Shabbos Shabbos

There are times when we have to prevent people from expressing to much zeal. In some extreme situations excessive zeal can cause us to trample over other values. The Torah determines when, and how to channel our deepest soul powers. PIKUDEI PIKUDEI

Shabbos Again?

This week’s parsha records Moses gathering of the Jewish People to transmit G-d’s instructions about the building of the Mishkan, the portable Sanctuary in the desert. But, before he tells them all of the detailed instructions concerning that construction project, Moses first conveys G- d’s commandment to observe the Sabbath.

This raises an obvious question. Didn’t they already hear about the commandment to observe the Sabbath? Remembering the Shabbos and refraining from work is explicitly mentioned in the Ten Commandments that they heard months PIKUDEI earlier from G-d at Sinai. Why the need for a refresher course?

One could not answer that this new communication was needed because of the addition of some details that are not mentioned in the Ten Commandments, because there are actually fewer details here than there are in the Ten Commandments. Most of the details were left out here as well, and were surely supplemented by Moses in the course of their sojourn in the desert. If there were no new details now, why the need for the repetition?

Building the Mishkan does not Override Shabbos

Rashi seems to have anticipated this question when he explains that this commandment to observe the Shabbos was given here to establish that as important as it is to build a Sanctuary for G-d, they should not build it on the Shabbos.

This answer also appears to be somewhat problematic. In the preceding parsha, Moses PIKUDEI also is recorded as speaking to the Children of Israel about the building of the Mishkan. There too he also commands them to observe the Shabbos. And Rashi makes the same observation that the reason the Torah juxtaposes the building of the Mishkan with Shabbos is to underscore the preeminence of the Shabbos over the building of the Mishkan. One may not build the Sanctuary on Shabbos.

If this lesson has already been transmitted in the earlier parsha, why is it repeated again in this week’s Torah reading?

Shabbos in Context

The Rebbe provides us with a simple explanation by way of an observation as to how the two commandments are juxtaposed in these two sections.

When one examines the first lesson in last week’s parsha, the reference to the Shabbos comes after the building of the Mishkan. It comes as a qualifier. As Rashi puts it:

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“Even though I’ve commanded you to build a Mishkan, don’t do it on the Shabbos.”

In this context, the primary command is to build a Mishkan, but as a caveat, the Torah adds that it should not be done on the Shabbos.

In this week’s parsha the order is reversed, first he commands them to observe the Sabbath and afterwards comes the command to build the Mishkan.

The Rebbe explains: In the preceding parsha it describes the command given to Moses; whereas our parsha describes the way Moses presented it to the people. G-d was concerned that their zealousness to build the Mishkan would cause them to rush and build it even on the Sabbath. They were so eager to construct the Mishkan because they knew that it would constitute confirmation that their atonement for the construction of the golden calf was procured. They therefore had to be cautioned not to violate the Sabbath even for the building of the Mishkan.

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When Moses delivered G-d’s command to the people, however, he felt that in order for the warning, not to violate the Sabbath in their zeal to complete the construction, to be effective, he had to reverse the order of the two commandments and mention the command to observe the Shabbos first. By hearing about the importance of the Sabbath first, this would impress them with its seriousness, and would have a greater impact on them.

Two Narratives; Two Aspects of Shabbos

On a spiritual level it may be suggested that there are actually two different aspects of Shabbos that are reflected in these two narratives.

To understand the difference between the two ways of viewing the relationship between the construction of the Mishkan and the Shabbos it is important to note the specifics of each mention of Shabbos in these two adjoining Torah portions.

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In the preceding parsha, where the Shabbos is mentioned second, two salient points are made about the Shabbos:

The Preeminence of Shabbos

First: It is a “sign” between G-d and the Jewish nation. In this context Shabbos serves as a reminder of the status of the unique status of the Jewish people as a chosen nation. When we observe the Shabbos, the Shabbos protects and preserves us.

Second: The Sabbath is an eternal sign for all future generations.

This then was G-d’s message to them:

The Mishkan was a medium through which G-d demonstrated his love for us. Particularly after the golden calf debacle, when G-d threatened to distance Himself from the Jewish people, the building of the Mishkan gave them a sigh of relief. It was a sign that G-d had completely forgiven them and was willing to dwell in their midst.

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To prevent the Jewish people from overzealously thinking that its construction overrode the Sabbath, the Torah therefore underscores that the Shabbos actually has an advantage over the Mishkan, and the construction of the Mishkan takes a back seat to the Sabbath.

