Why the Mishkan was created from these three metals
T
he Midrash compares these three metals to our forefathers. Avraham was gold, as he was tested in the fiery furnace like gold. Silver represents Yitzchak, who was purified on the mizbeiach. And copper is Yaakov, as Lavan said to Yaakov (Bereishis 30:27), “Nichashti [from the root “nechoshes – copper”] — I have divined that Hashem has blessed me for your sake.” (Rav Shimon Schwab, Maayan Bais Hashoevah)
The sheva brachos speaker was waxing poetic as he raved about the maalos of the chassan and kallah. To hear him tell it, both homes must have glowed from kedushah when the chassan and kallah were born. That clearly made this shidduch invei hagefen v’invei hagefen.
I squirmed uncomfortably on the hard plastic chair. It wasn’t just the length of the speech that was getting to me. Let’s just say I’d had a particularly hard week, and I doubted anyone would be writing about me in a future Artscroll biography.
As the speaker wove a complex gematria involving shleimus plus the names of the chassan and kallah minus yetzer hara, which they both obviously didn’t have, an involuntary sigh escaped me.
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