G‑d is not known for His repetitiveness in the bible. In fact, every letter and word is carefully calculated. G‑d has not allowed even one extraneous syllable to enter the text. It would therefore seem strange that this week’s reading of the Torah repeats the same paragraph no less than 12 times.
As the Temple was being inaugurated, each leader of the twelve tribes of Israel brought an offering on behalf of his tribe. Although each of their gifts were identical, the Torah lists each and every one of the offerings, repeating itself 12 times.
Couldn’t G‑d have saved himself so much space by just listing 1 offering and then explaining that this process was duplicated by each tribe?
Yet herein lies an eternal message:
Although we might all go through the same motions in our spiritual journey; we fulfill the same mitzvahs, use the same siddur (prayer book), and eat the same matzah on Passover, nonetheless, to G‑d, each of our acts are unique and distinctive – for they are molded by our individual characteristics.
Externally our actions are identical. But the emotional energy and intellectual vigor propelling our mouths and hands to act is the fine tunings of our inimitable personalities. Each of our voices, although mouthing the same prayers, sings a different song.
It is for this reason that G‑d repeats himself 12 times. For each tribe brought, with the same ingredients, a different gift. One molded by the uniqueness of his specific tribe.
Let us therefore bear in mind that when we perform a mitzvah we are doing something no one else can do. Yes, everyone prays. Yes, everyone eats Matzah. But no one does it quite like you! -Let’s do a Mitzvah Today!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick