Last week’s parashah ended with Moshe’s face being so radiant that they had to cover it with a veil – they were afraid to come near him. Why would God’s radiance make the people back away? Perhaps the light from his face reminded them of their dark side, their yetzer ha rah, bringing the failure of the golden calf to light. Immediately Moshe (vayakhel – kahal) gathered the entire community together to repeat to them what GOD (צִוָּ֥ה tziva) was commanding them to do. This act would show them GOD’s true nature, His pure love which would allow them to be forgiven and begin again. What a relief and a hope that holds for us.
Moshe begins with the Sabbath Day, which is so close to GOD’s heart yet has been ignored or adulterated by most humanity. It is the day when no work is to be done, i.e., no salary is to be earned, or the consequences would lead to death. How can we possibly understand all the ramifications of not observing the Fourth Commandment since it is one of the Chukkim? But a Remez (a Hint) of its meaning is that when we were slaves, we had no choice but to follow our taskmasters; now God wanted us to learn to follow Him, the One who gives us freedom. We were never meant to be a slave to the arduous rules that have been imposed upon the Shabbat nor was it supposed to be only for the Jews. It was introduced at the very beginning of creation as we read in Genesis 2 verses 1-3 “And God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it; because in it He rested from all His work which in creating God had made.” There were no Jews yet; for all of His creation. I recently watched a documentary showing that even animals instinctively rest on Shabbat.
Furthermore, Exodus 31: 16 -17 states: “Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant. It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever….” What is the purpose of a sign? Artificial Intelligence (AI) tells us: “Signs convey information, instructions, or warnings to people, using words, symbols, or pictures, and play a crucial role in traffic control, safety, and navigation. Applying this definition to Shabbat takes on an entirely new meaning. Above all, it is a sign of the existence of the Creator for all humanity.
If we look at Shabbat today we see that over 2000 years ago the Roman world changed it to Sunday. The Islamic world changed it to Friday and the rest of the world pretty much ignores it. Several cultures have tried to change it to an eight-day week including the Beatles in their song, Eight Days A Week. When we change any of GOD’s commandments, we actively challenge Him. Later in Deut. 4:2, Moses will warn us, “You shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish anything from it, so that you may keep the commandments of your Sovereign God…” Any religion or culture that changes His Words opens a Pandora’s Box for humanity. That is the root of what the world is facing today. How do we fix it when everyone insists they are right?
On Mt. Sinai, Moses was shown reflections of the heavenly pattern of the Mishkan to be replicated on earth where the Creator would dwell among His people. Moshe states that those with willing hearts were to take items of various value to construct a place where the people would “assemble” vayakhel, to hear from their Creator. He was forming His community, and He invited כׇל־חֲכַם־לֵ֖ב kol chacham lev, all those with a wise heart to come and fashion what God had commanded. In this way they could make restitution for their own design…the golden calf. He didn’t point the finger at what they had done like we humans tend to do, instead, they were immediately redirected to create something that would restore and rebuild the integrity of the “community”. God wants to restore us not to destroy us. We do that to ourselves.
Moshe wasted no time introducing Betzalel, whom GOD had chosen to head the project. He was from Judah, the tribe that would later bring us great kings and a future messiah-like hero for whom the world awaits. Betzalel was endowed with ר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֑ים Ruach Elohim, a Divine spirit of wisdom, with the inspiration to design, the ability to give direction and the knowledge necessary to complete the work. The other skilled leader who was chosen was Aholiav of the tribe of Dan. Unlike the illustrious future foreshadowed by Judah, the tribe of Dan which means “He has judged me” would be a constant reminder of our idolatrous nature. No one would be left out of our community, from the one held in the highest esteem to the lowest.
When Moshe was told, “The people are bringing more than is needed for the tasks entailed in the work that יהוה has commanded to be done” he ordered the people to stop bringing to the sanctuary. This is the heart that is still reflected in the people of Israel to this day …we are a people generous to a fault. We share our gifts with the world especially to our own, even when we are not appreciated.
The remainder of this parashah repeats the details of the Mishkan and its furnishings shown to Moshe on Sinai. The same heavenly standards by which they were constructed are to be followed to build and rebuild our lives.
