One person's junk is another person's treasure. That is why there is a whole marketplace on the internet for recycled goods. However, it is one thing to reuse something from someone else’s home and bring it into your home, and a vastly different thing to do so in a “House of G-d"—which is why Moses was perturbed when G-d told him that he should use the mirrors that the women donated to cover the washing basin for the Temple.
A little background is necessary. When it was time to build the Tabernacle, the Mishkan—years later when it became permanent, it was called the Temple—Moses asked for donations. People brought gold, silver, and copper to build the elaborate edifice. Some Jews even wove tapestries so that everything about the building would be spectacular. All of this information is recorded in the Torah, and we read about it two portions ago. However, in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tisa, we learn about one more object that was not mentioned until now, the washing basin. The washing basin was used by the priests before the service started. The priests would wash their hands and feet to cleanse themselves so that they would be ready to serve. Once they were clean, they could enter the Mishkan itself.
What was this washing basin made of? The Torah tells us that it was made from the mirrors that the women donated. When Moses saw this, he did not know what to do. He wondered if he should use the “objects of vanity” for such a holy purpose. How is it possible that one should prepare themselves to serve G-d using such a lowly item for such a lofty service? Something did not click.
G-d then taught Moses—as well as us—a lesson in life. It is not enough to elevate the “elevatable” to take the holy and make it even more holy—the goal in life is to take something that is not only mundane, but could promote vanity, and transform that into a vessel for holiness.
You see, in G-d's eyes, a mirror that is used by a woman to make herself attractive in and of itself is not unholy, especially when one considers the background. The Jews were not only in Egypt, they were slaves in Egypt. They worked hard each day. Yet they wanted to look attractive; they wanted to build Jewish homes, even though it was dangerous to do so. That is not vanity, that is not self-serving; rather, that is the epitome of self-awareness, of self-sacrifice. It is the willingness to do what is right and to do so attractively. There is nothing more pleasing to G-d than when one takes pride in their Jewishness. That is why the first object that the priests encountered when they entered the courtyard of the Mishkan was the washing basin. You want to serve in the Temple? No problem, but first remember who you are and who you are going to serve.
We too, as we wake up each morning and look in the mirror, should think to ourselves, what are we made up of? Are we aware of our purpose in this world? Are we ready to fulfill our reason for being in this world, without making it about us but about the cause?
When we can do that, we can then use the mirror to make sure we look presentable to the world, because we know it is not about us, but about a greater calling.