to pray from them.
If we fully internalize this concept of simplicity, we will be able to happy with each and every good point we have inside of us. We will be able to be happy with our prayers and with our performance of mitzvot. After all, working and providing for your family is a mitzvah; so is cleaning, cooking, etc. Look at the actual service the Kohen Gadol and the other kohanim did in the Temple: mostly household tasks!
Rabbi Nachman taught, "Mitzvah Gedolah Lihiot be Simcha Tamid." It is a great mitzvah to be always happy. Recently, I've heard some people from Bnei Akiva sing "Simcha Gedola Lihiot be Mitzvah Tamid." It is a great happiness to be always involved in mitzvahs." May we all have a wonderfully happy Purim, full of mitzvas and service to God.
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