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In the first half of this week’s parshah, the Torah describes the event of the inaugural service of the Tabernacle. At the end of the inauguration, the Torah writes:

“Moses and Aaron came to the Tent of meeting, and they went out and they blessed the nation — and the glory of Hashem (God) appeared to the entire nation” [Leviticus: 9: 23]

What exactly did this blessing consist of? Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi, 1040-1105, famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentaries on the Torah) tells us that they said to the nation “ ‘May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us…’ (Psalms: 90: 17), may it be the will that the Divine Providence rest in the actions of your hands”.

It is interesting to note that this isn’t the first time that Rashi utilizes these words as an explanation for a blessing. Previously, when all the vessels and utensils of the Tabernacle were finished being built, they were brought to Moses and the Torah states:

“And Moses saw the entire work, and behold! — They had done it as God has commanded, so had they done! And Moses blessed them.” [Exodus: 39: 43]

On this verse too, Rashi writes that the words of this blessing were “May it be the will that the Divine Providence rest in the action of your hands, and ‘May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us…’ (Psalms: 90: 17)”

Rashi uses the same exact words! It is the identical blessing as the one that was stated at the inauguration of the Tabernacle! Firstly, we must understand the meaning behind this blessing, and furthermore why was it expressed at both of these episodes?

In order to gain clarity on this blessing, we must look at the verse in Psalms that Rashi quoted. The verse reads in full:

“May the pleasantness of the Lord our God be upon us — the actions of our hands, may He establish upon us; the actions of our hands, may He establish” [Psalms: 90: 17]

What does it mean for God to “establish the actions of our hands”? And what is the difference between “may He establish” and “May He establish upon us”?

The request before God to “establish the action of our hands” is a very profound prayer. It expresses a request that every action we perform in this world carry everlasting meaning and serve as building blocks throughout our lives. We ask God that everything we do should have an impact on ourselves; that we shouldn’t let our actions go to waste! We pray to find a way to integrate our daily actions into our being, and that they become part of us in order to grow and build our character. This is what it means when we beseech God that our actions be established “upon us”.

But it is not enough that our actions only affect our own selves. It is as important, if not more, that our deeds in this world be impressed upon others as well. Therefore, we also pray for our actions to spill out and provide an everlasting influence for all of mankind; for those around us and those in future generations. This is the meaning behind the second “the actions of our hands, may He establish”!

Now, why was this blessing given to the Jewish nation twice? The first time Moses blessed the people in this manner was when Moses saw that the entire work involved in building the Tabernacle was complete. After all the hard work and manual labor that was put into fashioning the vessels and utensils, Moses gave the people a blessing that the “actions of their hands” not only house God’s providence, but that it should serve as an everlasting influence upon themselves and the rest of the world. Evidently, this blessing was given at the end of a process.

The second time Moses repeated this blessing was at the end of the inauguration service for the Tabernacle. After 8 days of performing different rituals and offering various sacrifices, the Tabernacle was now fit to house God’s glory and was finally able to be used to serve God in the highest manner possible. It was at this point too that Moses blessed the people again, but this time the blessing was given at the start of a process. Although it was the end the inauguration process, it in fact marked the beginning of the Tabernacle’s use. In this blessing, Moses blessed the people that whatever action they would perform in the future, concerning the tabernacle, should carry eternal meaning and provide themselves and the world with spiritual impact.

Moses used the same exact blessing twice in two different instances to demonstrate that the prayer is applicable both prior to and following the “actions of our hands”. He was trying to convey two important lessons: Firstly, that before we begin any action we must possess the mindset of making it meaningful and therefore pray in advance that God establish it for us. And secondly, that even once we have already completed an action, our prayers still have the power to strengthen that action and make it meaningful, both for us and for others.

If one were to flip through the Siddur (prayer book), he’d realize that the verse from Psalms: 90: 17 appears in our prayers. We say it every night before going to bed in the prayer of the “night time Shema”, and we also recite it once a week at the end of Shabbos in the evening prayer service.

The “night time Shema” is said at the end of our day. In this prayer, we pray to God that every action we performed throughout the previous day be established and be given value in our lives and the lives of others.

We say the verse again after Shabbos has ended, which is in fact the start of the new week. In this prayer, we ask God in advance that all our actions in the upcoming week be carried out with proper intention and that those actions be established in our lives and the lives of others as well.

Good Shabbos,

NZL