Ka'asher Tzi'vah Hashem

In this weeks parsha, Parshas Pekudei, we come across the phrase "Ka'asher tzi'vah Hashem es Moshe," over and over again throughout the description of the construction of the Mishkan. Why is this necessary? Could the Torah not have said this at the end of the entire account with the intention that it refer to each specific aspect of the Mishkan?

As quoted by Rav Yehudah Nachshoni, the Bais Halevi explains the reason for this repetition. The phrase serves as a warning for Bnei Yisrael, that they should not think that because they were able to make new forms for the construction of the Mishkan, they could now make analagous ones of their own. It cannot be emphasized enough that symbols and figures that are unauthorized by Hashem are completely assur.

Rav Nachshoni also quotes the Ikarim who gives a similar idea in his explanation of why the luchos are called luchos ha'aidus, tablets of testimony. The same way that the testimony of witnesses may not be distorted to mean something other than what was said, we cannot distort the commandments of Hashem from their true and basic meaning. Knowing the philosophical or Kabbalistic background to a mitzva does not give us license to change its practical performance even in the slightest way. The mitzvah must be "Ka'asher tziva Hashem," "how Hashem commanded it to be, without making any false analogies.

(Interestingly in this weeks parsha the mishkan is called mishkan ha'aidus) What makes a mitzva legitimate is that Hashem commanded it. What makes a form of worship legitimate is also, that Hashem commanded it.

We no longer have a desire to create figures and symbols of worship. However, the warning of "ka'asher tzivah Hashem," is still relevant to our lives. We must be careful never to stray from how Hashem intended his mitzvos to be performed. Understanding the reasons behind a mitzva does not empower us to make changes or distortions. We cannot truly understand what Hashem's intentions are, so therefore we cannot say I will change this mitzva and still accomplish what Hashem intended. We must simply do "ka'asher tzivah Hashem."