Musar su Esodo 31:27

Concerning the domain of הוד, we are told in Daniel 10,8: "My vigor was destroyed," i.e. הודדי נהפך למשחית. For these reasons the permissible distance one may walk outside one's city or abode respectively has been reduced to 2000 cubits. The technical term for this distance, called תחום, in Hebrew, can also be written as חותם by re-arranging its letters. [the word spelled thus alludes to the seal of G–d. Ed.] The numerical value of these last two words is 454, which is equal to three times the name of G–d א-ה-י-ה, when spelled as words instead of letters, thus: אלף-הי-יוד-הי=161.The second variant uses the letter ה when making up the letters as a word thus: אלף-הה-יוד-הה= 151. The third method uses the letter א when spelling the letters as words, i.e. אלף-הא-יוד-הא=143. When you add the three results of these variant spellings you obtain 455, the equivalent of תחום or חותם. [This method presumes that you add the digit 1 to represent the whole word rather than merely the letters, something called the כולל in the system of גימטריות. Ed.] Allegorically speaking, this is perceived of as a barrier against the קליפות "invading" the domain of the 2000 cubits until the night following the Sabbath. Once the Sabbath is over, the "seal," חותם, is removed, and the three emanations נצח, הוד, and יסוד resume their normal positions, allowing the קליפות to resume their dominion. When G–d is described at the completion of the process of Creation (referred to in Exodus 31,17, and recited by us every Sabbath), as וינפש, commonly translated as: "He rested," [or by Rabbi Hirsch as "He withdrew into Himself," Ed.] the question arises why the word נפש is used instead of such roots as רוח or נשמה, both far more appropriate to describe the activity of a spiritual Being. The simple reason is that in our world of עשיה the spiritual force present is called נפש. When this נפש returns to the world of עשיה it experiences pain because it has to share with or be close to the קליפות which abound in this world. A spiritual force of the level of רוח or higher would not experience such a pain when in the same domain or adjacent to the קליפות. Thus far the Ari zal.

Rabbi Abba son of Kahane in Vayikra Rabbah 11,2 quotes Proverbs 9,1-3: "Wisdom has built her house, when she has hewn her seven pillars. She has slaughtered the meat, mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, she cries out." He explains these verses as referring to the Tabernacle. He understands the words חכמות בנתה ביתה, "wisdom built her house," as a reference to Betzalel, concerning whom the Torah (Exodus 31,3) says: ואמלא אותו רוח אלוקים בחכמה בתבונה, "I have filled him with the spirit of G–d, with wisdom, etc." Rabbi Abba understands the words חצבה עמודיה שבעה, "she has hewn her seven pillars," as referring to the seven days of מלואים, consecration, during which Moses performed the service and Aaron and his sons prepared themselves for their holy task. The words טבחה טבחה, are understood as referring to the animals which served as the sacrifices, the words מסכה יינה refer to the drink-offerings; the words: אף ערכה שלחנה, refer to the לחם הפנים, the show breads. The words: שלחה נערותיה תקרא are a reference to Moses. The first verse in our פרשה reports that Moses called on Aaron, etc. Thus far the words of Rabbi Abba.

We have previously demonstrated Israel's relationship to the Tabernacle; here we may add Israel's specific relationship to the Sabbath legislation. Seeing that the Tabernacle was a re-enactment of the work of creation, and Israel, as the carrier of the מרכבה, is closely intertwined with the forces represented in the construction of the Tabernacle, we can understand why the 39 kinds of work prohibited on the Sabbath are the ones which were employed in the construction of the Tabernacle. [In the interest of preventing confusion, I have taken the liberty of considerably abbreviating the intricate series of allusions used by the author in this presentation. I trust that I have preserved the thrust of his argument intact. Ed.] Because the Sabbath represents a mystical element of the Ineffable Name, we have been forbidden to carry items from the "private domain," i.e. the domain represented by the Ineffable Name as י, as we showed earlier, to the public domain (which represents the number 4, as cubits) as we described. In a nutshell, before G–d created the physical universe, there was only a single domain, G–d's domain, the private domain; since G–d created a universe, there is an additional domain, the public domain, since G–d- by having created the universe- "shared" part of His previously exclusive private domain with His creatures. The principle of private and public domain thus became part of the creation, and is reflected in restrictions placed on the interaction of these domains on the Sabbath. Israel is described in numerous Midrashim as the בת זוג, mate of the Sabbath; this is because both Israel and the Sabbath are holy. In this portion Betzalel and the other divinely inspired artisans are commanded to observe the Sabbath regulations even during such a holy endeavour as the construction of the Tabernacle, because the Torah (31,13) says: אך את שבתותי תשמורו, "But you must observe My Sabbath days." We will come back to this subject in our discussion of פרשת ויקהל and פקודי.

