Parshas Ki Sisa – Parshas Parah Shabbos Times Erev Shabbos Shabbos Day Mincha 6:35pm Shacharis 9:00am Plag Hamincha 6:50pm Latest time for Shema 10:14am Latest Candle lighting 7:55pm Shabbos Mincha 4:30 / 7:45pm Shkiya 8:13pm Shabbos Ends 8:55pm Ladies Shiur This Shabbos morning there will be ladies Shiur given by Rabbi Myron Sacher All Ladies and Girls welcome Shaarei Shabbos Riddles - Parshas Ki Sisa 1. Which two people appear in the Torah for the first time in this parsha? 2. Aside from a calf, what other animals appear in this parsha? (4 answers) 3. What descriptive term for the Jewish people (Bnei Yisrael) is used four times in this parsha? 4. You do an action that if you do it once you are חייב מיתה but now that you do it a second time you are completely פטור, what is it? 5. Where do you have 2 foods that each one by themselves you cannot eat them, but now that you mix them together, they are permitted? Short Vort on the Parsha In the beginning of Perek 31, Hashem tells Moshe that He has called (up) Betzalel from the tribe of Yehudah and has filled Betzalel with a Divine spirit to be able to construct the Mishkan. Why do we need to know, before Betzalel got down to work, that Hashem had given Betzalel such wisdom? The Netziv answers that we are being taught an important lesson about the Mishkan here. The Mishkan was not like any other building project where one hires workers and the job is then done. For a normal building project all you need is a good builder or team of builders and a bit of patience. But the Mishkan was altogether different. The Mishkan was a project to build 'Hashem's home in this world,' and as such Hashem was not looking for the best craftsmen around. Instead, Hashem was looking for worthy people of spiritual note to build the Mishkan - and Hashem would take care of making them able to do the work. This is why we were told from the outset that Hashem 'filled Betzalel with Divine wisdom' for the job. Indeed, the Netziv continues that this is why Moshe is told to 'see, I have called Betzalel…' What does it mean to 'see' in this context - how could Moshe 'see' that Betzalel had been called? Moshe was being told to recognise and take note of the holiness of the job of building the Mishkan and thus understand why it was not the best physical craftsmen who were given the job.