Vayakh'el-Pekudei 5762 - March 8, 2002
Editor's Note
One word says it all.
Time and eternity,
family
and community,
work and rest,
spirituality
and transcendence,
candles and light — all
these are encapsulated in its two syllables. The word, of course, is Shabbat.
For seven weeks now, the weekly Torah readings have been telling us about Shabbat. In Beshalach, the commandment to rest on the 7th day is given to the people of Israel together with the "Bread from Heaven" that will sustain them in the desert for 40 years. In the following week's reading of Yitro, the imperative to "Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it" reappears as the 4th of the Ten Commandments proclaimed at Sinai. Nor does it fail to be reiterated amongst the civil and social laws in the next week's reading of Mishpatim. In Ki Tisa it again appears, this time in conjunction with the building of the Sanctuary, and is proclaimed the sign and signature of a special bond between G‑d and Israel. Finally, in this week's reading of Vayakhel, Moses assembles the people and instructs them to observe... the Shabbat. According to the Talmud, this was the occasion at which he instituted the weekly Torah reading cycle, so that the people should devote the day to rest to the pursuit of the Divine wisdom.
So what should we talk about this week?
Did you ever wonder why our calendar has both weeks and months? Why follow two different cycles that never match up?
The Israelites donate abundant materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. The holy vessels, tapestries and walls are completed and the priestly clothes are sewn. Moses initiates Aron's family into the priesthood, errects the Tabernacle and the Divine Presence rests upon it.
The Israelites donate abundant materials for the construction of the Tabernacle. The holy vessels, tapestries and walls are completed and the priestly clothes are sewn. Moses initiates Aron's family into the priesthood, errects the Tabernacle and the Divine Presence rests upon it.
In the endless conflict between earth and spirit, sheer weight often wins out. Shabbat is a reunion with our inner selves, a return to the primal oneness of our souls
The young prodigy overheard the exchange between the rabbi and the wagon driver. He could scarcely believe his ears. A pound of candles to atone for violating the holy Shabbat?
The single wicks of the Shabbat candles, exuding calmness, repose and homeliness; the braided torch accompanying the departing queen, lighting the darkness that becomes more marked in her absence...
It’s G-d’s world. Everything He gives is good, the sweetest good.
But it is often a good far too great for us to understand. We imagine it is not good, because that’s the only way to make sense of it with our small minds.
Yet the truth is, He gives us all the good we can handle. If we could take more, He would g...
