Vayakhel
Shabbos Kodesh
Moshe gathered together - vayakhel - all of the Jewish people in front of
the Holy Ark. Midrash teaches us that somehow all of the Jewish people,
millions in number, all were able to gather together in front of the Holy
Ark. Not only in front of the Holy Ark, but also between its staves! This
statement of the Midrash, like all words of Torah, contains many levels of
interpretation and understanding. But to me it seems clear that the Midrash
tells us that all of Israel, with all of the differences that are inherent
in such a large and diverse group of individuals, can be united into a
decent and caring society if they all find themselves within the staves of
the Holy Ark - the wide parameters of tradition, halacha and Jewish values.
Here in Israel, we are busily engaged in trying to form a coalition
government to govern us in times of problems and distress. In democratic
societies, there has to be some sort of national consensus in order to
govern properly. That national consensus of the Jewish people has always
been found within the staves of the Holy Ark. Removing sections of Jewry
from that space only brings divisiveness, hatred and ultimately,
estrangement from Judaism and Jewish values themselves.
It should be noted that the message that Moshe delivered to Israel at that
moment of gathering and convocation concerned itself with the Sabbath. The
cornerstone of Jewish life and unity is the Sabbath. When the Torah
stated:" Its (the Sabbath's) desecrators will surely die," it meant not
only a legal declaration of punishment for violating the Sabbath. It also
meant that this was to be read as a prediction, a prophecy, and a statement
regarding the harsh reality of the Jewish world. A Jewish society that
ignores the Sabbath, that trims it to meet its fleeting whims, that robs it
of its spirit and holiness, of its inhibitions and joys, dooms itself to
assimilation and spiritual death. No slogans about Jewish continuity or
unity can accomplish the good that the respect and observance of one
Sabbath day can achieve. When Moshe gathered all of Israel together at the
Holy Ark, he purposely told them of the Sabbath, for the Sabbath alone
guarantees Jewish unity, Jewish survival and spiritual triumph. Observance
of the intricate laws of the Sabbath on an individual basis has always been
a continuum and not an absolute. But in all of Jewish history, respect and
love for the Sabbath day itself was an omnipresent absolute. It is this
respect and love for the Sabbath that is in such dire peril in today's
Jewish society. One does not increase respect and love for the Sabbath by
adjusting its holy character and time-honored traditions to current
conveniences and fads.
The parsha of Vayakhel reviews the materials needed and the workmanship and
effort provided for the construction of the mishkan - the Holy Tabernacle -
in the desert of Sinai. However, without the unity of Israel - the
gathering of Jews within the confines of the staves of the Holy Ark - and
without the sense of holy purpose and noble tradition that only the Sabbath
can provide, the mishkan will eventually be nothing more than a physical
building filled with ornate artifacts. Its very purpose of challenging and
uplifting existence will have been denied. Our generation needs to remember
these lessons of Jewish unity within the staves of the Holy Ark and of the
holiness of the Sabbath day. Then our mishkan - the sanctuary within our
souls and within all of Jewish society - will yet flourish and inspire us.
Shabat Shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Text Copyright © 2002 Rabbi Berel Wein and
Project Genesis, Inc.
