With the reading of Parshios Vayakhel-Pekudei, we conclude Sefer Shemos, the sefer that chronicles the birth of our nation and our journey from slavery to redemption.
As we have noted in previous weeks, the final section of Sefer Shemos is devoted to the building of the Mishkan, the earthly abode for the Divine Presence amongst Am Yisrael. Beginning in Parshas Terumah and continuing through Tetzaveh, Ki Tisa, Vayakhel and Pekudei, the Torah describes both the instructions for the Mishkan and its ultimate construction.
Our parsha opens with Moshe gathering the entire nation together:
אֹתָֽם תשֹׂ֥לַעֲ ’ה֖ אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֵ֚לֶּה אֲלֵהֶ֔ם אמֶריֹּ֣וַ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּנֵ֣י אֶת־כָּל־עֲדַת֙ מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל - Moshe assembled the entire congregation of the Children of Israel and said to them: These are the things that Hashem has commanded to do (Shemos 35:1).
Moshe then reiterates the commandment of Shabbos before conveying the instructions regarding the construction of the Mishkan: דֶשׁקֹ֣ לָכֶם֙ יִהְיֶ֤ה הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י וּבַיּ֣וֹם מְלָאכָה֒ תֵּֽעָשֶׂ֣ה יָמִים֮ שֵׁ֣שֶׁת לַֽה שַׁבָּת֔וֹן שַׁבַּ֣ת’ - Six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a complete day of rest for Hashem (35:2).
Only afterward does Moshe relay the command to bring the donations and materials for the construction of the Mishkan and its keilim (vessels).
The commentators note that the Torah once again juxtaposes Shabbos and the Mishkan. Earlier, in Parshas Ki Tisa, after the instructions for Mishkan conclude, the Torah transitions to the commandment of Shabbos. Here, at the beginning of the actual construction, the Torah again emphasizes Shabbos before the building begins.
Rashi famously explains that the Torah places Shabbos before Mishkan to teach that the construction of the Mishkan does not override Shabbos. Even the holiest national project - building a sanctuary for the Divine Presence - must cease when Shabbos arrives.
There is, however, an additional and beautiful dimension to this juxtaposition. The building of the Mishkan was not the work of one individual, nor even of a small elite group. Rather, it was a national endeavor that engaged the hearts, talents, and generosity of the entire people. Men and women brought donations, artisans contributed their skill, the nesi’im brought precious stones, and the master craftsmen oversaw the work. The Mishkan was constructed through the collective effort of an entire nation united toward a holy purpose.
Yet even in the midst of this great national project, Moshe first reminds the people about Shabbos. Why?
Because (as Rav Soloveitchik zt’l teaches us) while the Mishkan represented a sanctuary in space, Shabbos represents a sanctuary in time. One is built with gold, silver, copper, wood and precious stones. The other is built with restraint - with the willingness to stop creating and recognize the Creator.
Thus, even as the people begin the monumental task of building a dwelling place for the Shechina in space, Moshe reminds them that there already exists a sanctuary gifted directly by Hashem Himself: the sanctity of Shabbos.
The Mishkan required human construction. Shabbos did not.
As the Torah tells us at the conclusion of Creation:
אֹת֑וֹ וַיְקַדֵּ֖שׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י אֶת־י֣וֹם אֱלֹקים֙ וַיְבָ֤רְֶ - And G-d blessed the seventh day and sanctified it (Bereishis 2:3).
Hashem Himself sanctified Shabbos. And it is the Jewish people - as one whole nation, united in purpose and vision - that sanctified the Mishkan through their labor, devotion, and generosity.
Perhaps this is why our parsha begins with the word וַיַּקְהֵל - Moshe gathered the entire nation together. The Mishkan could only be built through unity. Every donation, every talent, every heart was needed.
And yet, even greater than the sanctuary built by the nation is the sanctuary gifted to us by Hashem each and every week.
Shabbos arrives without fundraising, without construction, without human engineering. It arrives as a Divine gift, inviting us to step away from the noise of the world and enter sacred time.
With the completion of the Mishkan at the end of Sefer Shemos, the Torah tells us:
אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן מָלֵ֖א ’ה וּכְב֥וֹד מוֹעֵ֑ד הֶלאֹ֣אֶת־ הֶעָנָ֖ן וַיְכַ֥ס - The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan (Shemos 40:34). Upon completion of MIshkan, the Divine Presence rested among the people.
May we merit to appreciate both sanctuaries and the Divine Presence within: the sanctuary in space and the sanctuary in time. May we cherish the holiness of Shabbos and the sacred spaces we build for Hashem in our lives.
And in the merit of our devotion to Torah, mitzvos, and the sanctity of Shabbos, may we merit the ultimate redemption and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash, speedily and in our days. “In Nissan they were redeemed, in Nissan they will be redeemed,” (Rosh Hashana 11a) - amen v’amen.
שלום ושבת טובות בשורות בברכת