Rashi disagrees with the words of the Zohar in פרשת כי תשא on 31,18 stating that the fact that the donations for the Tabernacle are not reported in the Torah until after the episode of the golden calf does not mean that Moses had not collected the donations already prior to it. The Torah is not obligated to report matters in a chronological order. [In our editions of Rashi there is a bracket which quotes another Zohar which specifically includes the mixed multitude in the donations for the Tabernacle basing itself on the words "from everybody;" Ed.] this statement is also found in the Midrash Tanchuma on פרשת תרומה. It is very puzzling why Rashi makes such an effort to use the verses in פרשת תרומה and פרשת ויקהל respectively to prove the principle that the Torah does not need to report events in chronological order. Whereas Rashi is quite correct in claiming that Moses communicated the instructions to bring donations for the building of the Tabernacle on the morrow of the Day of Atonement, but how do we know that he had withheld this information from the Jewish people since before they made the golden calf, i.e. for several months? Perhaps he himself had not been told about it until then?

We find the Torah described as G–d's, i.e. תורת ה'; we also find it described as Moses' Torah, i.e. תורת משה. I have dealt with this apparent anomaly in the introduction to my treatise called תולדות אדם as well as in my treatise מסכת שבועות. G–d gave Moses a number of general rules when He gave him the Torah. This is alluded to in Exodus 31,18: ויתן אל משה ככלתו לדבר אתו הר סיני, "G–d gave to Moses when He finished speaking with him at Mount Sinai, etc." Our sages in Shemot Rabbah 41,6 comment that this gift refers to the principles of Torah exegesis that G–d gave to Moses at that time. Moses realized then that there is an oral Torah also. G–d confirmed to Moses that this was indeed so. This is why the oral Torah is called תורת משה, i.e. Moses' bride. Once Moses had formed this relationship with his spiritual bride he gave up his physical bride, i.e. he no longer lived with his wife as man and wife. This is why the Zohar describes Moses' title as איש האלוקים with the words בעלה דמטרניתא, "husband of this spiritual 'matron'" (who has her root in the emanation תפארת and whose mystical dimension דעת was previously refined by passing through the emanations חכמה and בינה). We find a further allusion to this concept in Job 28,12: והחכמה מאין תמצא ואיזה מקום בינה, "But where can wisdom be found; where is the source of understanding?" The Tziyoni writes that the word מאין is the mystical dimension of the letters in the name משה. The numerical value of the word זנגזגאל, Moses' teacher, is the same as that of the word מאין, i.e. 101. [the angel that called to Moses from the burning bush, cf. Targum Yonathan ben Uzziel Exodus 3,2. Ed.] This number 101 is reminiscent of the statement of our sages that in order to ensure that one understands what one has learned one has to study it 101 times (Chagigah 9b). While it is true that the title איש אלוקים has been accorded by the Bible not only to Moses but to a total of ten personalities namely Elkanah, Samuel, David, Shayah, Iddo, Elijah, Elisha, Michah and Amotz, yet there is a difference between the other nine men and Moses. Whenever Moses is described by this title he is referred to as איש אלוקים. This means that he was the "husband" of the Divine i.e. the emanation מלכות, much as Elimelech is described as the husband of Naomi, i.e. איש נעמי in Ruth 1,3. The same term with the other prophets means "a man of G–d," i.e. someone who has displayed close affinity with G–d. Another difference which marks the description of Moses as איש אלוקים is that whenever Moses' name is mentioned in such a connection Moses' own personal name always precedes his description as איש האלוקים, such as in our portion in 33,1. The same does not hold true with the other men who have been accorded the title איש אלוקים. When our Rabbis stated: אין בעל מת אלא לאשתו, "a husband's death affects primarily his wife" (Sanhedrin 22a), they may well have alluded to the "marriage" between Moses and Matronita. When the period of mourning observed by Israel after Moses' death is described in the Torah (34,8) we find the expression: ויתמו ימי בכל אבל משה, "The days of weeping and mourning for Moses came to an end." Note that the numerical value of the word בכי, weeping is 32, and the word אבל is 33. Adding these two words you arrive at the numerical value of the current name of G–d א-ד-נ-י=65. Allegorically speaking, this means that Moses was mourned by his "wife" i.e. the (junior) attribute of G–d Matronita with whom he shared the last 40 years of his life on earth.

