זה יתנו וגו'. [דרשו רבותינו ז"ל (מדרש תנחומא סי' ט') כמין מטבע של אש הראה לו למשה ואמר כזה יתנו, הובא ברש"י], שמעתי משל איש אחד למד אצל צורף אומנתו, ואחר שלמדו האומנות רשם לו ברשימה סדר האומנות ולא רשם לו שישים גחלת של אש בתחלת המלאכה, כי הוא העיקר ואין צריך להזכירו, והוא טעה בזה וסבר וכו', והנמשל מובן, כי העיקר כשיש ניצוץ אש להתלהב: (בן פורת יוסף דקי"ט ע"ב).
This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary. (Exodus 30:13) G-d showed Moses a shekel of fire, and said, “They should give like this.”1Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Sisa 9. Quoted by Rashi on the verse. A goldsmith had an apprentice. When he finished teaching him the craft, he wrote down for his student all the steps in the process. However, he did not write down that he had to ignite the coals before he started, because that was the main thing, and unnecessary to mention. However, the student forgot, etc.2The parable ends here. Obviously, the student forgot to light the coals, and was unable to produce any results. This parable is easily understood. The main thing [in serving G-d] is that there be a spark of fire that can be ignited.3The Baal Shem Tov said about the Magid of Mezritch, when the latter first came to see him, “A box full of candles has come to me. They only need to be lit.” (Zicharon Tov, p.5c) Ben Poras Yosef, p. 119b
זה יתנו וגו'. [דרשו רבותינו ז"ל (מדרש תנחומא סי' ט') כמין מטבע של אש הראה לו למשה ואמר כזה יתנו, הובא ברש"י], שמעתי משל איש אחד למד אצל צורף אומנתו, ואחר שלמדו האומנות רשם לו ברשימה סדר האומנות ולא רשם לו שישים גחלת של אש בתחלת המלאכה, כי הוא העיקר ואין צריך להזכירו, והוא טעה בזה וסבר וכו', והנמשל מובן, כי העיקר כשיש ניצוץ אש להתלהב: (בן פורת יוסף דקי"ט ע"ב).
This they shall give, every one that passes among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary. (Exodus 30:13)
G-d showed Moses a shekel of fire, and said, “They should give like this.”1Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Sisa 9. Quoted by Rashi on the verse.
A goldsmith had an apprentice. When he finished teaching him the craft, he wrote down for his student all the steps in the process. However, he did not write down that he had to ignite the coals before he started, because that was the main thing, and unnecessary to mention. However, the student forgot, etc.2The parable ends here. Obviously, the student forgot to light the coals, and was unable to produce any results.
This parable is easily understood. The main thing [in serving G-d] is that there be a spark of fire that can be ignited.3The Baal Shem Tov said about the Magid of Mezritch, when the latter first came to see him, “A box full of candles has come to me. They only need to be lit.” (Zicharon Tov, p.5c)
Ben Poras Yosef, p. 119b