18 Mar PARASHAT VAYAKHEL: MAKING SHABBAT

Parashat Vayakhel begins
with Moshe Rabbenu
assembling Beneh
Yisrael to convey to them
the commands for the
building of the Mishkan.
But before speaking about the Mishkan, Moshe
first told the people that they must observe
Shabbat each week.
The Rabbis explained that the mitzvah of
Shabbat is connected to the construction of the
Mishkan because the 39 melachot, or categories
of activity that are forbidden on Shabbat, are
derived from the building of the Mishkan.
The 39 types of work that were needed for the
building of the Mishkan are the 39 types of work
which are prohibited on Shabbat.
We must ask, why is this the case? Why is
it specifically these categories of work – the
activities needed when the Mishkan was built –
that the Torah forbids us to do on Shabbat?
To understand this connection between Shabbat
and the Mishkan, let us briefly look at a pasuk
in last week’s parashah, Parashat Ki-Tisa,
regarding the mitzvah of Shabbat observance:
V’shamru Bnei Yisrael Et Hashabbat, La’assot
Et Hashabbat L’dorotam – “Beneh Yisrael shall
observe Shabbat, to make Shabbat for all their
generations” (31:16). It is significant that the
Torah here describes Shabbat observance as an

action, as something that we are to do, or produce
– La’assot. We would have assumed that we
observe Shabbat by not doing, by refraining
from certain things, by not going to work, by
not driving, by not turning on our phones, by not
cooking, and so on. To our surprise, the Torah
commands us to “make” Shabbat – La’assot Et
Hashabbat. What does this mean?
The answer is that we are to make Shabbat
a special day, a sacred day, a day of spiritual
elevation. Someone who thinks that all he needs
to do on Shabbat is refrain from the activities
that are forbidden will not properly observe
Shabbat. It goes without saying that abstaining
from these activities is crucially important. But
that is not enough. We need to “make” Shabbat
by utilizing it not just for physical rest, but for
kedushah, for spirituality, to grow and to deepen
our connection with Hashem.
We might draw an analogy to a spouse who
simply checks off everything on the list of
obligations to the other spouse. Practically, the
spouse does everything required, but he or she
does not invest time or emotional energy into
the relationship, and does not work to build an
emotional connection. Nobody would consider
this person a good spouse. Checking all the
boxes isn’t enough. The couple is expected to
build something far more special and far more
meaningful than just a practical arrangement

whereby each side fulfills certain responsibilities.
The same is true of Shabbat. Even if we ensure
to avoid doing everything that is forbidden on
Shabbat, we haven’t properly observed Shabbat
unless we “make” Shabbat, turning it into a
special day, a day of kedushah.
This explains the connection between Shabbat
and the Mishkan. Shabbat is to time what
the Mishkan is to space. Just as the Mishkan
is a special place of sanctity, distinct from
everywhere else, so must Shabbat be a special
time of holiness that is completely different
from every other day. Shabbat cannot be just a
Sunday without driving and without phones. It
must be a Mishkan, a time when we reconnect
with our families, with Torah, and with Hashem.
Not coincidentally, the Torah begins this
parashah by telling us that Moshe assembled
Beneh Yisrael: Vayakhel Moshe Et Kol Adat
Bnei Yisrael, Since time immemorial, Shabbat
has been a time of gathering, when Jews come
together for prayer, for Torah learning, and
for spiritual elevation. A key component of
“making” Shabbat is Vayakhel, coming to shul
for prayer and attending Torah classes. This is
one of the important ways we make a Shabbat
a sacred day.
A second way is indicated by Moshe’s instruction
to the people in this parashah: “You shall not

kindle a fire in all your residences on the day
of Shabbat” (35:3). Of all the many different
Shabbat prohibitions, lighting a fire is the only
one which is stated explicitly by the Torah.
The explanation might be that the Torah here is
teaching us to keep away the “fire” of stress and
negativity on Shabbat. Throughout the week,
we “light fire,” dealing with the stresses and
struggles of life, and exposing ourselves to all
the negativity in the media and social media. On
Shabbat, all this needs to be kept out. If Shabbat
is going to be our “Mishkan,” an experience of
kedushah, we need to block out all the noise, all
the tension, the controversies, the arguments,
and the struggles. Shabbat must be a day of
peace, joy and serenity, free of the “fire” of
negativity.
Let us make a commitment to not just keep
Shabbat, but to “build” Shabbat like our
ancestors built a Mishkan, making it a special
day that uplifts us and rejuvenates both our
bodies and our souls.