What can we learn from this parashah today? To me, it is all about the value of being part of God’s community.
I can remember the days before Kehilat She’ar Yashuv. The first half of my life led me in the direction of loss and misery. In 1989 I was introduced to Jesus as my savior but as a Jew, I had doubts. I had a willing heart to use my gifts, but I was crying out for a congregation, a community where I could learn the truth. I had followed a long path of idolatry without understanding what I had been involved in, like so many of my people do, like the path that the tribe of Dan would later choose. I experienced its horrible consequences and I wanted to follow the One and only GOD. But Who was He? How would I recognize Him when so many of the religions and ideologies I had been involved with over the years seemed true at the time…until each led to a dead-end?
It was the 1980s and the Messianic movement was beginning to flourish. There were congregations, fellowships and Home Bible Study groups sprouting up all over Canada, the US, Europe and Israel. I visited many of them but wondered where I could serve and take my offerings and my talents. Most of these congregations followed Christian teachings of every flavor so I prayed and begged GOD to send someone to Montreal to teach me the right way. I was tired of following false teachers. One day, in 1992, a Ladino-speaking Jewish man arrived with his family. He was the Betzalel who would head the building of our Mishkan. I will never forget the excitement of those early days. Willing hearts showed up at every stage of the development of this congregation to help with every practical aspect from the legal work needed to incorporate us as a charity, to the design of our location and its furnishings.
There were so many battles and challenges to overcome and as I sit here today I am in awe when I remember all the little miracles that allowed us to function as a community. We had gatherings almost every night and Shabbat was a delight for us. Thousands passed through our doors throughout the years and congregations sprouted up everywhere based on our example. Our rabbi who, in those early days simply said, “Call me Percy”, challenged every belief that did not stand up to the Torah. If the Jesus or Yeshua in whom we believed did not teach what lined up with the truth of the Torah then we were to question the writers of what he called the so-called New Testament. He, like Moses, was a force to be contended with and contend he did. He was one of the most misunderstood people I have ever met, but then, aren’t most of us who choose to live outside the box of standardized religions? Over the years, he taught us how to think for ourselves, with a Hebraic mindset, and most importantly, how to live Torah.
Our furnishings were not like the grandiose golden ones of the original Mishkan, but they were the golden principles of the Torah that we were learning to live by. We weren’t trying to construct the most beautiful building because GOD could never live in a building. We were rebuilding our lives which would emulate the mishkan, shining and golden from within, lit by GOD’s Menorah, His Ruach. His principles would shine like the menorah in our hearts. Our exterior can emulate the exterior of the Mishkan, which was made of goat’s hair. Goat’s hair was woven into mohair which has a natural sheen and lustre, with a shiny and silky appearance. It is durable and resilient with a halo effect around the yarn.
Today we remember our rabbi as we remember Betzalel and Aholiav. The Mishkan they built is no longer necessary since we are to be the living temples. However, we need to regard the community as one of the most essential elements of this saga. Without community we are isolated, and isolation leads to death. That is evident in today’s world. Without Shabbat to bring us together, one day is like the next. Without the Torah, there is no rulebook on how to live and without the Creator, there is no hope. Today Kehilat She’ar Yashuv which means ‘the Remnant Shall Return, is proof that a small community can thrive if there exists a group of people who have willing hearts to give their first fruits, both financially and their time.
One of the challenges of this community is answering the question: “What kind of congregation are you?” No one asked that to the ancient Israelites because they were defined by one phrase, “All that God says, we will do, and we will hear.” They were defined not by their many failures but by their willingness to never give up, to be obedient to the words of their Creator and to learn to trust Him throughout their forty-year journey in the desert. You and I are on that same journey. When we fail and we will, we know that God has our back and that we can get up and start again. In that lies our hope and the hope for the world. Radiance doesn’t just happen. Moshe kept moving forward even when he wanted to quit. He was obedient to the end. It’s easy to be jealous of what others have but nothing happens if we don’t find the courage to take a step forward and trust God and the process. We can’t keep repeating the same thing over and over and expect different results. It begins with a willing heart used for the good of everyone in the community. It’s the community that counts. Let’s ask ourselves, “Where do I stand in building our community?”
Shabbat Shalom
Peggy Pardo