The Sabbath, Rashi states is a “great” or “significant” sign because it represents G-d giving us His own day of rest. From this vantage point, the Shabbos is a more dramatic expression of G-d’s relationship with us than the Mishkan.

Furthermore, the Mishkan’s existence was not always guaranteed. Since the destruction of the Second Temple close to two thousand years ago, we no longer have a physical Sanctuary in which G-d’s presence is revealed. Yet, the Shabbos, is a day that signifies G-d’s love for us and His presence amongst us, for all future generations, as the Torah stresses.

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Shabbos: The Great Unifier

In this week’s Torah portion the emphasis and tone on the Sabbath is a different one.

The Torah portion begins with the word: “Vayakhel-And he Gathered,” referring to Moses gathering of the entire Jewish nation to tell them about the Sabbath and the Mishkan.

This event was first and foremost a manifestation of Jewish unity. In this context, the Sabbath and Mishkan are both ways of unifying the nation. Indeed, the Midrash exhorts us to gather together on the Shabbos and teach Torah to the people. And it is based on this portion that juxtaposes the gathering of the Jews to the commandment to keep the Sabbath.

Here one readily can see why the Sabbath precedes the building of the Mishkan. It is only through the unity that comes through communal Torah study on the Sabbath that can create a true unity, without which the Mishkan cannot possibly last. The Second Temple, the successor to the First Temple PIKUDEI and the Mishkan, was destroyed because we were not unified. G-d dwells only in a placed that is “whole,” not where there is fragmentation and discord.

With this understanding of the difference between this week’s presentation of the Shabbos and last week’s we can resolve a few other discrepancies between the two:

Holiness and Rest: Which comes First?

In last week’s parsha the Torah first asserts that the Sabbath is holy, and only afterwards does it say that we should work for six days and rest on the Shabbos. In this week’s parsha the order is reversed: First it says we should work for six days and rest on the Sabbath, and afterwards it describes the Shabbos as holy. What is the reason for this difference?

In light of the foregoing analysis we can see why in the preceding parsha the Torah had to assert first that the Sabbath is holy. Since it was a response to their possible desire to break the Sabbath in order to hasten the PIKUDEI process that would make them feel the holiness of the Mishkan, the Torah therefore prefaces the fact that it is a holy day. One need not and may not override the holiness of the Sabbath for the sake of the holiness of the Mishkan.

In this week’s parsha the emphasis is on the positive nature of the Sabbath as a day of gathering that fosters unity, a necessary prerequisite for and ingredient in the building of the Mishkan. Hence the Torah prefaces the role of the Sabbath as a day of rest before it discusses its holy character. The fact that it is a day of rest is the reason why it is conducive for gatherings that facilitate the public study of Torah that fosters true and enduring unity.

Guarding Shabbos

Another difference between the two “versions” of the Shabbos that could be clarified in light of the above analysis:

In last week’s parsha the Torah repeats the need to “guard” the Sabbath. This term PIKUDEI implies refraining from work to preserve it sanctity.

However, in this week’s parsha no mention is made of “guarding” or preserving the Shabbos This makes sense in light of the above. When the Torah wishes to impress upon us the holiness of the Sabbath so that it is not compromised for the purpose of building the Mishkan, the Torah uses the term “guarding” or “preserving.” However, in this week’s parsha, where the emphasis is not on its holiness rather on its capacity to unify us, the term guarding is irrelevant and therefore omitted.

Active or Passive Shabbos

One final difference: In this week’s parsha the Torah prefaces the commandment of the Sabbath as a command to “do them.” Here the Torah speaks of resting on the Sabbath, which is a passive thing. Why then does the Torah preface this commandment with a PIKUDEI term that implies that there is an active component to the resting of the Sabbath?

In light of the above it is clear. Here the emphasis is not on the holiness of the Sabbath and the need to preserve it; the emphasis is on the fact that the Sabbath is a day for doing, for creating an atmosphere that will bring everyone together to actively study Torah as a unified group. The resting part is only that which provides the opportunity for the gathering and unity. Hence the word “to do.”

Preparing for the Shabbos of the Future

The Messianic Age has been designated as the Sabbath of creation, for which we must prepare in the last moments of exile that parallel the six days of work.

Our goal in the Messianic Age is twofold: We will all feel the presence of G-d through the construction of the Third Temple, and we will all be united as one people.

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To prepare for that perpetual Sabbath, it behooves us now to concentrate on preserving the sanctity of the Sabbath and by utilizing the Sabbath for purposes of unity.

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From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayakhel-Pikudei by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.