Parsha Vayakhel

 

We all have things that we would never do.  We may even agree on some of them.  Don’t steal, don’t cheat on your spouse, don’t abuse your children.  And we probably would never do any of these things, or would we?  Yes, we never would steal, but when we are filling out our tax forms, would we lie about our income to the IRS?  I mean, everybody does that, right?

This week we read from Parsha Vayakhel.  After weeks of hearing about it, we finally read about the construction of the Mishkan.  But before the story of the construction begins, the Parsha starts with Moses telling the Israelites to observe Shabbat, and that they may not kindle a fire on Shabbat.  The rest of the story is a detailed account of the building of the Mishkan.  What was the reason for these first two lines?  They have nothing to do with the story. They seem to have been placed here out of left field.  Kind of an afterthought, or a misplaced verse.  But those of us who study the Torah understand that there is a reason for every word. 

One of the main reasons for this verse being here has to do with the prohibitions of work on Shabbat.  We know we are not allowed to kindle a fire on Shabbat, but there are many more restrictions.  In fact, there are 39 Melocot or categories of prohibited work and they all derive from things that were required to build the Mishkan.   

No weaving, no hammering, no completing a task, no threshing, no selecting, no kneading, no dying, no tying a knot, and the list goes on.  Every type of work required in building the Mishkan is prohibited on Shabbat.

But I believe there is a more important reason why the restriction was repeated here.  The Isrealites were building the Mishkan.  The place where God would reside with his people.  One of the holiest structures ever built, along with the two Temples in Jerusalem.  It would probably have taken them weeks to build.  They might have said, “We know we can’t work on Shabbat, But to build God’s Mishkan, we will make an exception!”   God knew this was a possible and probable feeling and so he nips it in the bud and tells them at the very beginning- Don’t work on Shabbat.  No ifs, ands, or buts.  Not even to build my Mishkan.  That is how important this day is.  God also knows human nature.  Once we do something we are not supposed to do just once, it is so much easier to do it again.  If we can work to build God’s Mishkan, then maybe we can work to build the synagogue, or the JCC, or a house, or have a picknick on Memorial Day, or just because it is a Saturday and I am off from work.  Cheat on a test in school and get away with it.  It is so much easier to cheat on another test. 

What are your core values?  We all have them.  If we are really honest with ourselves, and we truly value these beliefs then it is imperative that we not waver from them.  There should be things we never do, and it takes strong convictions to never do them.  This Shabbat, I am going to think about those values that I hold dear, and vow to make sure I never waver from them.  Shabbat Shalom