לחשוב מחשבות לעשות. There is a hint here that one should contemplate the deeper significance of the commandment one is in the process of performing.

While the Sabbath with its gift of the נשמה יתירה, the additional soul which inhabits every Jew on that day, represents one sixtieth of what the Sabbath in the future will hold, the Tabernacle too is conceived of as affording us a glimpse of one sixtieth of what the World to Come will be like. This is the deeper meaning of the statement in Shabbat 10 where G–d is quoted as telling Moses that He had a wonderful gift for him and the Jewish people called Sabbath. This is the reason for Exodus 31,13. G–d announced that He was going to bestow that gift. From this Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel derived the rule that one must inform the mother of a child if one wishes to give the child some bread (ibid.). The Talmud challenges this deduction, citing Rabbi Chama who wants to prove that one does not need to inform the recipient of a gift he will receive. He points out that upon his descent from Mount Sinai Moses was unaware of G–d's gift and only covered his forehead -which by then was emitting rays of light- after he became aware that the people had become afraid to approach him (34,29 32). The Talmud does not recognise a contradiction here, saying that matters which become common knowledge need not be announced by the donor beforehand. This argument is challenged by a scholar who asks: "Is not also the Sabbath something that becomes common knowledge, and yet the prohibition of work had to be announced?" The answer given to this is that the reward for observing the Sabbath is certainly not something that becomes common knowledge without being announced. [Rashi assumes that the reward, though not spelled out in the text, was announced by Moses orally. Ed.]

The Exodus from Egypt mentioned in this commandment is a reference to the renewal of מעשה בראשית. As mentioned in the fourth commandment, the Sabbath reminds us of the six days during which G–d created Heaven and Earth. The servant serves six years, corresponding to the six days of מעשה בראשית, and in the seventh year he goes out to freedom.

Berachot 10 asks whom David had in mind when he repeated the words ברכי נפשי five times in Psalm 103. The answer given is that David addressed himself to the relationship between G–d and the soul. The Talmud lists five aspects in which the soul is like G–d. Just as G–d fills the universe, so the soul fills the body. Just as G–d sees without being seen, so the soul sees without being seen. Just as G–d sustains the whole universe, so the soul sustains the whole body. Just as G–d is pure, so the soul is pure. Just as G–d resides within an inner sanctum, so the soul resides within the most hidden area of the body. David said that the soul, because it possesses these five features, is suitable to bless the Lord who excels in these five areas. The soul judges the body because of the five aspects in which it is similar to G–d. The author cites proof how the five attributes of G–d possessed by the soul affect man.

We are taught in Beytzah 16 by Rabbi Yochanan quoting Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, that G–d gave us all the commandments publicly, except the commandment to observe the Sabbath. We derive this from Exodus 31,17: "Between Me and the Children of Israel it is a sign forever." If indeed this is so, why would the Gentiles be liable to the death penalty for observing the Sabbath even if they did not know it was for Jews only? The answer is that the legislation to observe the Sabbath was certainly given publicly. It was the nature of the reward for this observance that remained a secret between G–d and the Jewish people. Another answer is that the nature of the reward was also public knowledge; it was the possession of a נשמה יתירה on that day by the Sabbath-observing Jew that remained a secret between us and G–d, for Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish stated that G–d equipped the Jew with an additional soul on the Sabbath eve, which is taken from him after the conclusion of the Sabbath. All of this is based on Exodus 31,17: וינפש, meaning כיון ששבת, וי אבדה נפש, "woe to the soul that was lost because it rested." Thus far the Talmud.

Personally, I believe that this idea is alluded to in the words: מחלליה מות יומת, "Those who desecrate it will be put to death" (Exodus 31,14). The Torah legislates (Numbers 28,9) that on the Sabbath day two sheep be offered as an additional public burnt-offering, i.e. שני כבשים The fact that these two sheep are lumped together in one expression [unlike the frequently used expression פרים … שנים. Ed.] requires analysis.

