Ki Sisa: Discovering The Treasure Within.

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה פְּסָל לְךָ שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת אֲבָנִים כָּרִאשֹׁנִים

“Hashem said to Moshe, Carve for yourself two stone Tablets like the first ones” (Shemos 37:1).

On the words “Carve for yourself” Rashi explains: הראהו מחצב סנפירינון מתוך אהלו - Hashem showed him a quarry of sapphires from within his tent, ואמר לו הפסולת יהיה שלך - and said to him, “The chips shall be yours.” ומשם נתעשר משה הרבה - From there Moshe became very wealthy.

The Talmud Yerushalmi (Shekalim 22b) brings a second opinion as to how Moshe became wealthy: מחצב של אבנים טובות ומרגליות ברא לו הקב"ה מתוך אהלו וממנו העשיר משה - Hashem created a quarry of diamonds and precious stones from within his tent, and from there Moshe became wealthy.

The Rebbe R’ Simcha Bunim of Peshischa was once asked: “why does one have to travel to a Tzaddik?” He answered with the well-known story of “Rabbi Eizik, son of Rabbi Yekel of Cracow” that is told on Motzei Shabbos in the name of the Holy Baal Shem Tov.

After many years of great poverty, Rabbi Eizik, son of Rabbi Yekel of Cracow dreamed that he should look for a treasure under the bridge in Prague. When the dream recurred a third time, R’ Eisik set out to Prague and started digging under the bridge.

After a few failed attempts to locate the treasure, he caught the attention of one of the guards who asked him “what are you doing here?” When R’ Eisik told him about the dream that he had, the guard burst out laughing saying “Only a fool would listen to his dreams, I keep having the same dream that there is a treasure under the stove of a Jew living in Cracow named R’ Eisik son fo R’ Yekel, and you don't see me running off to Cracow!”

As soon as R’ Eisik heard that, he quickly ran home and found a large treasure hidden under his oven. He eventualy built the great “Reb Eisik Reb Yekel’s Shul" in Cracow.

R’ Simcha Bunim concluded: That is why a Jew travels to a rebbe, to discover the treasure hidden within himself. And that is why Jews come together, to find the treasure within.

The same was by Moshe Rabbeinu: Hashem showed him that he had a fortune, not on top of Mount Sinai, but מתוך אהלו - “within his tent,” in himself.

( ליל שבת קודש - תשס"ב)