Dvar Torah - Naso

Many times in life it is a challenge to find motivation. We are forced to work hard at jobs that seem repetitive and lack meaning. When we can't see the vision which leads to our activity we feel like hamsters spinning an exercise wheel to no purpose.

Our parsha this week has just such a moment. The princes of the tribes are instructed to bring a series of routine sacrifices, each one bringing the same thing. Offhand, it is not at all obvious what the reason for these sacrifices is, why they must all be brought, and why we have the duplication. However, at the end, it becomes clear that each tribe brought an array of offerings which represented the full gamut of what could be done in the Temple. What more fitting inauguration could there be?

There is a crucial lesson in this for our own lives. Often, small mechanical matters can seem unimportant. We feel like we ought to do them and yet when we are done, we don't feel like we've achieved anything. However, in the aggregate, these small actions combine to a far greater whole. It is only when seeing the mosaic come together that the full picture becomes clear.