Rav Etan's D'var Torah for Shabbat Mevarchim Parshat Hachodesh Vayakhel-Pekudei

In this week’s parsha, Moshe gathers the entire nation, vayakhel Moshe et kol edat B’nai Yisrael, to teach them about the construction of the tabernacle. However, he interrupts the directions about the tabernacle with the commandment to observe Shabbat.

This is not the only time in the Torah that Shabbat is interwoven with the mishkan. In fact, the entire basis of the laws of Shabbat prohibitions, the 39 melachot, are derived from the juxtaposition of Shabbat and the mishkan in the Torah. On this verse, Rashi posits that Shabbat precedes mishkan to teach us that though they are both important spiritual endeavors, the building of the tabernacle does not supersede the observance of Shabbat.

In today’s world, if mishkan represents synagogue and communal gathering, Shabbat represents home observance. Both are sacred ways to find holiness and Godliness. One involves communal gathering, and the other takes place even without community, in one’s private domain too. It’s not only that Shabbat supersedes tabernacle in terms of construction, but the message may also be the primacy of personal observance over communal. Yes, we usually celebrate Shabbat as a community, but Shabbat comes every week regardless of where you are; whether you are on a deserted island or stuck on the 6^th floor of your apartment in Baltimore City. Inherently, the holiness of mishkan is only when you are physically inside of it.

It is so important, especially in these times, to take responsibility for creating our own sanctity of Shabbat, and while no doubt it’s more difficult now without the communal infrastructure and gatherings in our own mishkan, in our own synagogue, this allows us the opportunity to strengthen our own “Shabbat muscles.” In truth, we should never become dependent on community alone for our own personal spirituality.

As Rashi said, mishkan eino doche et HaShabbat, mishkan does not supersede Shabbat. This Shabbat, and for all future Shabbatot, even when we are back together in the sanctuary, let’s each take ownership of creating holiness.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rav Etan