Let us return to the concept of the basic equality of the concepts of משכן and שבת. It is logical therefore that all the forbidden work-activities on the Sabbath are derived from activities performed in constructing the Tabernacle. This is also why in order to be culpable for transgressing these prohibitions they must have been performed intentionally. The Torah states that the construction of the Tabernacle involved לחשוב מחשבות, thoughtful planning (35,32). This means that everything that was made for use in the Tabernacle was designated to perform its function already when it was merely being processed, long before it became an integral part of the Tabernacle. The various artisans involved had to be familiar with the true significance of the parts they were fashioning, possibly even their mystical aspects. The author proceeds to point out the significance in the wording of the opening משנה of the tractate שבת, (which describes different elements of the act of transferring property from one domain to another), as applicable to the comparison between work performed on the Sabbath and work performed for the construction of the משכן. The work is described as , שתים שהן ארבע בפנים, ושתים שהן ארבע בחוץ, "two categories which are really four, internally, and two categories which are really four, externally." The expression חוץ, outside, is a reference to the negative prohibitions whose purpose is to keep the קליפות, negative, Satan-inspired, influences outside. The expression פנים refers to the positive commandments and their function to bring additional sanctity into our personality. This is also the reason the sages refer to the two different "headlines" of the Sabbath, i.e. זכור ושמור, as having been said בדבור אחד, "in one word." They view the observance of the negative commandments of the Sabbath legislation as no more than the other side of the coin called Sabbath, the first side symbolising the positive commandment זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. [compare Exodus 20,8 and Deuteronomy 5,12 respectively.] Matters concerning the performance of positive commandments are two-fold, i.e. they involve body and soul respectively. Both body and soul consist of hidden as well as revealed aspects. Thus we see that there are a total of four categories. The revealed aspect of the soul is the Torah. Our sages phrased this by stating לא איברי שבתות אלא לגירסא, "The only reason the Sabbath days were created is to enable Torah study to be pursued on those days." The Zohar elaborates that upon its return to the Celestial Regions after the Sabbath, the נשמה יתירה is asked what new Torah insights it had gained during its stay on earth on the Sabbath. By coming up with such new insights the soul is considered as having created new heavens. This is why the Midrash we quoted earlier compared Isaiah 40,22 to the construction of the tent-cloths for the Tabernacle in Exodus 26,1. The message in both statements is that man is able to perform creative acts.

The construction of the Tabernacle may be compared to the construction of the universe itself of which it is written: ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ, כונן שמים בתבונה, בדעתו תהומות נבקעו, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding. By His knowledge the depths were broken up" (Proverbs 3,19-20). We find a parallel statement when the Torah describes the appointment of Betzalel as the architect in charge of building the Tabernacle. Exodus 31,3 tells us that G–d endowed Betzalel with "a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, to cut stones, etc." Our sages in Berachot 55 say that Betzalel knew how to combine the letters of the Torah, the method by which the universe had been created by G–d. It follows that the Tabernacle was in effect the creation of a microcosm, a duplication of מעשה בראשית. [except that this creation did not start ex nihilo. Ed.] We expect to come back to this in detail when explaining the פרשיות of ויקהל and פקודי.

The construction of the Tabernacle may be compared to the construction of the universe itself of which it is written: ה' בחכמה יסד ארץ, כונן שמים בתבונה, בדעתו תהומות נבקעו, "The Lord founded the earth with wisdom; He established the heavens with understanding. By His knowledge the depths were broken up" (Proverbs 3,19-20). We find a parallel statement when the Torah describes the appointment of Betzalel as the architect in charge of building the Tabernacle. Exodus 31,3 tells us that G–d endowed Betzalel with "a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, to cut stones, etc." Our sages in Berachot 55 say that Betzalel knew how to combine the letters of the Torah, the method by which the universe had been created by G–d. It follows that the Tabernacle was in effect the creation of a microcosm, a duplication of מעשה בראשית. [except that this creation did not start ex nihilo. Ed.] We expect to come back to this in detail when explaining the פרשיות of ויקהל and פקודי.

The author brings a few more examples of the principle just mentioned. Among them he mentions that the use of the word חכמה in the plural, i.e. חכמות in Proverbs 9,1 alludes to the need to employ our physical as well as our mental faculties when building the "house," i.e. when Betzalel built the Tabernacle.

ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל. The word ואתה, occurs four times in connection with the construction of the Tabernacle and in each instance it appears to be superfluous. In Exodus 27,20, the word could have been omitted without changing the meaning of G–d's instructions to Moses. In 28,1 the Torah could have simply written: Karev! In 28,3 the Torah could have written: Dabber, and in 30,23 the Torah could have written: Kach lecha. We will concede that on the fifth occasion the Torah uses the word אתה, i.e. in connection with the commandment not to build the Tabernacle on the Sabbath (Exodus 31,13), there is some justification for use of the word אתה. G–d referred to the fact that Moses had a special standing relative to the Sabbath because it had been he who had chosen the Sabbath legislation while the Israelites were still in Egypt, something we mention every Sabbath morning in our liturgy when we recite: ישמח משה במתנת חלקו, "Moses rejoiced when he received his share, etc." The other four occasions when the Torah writes ואתה, present a serious difficulty.