BEGIN WITH A GRIN

A man driving all night needed some rest and decided to pull over on the side of the road to get some sleep. Not long after he goes to sleep there is a loud banging at the window. The man jumps up and rolls down his window, outside is a jogger running in place in front of his window.

“Excuse me sir, I was wondering if you could tell me what time it is?” asks the jogger.

The driver sleepily looks down at his watch, “Yeah, its 5:00”

“Hey thanks!” says the jogger and runs off.

The man goes back to sleep. Before long there is another loud banging on his window. He jumps again and rolls down his window. Another jogger is running in place in front of his window.

“Hey there fella! Can you tell me what time it is?”

The driver irritated looks at his watch and says, “Its 5:45.”

“Thanks, mister!” says the jogger and runs off.

The man irritated beyond belief makes a sign and posts it on his window that says – I DON’T KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS! Satisfied, he goes back to sleep.

Out of the blue there is another loud knock at the window. The man bewildered, rolls down his window and sees another jogger running in front of his window. The jogger looks down and says, “Hey man, it’s 6:30” and runs off.

THE REST OF THE STORY

The beginning of Parshas Vayakhel raises many questions and puzzles for commentators. Many find it very difficult to explain the Torah’s words according to their simple meaning, and each commentator has their own unique way of explaining the meaning of the verses. This week we will focus on a wonderful explanation from the teachings of the Shelah HaKadosh on the beginning of the parsha and on the connection between all the elements mentioned in the parsha to the Geula.

The parsha begins with the verse: “And Moshe assembled all the congregation of Bnei Yisrael, and said to them: ‘These are the things which the L-rd has commanded to do them. Six days shall work be done, and on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a Shabbos Shabbason.’” (Exodus 35:1-2)

Why did Moshe need to assemble all of Bnei Yisrael? How is Parshas Vayakhel different from other parshiyos, that specifically this one was said before all the Jewish people in assembly? Furthermore, what “things” (plural) are being referred to here? In total, only one mitzva is mentioned here, the mitzva to keep the Shabbos. Seemingly, the Torah should have written: “This is the thing which the L-rd has commanded” and not “These are the things”?!

The Shelah introduces an amazing principle that will shed some (Chassidic) light on these questions. According to him, the Shabbos and the Mishkan together symbolize the true and complete Geula. The Shabbos symbolizes “the day that is entirely Shabbos and rest for eternal life,” the seventh millennium in which we will receive the main reward for fulfilling the Torah and mitzvos (Tanya Chapter 36), while the Mishkan symbolizes the dwelling and rest of neshamos together with the Shechina in that pastoral world.

That is to say, the Shabbos alludes to the Mishkan, and the Mishkan alludes to the Shabbos, and together they unite to teach us about the essence of the complete Geula. Therefore, Moshe assembles all of Israel to teach them about the Mishkan and about the mitzva to keep the Shabbos, since “all of Yisrael have a portion in the World to Come,” and therefore all of Bnei Yisrael need to be present at the time of the commanding of these two special mitzvos that allude to the World to Come – the Shabbos and the Mishkan!

The Shelah even quotes a Medrash that connects all the details of the Mishkan mentioned in our Parsha to the future reward promised to us in the Geula for building and preparing each part of the Mishkan.

“The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You made goats’ hair curtains, I will protect you in the World to Come with a cloud; you made a covering [kapores], I will atone [mechaper] for your sins; you made a table… I will set a table before you in the future to come; you made a [seven branch] menorah before Me, I will illuminate for you seven-fold in the World to Come; you made an aron before Me in which the Torah is placed, I will give you a good reward that has no end, as it is says (Tehillim 31:20): ‘How abundant is Your goodness that You have stored away for those who fear You.’”

That is to say, every part of the Geula process, from the atonement for the sins of the Jewish people at the end of exile to the eternal good that has no interruption at all, is alluded to in the details of the Mishkan’s parts. Even the feast of the Shor HaBor (wild ox) and the Livyasan is a reward for building the table, and even the Geula prophecy of “the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold” is a reward for preparing the menorah. Everything is alluded to somewhere in the parts of the Mishkan, because the Mishkan is a symbol of Geula, and every Jew has a part in the Geula just as every Jew participated in the donation, preparation, and building of the Mishkan, each according to his ability.

