VaYakhel-Pekuday is a double
portion in which Moshe relays G-d's command to the nation of Israel to build
the Tabernacle. As a prologue he restates the prohibition against working on
Shabbos, which is more or less a paraphrase of the epilogue given by G-d after
he has completed instructing Moshe how to build the Temple in the desert. Rashi explains that even
though they have been charged with these labors never the less they do not take
precedence over the Shabbos (לדחות את השבת)
(see Shmos 31:13). This echoes the injunction in the Talmud, "Liability is
incurred only for the same work which was performed in the Tabernacle"
(Shabbos 49b).
The Chumash uses the word מלאכה (malacha) which reflects a slightly
different mentality from todays. The word is used constantly in connection with
the construction of the Mishkan and all articles associated with it. When
production is completed everything is brought to Moshe. The articles are
individually listed and it specifically says that "Moshe saw all of the
malacha", (Shmos 39:43). The articles include the building itself (more
precisely a pavilion), its furniture and appliances with their associated
utensils, clothing, jewelry, fragrances, and oils. Bread is not mentioned in this
paragraph, but is listed in the original instructions to the nation (Shmos
35:13) and is labeled along with everything else as malacha (ibid 21). The
Chumash describes the crafts as acts of wisdom and one can clearly see from the
Rashi on Shmos 30:17 (ד"ה וינפש)
that they involved a degree of exertion (טורח).
Accordingly, one can infer that malacha is a physically productive craft often
involving skill and effort.
To a certain extent a man's home
is in the image of the Temple.
It is really not an exaggeration to say that the Temple in one form or another encompasses all
the articles that a human for which needs to live plus luxury items, as well as
all of the crafts needed to produce them. The Mishna (Shabbos 7:2) analyzes
these crafts and breaks them down into 39 activities comprising four
categories; 1) bread making, 2) clothes making, 3) production of leather, 4)
construction and other sundry crafts. One can look at this loosely as articles
for food, clothing, and shelter. There are three sundry crafts. One is writing,
obvious used to produce literature. Another is pick ups and deliveries which
are an integral part of sales, purchases, and barter. The third is use of fire
which is an essential tool for many crafts.
This Mishna is the source of
considerable discussion in the Gemara particularly between the two tanaim Rabbi
Shimon bar Yochai and Rabbi Yehuda. The central issue can be more or less
labeled as a craft whose product is not needed (מלאכה
שאינו צריך גופו) particularly if it is not performed in a professional way. Sowing
seeds is an integral part of agricultural production and certainly forbidden.
However what if somebody merely throws a fruit pit on the ground. The activity
has been performed in a non professional way and the person is apathetic or
even negative about its outcome. Is it still intrinsically forbidden?
Rabbi Shimon tends to be lenient
and Rabbi Yehuda strict. The issue can be broadened and narrowed in various
ways yielding different conclusions that are not always consistent with human
logic.
Another question is that of
remuneration. The Halacha generally takes a dim view of this but does not
absolutely forbid it. It comes out if a person's activities add to the enjoyment
of Shabbos are not otherwise forbidden, financial compensation is often
acceptable. In addition some sort of ruse may be positive. Examples would be
serving food at a synagogue affair or giving somebody food as if it's a gift or
loan with the understanding that payment will be given after Shabbos. This
concept also has broader applications. On the other side preparing for a
scholastic test on a religious topic things would be undesirable even though the
studies are of a religious nature.
Shabbos though has a quality that
is greater than simply taking a break. This idea is captured in Gemara Shabbos
10b, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, I have a precious gift
in My treasure house, called the Shabbos, and desire to give it to Israel; go
and inform them". The idea is that through the cessation of work we begin
to draw down an ethereal quantity called Shabbos that has a character of its
own. What is it, though? Part of the essence of Shabbos seems to be included in
the word וינפש, from the phrase, "and on the seventh
day He ceased from work (שבת)
and imbued Himself with spirit (וינפש)",
(Shmos 31:17). The root of the word in nefesh נפש,
however it is in the form of a verb more or less passive.
This is consistent with the idea
that a man is a soul clothed in a body. Six days a week we tend to the needs of
the body. However on the seventh day we exclusively tend to the needs of the
soul. There are different are different words with varying meanings for soul.
נפש refers to the vitalizing life force of the
body. If it is possible to say, the soul is also a piece of G-d. The essence of
Shabbos is it is a day of getting close to G-d by means of the nefesh. We do
this in various ways. One is by enunciating praises to Him. This is done
through the synagogue liturgy and zmiros at the Shabbos table. Another way is
through studying the sacred literature
(לימודי קדש),
primarily to know G-d's ways and His Will. It is best though if we study things
we like or feel obligated to know. A third way is to make the day special by
eating nice meals with good beverage and wearing nice clothes. In addition a
person should do some things that they simply enjoy so as to call a Shabbos a
pleasure. The ultimate message is that no matter how high a task may be, we
must spend one day a week in which we consciously set aside the needs of
physical and devote ourselves to the needs of the spiritual.
>>>>>>> ##### ^^^^^^^^ ##### <<<<<<<
A
discussion of the craftsmanship that went into the Temple and its furnishings and how they
relate to resting on Shabbos as well as related concepts of soul and spirit
To download Audio click: https://www.box.com/s/esezr3rgupq9wkwzju31
To read on Blogger click
http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com/2013/03/vayakhel-pekuday-soul-of-shabbos.html
תרגום
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דיון במלאכה שבמשכן וכליו וכיצד הם
קשורים למנוחה בשבת, וגם מושגים הקשורים לנפש ורוח
In Memory of my mother
Molly Booth Schreiber ז"ל
לע"נ אמי מלכה בת חיים ז"ל
16 Nisan 5758 טז נוסן תשנ"ח
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