by Rabbi Levi Welton
In these unprecedented times of social distancing, it is strange that the Torah reading which “randomly” falls out this upcoming Shabbat is one whose very name — “Vayakhel-Pekudei”- literally translates as “Public Gatherings.” Yet, our teacher the Baal Shem Tov taught that “Every single thing one sees or hears is a lesson for [how to] serve Hashem.” (Sefer HaYom Yom: Iyar 9). So what is it that our Parashah is teaching us that can uplift us during these trying times?
The Torah-way is often to answer one question with another question. (Someone once asked me, “Why do Jews always answer questions with another question?” I smiled and replied, “How should they answer?”) In this tradition, I’ll ask you why the Parshiot of Vayakhel-Pekudie even exist?
You see, Vayakhel-Pekudei (Exodus 35:1–40:38) details the details of building the Mishkan, the traveling Sanctuary built years ago in the Sinai desert. But these same exact steps were already covered previously in the Parshiot of Terumah-Tezaveh (Exodus 25:1 — Exodus 30:10) with the only difference being that each verse there stated “And they shall make…” while each corresponding verse here states “And they made…”?
This is even more remarkable when you consider that there is only one chapter in the Torah covering the Creation, three chapters covering the Giving of the Torah, and no less than THIRTEEN chapters covering the construction of a Sanctuary that was only used way back in history? For a Torah that is notoriously scrupulous about avoiding the superfluous, the very existence of our Parshiot begs for a deeper understanding.
My spiritual mentor, the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt”l, once explained that the Sanctuary was not a historic relic of “those days” but is a construction of divine service which we build “bazman hazeh” — every day.
This is why the word “Mishkan” (Sanctuary) is etymologically related to the word “shochen” (“to dwell”) and also forms the shoresh (root word) of Shechina (“Divine Presence”). For it is through our daily actions of goodness & righteousness that we build a world in which the Divine Presence can truly dwell.
This is why the verse states “”They shall make for Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell in them. (Exodus 25:8). The Creator does not say “I will dwell in it,” in the Sanctuary, but “in them.” The Kabbalists explain that this teaches us that the Creator dwells in the heart — and through the daily actions — of each and every one of us (Maamar Bati LeGani ch. 1.) Additionally, the spiritual Sanctuary that we build daily here on earth mirrors a spiritual Sanctuary that exists eternally in Heaven (see Rashi on Talmud, Sukkah 41a).
The Rebbe explains that the Torah lists both the command to build the Mishkan in Terumah-Tezaveh and the account of it actually being built in our Parshiot to highlight that there will always be two versions of the Mishkan: the ideal version, as it exists in Heaven and was described to Moshe Rabbeinu and the manifested version, as it actually exists in our physical lives.
In this lives a powerful lesson which we need to hear now more than ever. Serving the Creator means never giving up on working to bridge those heavenly ideals with the earthly realm in which we actually inhabit.
Even when we are having difficulties building the ideal Sanctuary of Terumah-Tezaveh, we must never give up on actually building the Sanctuary of Vayakhel-Pekudei.
Perhaps this is why Rashi, the famous 12th century Torah commentator, writes on the very first verse of Vayakhel that the word “Vayakhel” itself is “…is a hiph’il [causative] expression [i.e., causing someone to do something], because one does not assemble people with [one’s] hands [i.e., directly], but they are assembled through one’s speech. Its Aramaic translation is וְאַכְנֵשׁ.”
Even if we can’t gather together on this Shabbat, we can allow the spirit of Shabbat to gather us up as one.
Even if we can’t celebrate in our sanctuaries of gold and cloth, we can still build sanctuaries of words of love & sisterhood. As the Baal Shem Tov taught, “Our words create worlds.”
As Rav Yosef from Bnei David recently said, “Every hand that we don’t shake must become a phone call that we place. Every embrace that we avoid must become a verbal expression of warmth and concern. Every inch and every foot that we place between ourselves and another must become a thought as to how we might become of service to that other, should the need arise.”
I’d like to conclude by pointing out that this Shabbat will also be “Shabbat Hachodesh” which commemorates the Creator’s historic communication regarding the Jewish calendar to Moshe Rabbeinu on the 1st of Nissan many years ago. What makes the Jewish calendar unique is that it grants the people — mortal human beings — the power to control that most precious commodity, that most elusive and ever-moving force, that which we would otherwise have no control over — time itself.
Through the power invested in us by the Creator, we can transform a random Thursday into a “Rosh Chodesh”, into a holiday infused with Divine light and gifts. As the famous Jewish poet Ahad Ha’am famously said: “More than Jews have kept Shabbat, Shabbat has kept the Jews.”
It is my prayer that as the virus seeks to destroy our bodies, we refuse to let it destroy our spirit.
As we close our doors physically to one another, may we open our hearts twice as wide.
May the Creator give us the strength to transform what could be a jungle of survival of the fittest into a veritable Garden of Eden with peace, harmony and unity for all.
Shabbat Shalom!