THE REST IS HISTORY

Shabbos, like the Mishkan, is exactly the same thing. Regarding the reward awaiting those who observe Shabbos, the Gemara says that G-d expressed it in these words (Shabbos 10a): “I have a good gift in My treasure-house and Shabbos is its name, and I wish to give it to Israel.” The Shelah explains that the intention of Hashem in the words “good gift” that is found “in My treasure-house” was the hidden and concealed reward for the souls of Israel in the complete Geula. This is a true gift, a wonderful gift, but it is hidden from our eyes, it is not known to us, after all, who knows how we will feel and what we will experience in the Geula?!

Therefore, Hashem gave us the Shabbos. Shabbos is like a taste of the Geula, and the “additional soul” that every Jew receives during the Shabbos is like a sample of the divine revelation that every Jew will receive at the time of the Geula.

Furthermore, the Gemara (Shabbos 70a) learns the number of melachos forbidden on Shabbos from the words: “These are the things.” “These” [Eileh] in gematriya is 36, together with the three letters of the word “Eileh” itself – 39 melachos. Along with this, which melacha is mentioned explicitly in the next verse? Which melacha did the Torah take care to write explicitly? “You shall not kindle fire,” the labor of lighting fires.

Why specifically this melacha? And why specifically here? It should be noted that in other places in the Torah, additional melachos are written, for example: the melacha of carrying in and out, the melacha of plowing and harvesting, and more. So why specifically at the beginning of Parshas Vayakhel does the Torah find it appropriate to mention the melacha of kindling fire?

Because this is the secret of the Geula, and this is what the Mishkan and the Shabbos allude to!

Regarding the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, it is said: “For by fire You have destroyed it, and by fire You will rebuild it.” That is to say, just as the Mikdash was destroyed by fire, so too it will be built by fire. What fire is being referred to here, what fire will build the Mikdash? The fire of keeping the Shabbos! The fire of “You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day!” Because by keeping the Shabbos, one merits to feel the redemption, and by keeping the Shabbos, one merits to bring the Geula.

And this was Moshe’s intention when he assembled all the Bnei Yisrael at the beginning of the parsha. Moshe wanted to plant within the souls of Israel the eternal foundations of Judaism, that “all of Yisrael have a portion in the World to Come,” and every Jew has a neshama (an additional one on the Shabbos day), and it is within the power of every Jew to bring the Geula through fulfilling the mitzvos, especially keeping the Shabbos!

TO CONCLUDE WITH A STORY [OR TWO]

We will end with two short stories related to the holiness of Shabbos, which were published recently, during the release of the hostages. Agam Berger, one of the lookout soldiers on duty on October 7^th, was kidnapped from the Nachal Oz base on Simchas Torah. Her mother, Meirav Berger, was careful to keep the Shabbos as a merit for her daughter, who also kept the Shabbos in Hamas captivity, with supreme self-sacrifice that is impossible to describe. And behold a wonder, Agam was supposed to be released together with the other lookouts in the middle of Shabbos and Meirav was beside herself, she was pained by the chillul Shabbos that would be caused by the media coverage on the day of the release. Meirav turned to the whole world on erev Shabbos and requested: “Do not desecrate the Shabbos because of us and do not photograph us on the holy day.”

Shabbos arrived and reality slapped us all in the face. The cruel terrorists separated Agam from her friends and released four lookouts out of five, while she remained alone in Gaza.

And then came the crazy turnaround, which can only happen in the world of Hashem: the deal became complicated and an argument broke out with Hamas and it was decided to advance the next phase of the release in which Agam would be released, and to carry it out on Thursday!

Note, Agam’s group is the only one that was not released on Shabbos, exactly as her mother requested: “Please do not desecrate the holy day because of us.”

Omer Shem Tov was released on Shabbos, Parshas Mishpatim. His mother, Shelly Shem Tov, says that exactly one year before, on the Shabbos of Parshas Mishpatim 5784, she kept her first Shabbos, and since then she has continued to keep every Shabbos! No wonder that Omer was released on that very Shabbos!

Good Shabbos!

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