Musar do Wyjścia 35:36

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל. The Zohar on this verse, Sullam edition Vayakhel page 10, deals at length with the rule that women should not mix with the men during a funeral procession. We are quoting only excerpts. Rabbi Shimon begins by saying that most people do not die before their allotted time unless they did not take care of themselves. The angel of death is present amongst the women during a funeral. At that time he has the opportunity to seduce the women, an ability he has already demonstrated when he seduced the first woman in גן עדן. There is an ancient custom to try and confuse Satan (the angel of death) by blowing the shofar when somebody dies or during a funeral. During the procession permission is granted to Satan to be active and, having examined their faces, to select his victims. The Zohar goes on to explain how to arrange funeral processions so that men and women should not face each other, and so that the men should not walk where the women had walked before, all this so as to neutralise the power of the angel of death. During the episode of the golden calf, the angel of death danced amongst the Jewish people, having a field day. When Moses observed this he assembled all the men by themselves so as to neutralise the power of the angel of death. The men were prohibited from mingling with the women until the donations for the Tabernacle were collected. This is the meaning of 35,22: "The men came with the women." It is significant that the Torah does not say: "The men brought (donations) with the women." The Torah wanted to point out that from the episode of the golden calf until the building of the Tabernacle the men were kept aloof from the women. Only then did the angel of death depart from the camp.

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל. The Zohar on this verse, Sullam edition Vayakhel page 10, deals at length with the rule that women should not mix with the men during a funeral procession. We are quoting only excerpts. Rabbi Shimon begins by saying that most people do not die before their allotted time unless they did not take care of themselves. The angel of death is present amongst the women during a funeral. At that time he has the opportunity to seduce the women, an ability he has already demonstrated when he seduced the first woman in גן עדן. There is an ancient custom to try and confuse Satan (the angel of death) by blowing the shofar when somebody dies or during a funeral. During the procession permission is granted to Satan to be active and, having examined their faces, to select his victims. The Zohar goes on to explain how to arrange funeral processions so that men and women should not face each other, and so that the men should not walk where the women had walked before, all this so as to neutralise the power of the angel of death. During the episode of the golden calf, the angel of death danced amongst the Jewish people, having a field day. When Moses observed this he assembled all the men by themselves so as to neutralise the power of the angel of death. The men were prohibited from mingling with the women until the donations for the Tabernacle were collected. This is the meaning of 35,22: "The men came with the women." It is significant that the Torah does not say: "The men brought (donations) with the women." The Torah wanted to point out that from the episode of the golden calf until the building of the Tabernacle the men were kept aloof from the women. Only then did the angel of death depart from the camp.

The mystical dimension of tithes and the mystical dimension of blessings all lead us to the same source. This is all alluded to in the verse telling us that Isaac found מאה שערים, "one hundred gates." The number one hundred is important both allegorically and halachically: Menachot 43 states that everyone is duty bound to recite one hundred ברכות, benedictions, daily. This number is based on the blessings extended by G–d to Isaac here in our פרשה when he reaped one hundred times as much as expected. Rekanati writes about this as follows: Kabbalists have described the "higher" world as consisting of one hundred "gates." Each "gate" is to be perceived as a fountain of blessings. Isaac ינק, suckled, i.e. absorbed from each one of these "gates." When the Tabernacle had one hundred silver sockets (Exodus 35,27), they symbolized these one hundred sources of blessings. Every single אדן, socket, was a בית קבול, receptacle (for heavenly blessing). Thus far the Rekanati.

ראה קראתי בשם בצלאל בן אורי בן חור. Anyone who is a leader of the Jewish people has to be endowed with superior wisdom and needs to be approved for his task by both G–d and the people whom he represents. Rabbi Yochanan made the appointment of communal leaders subject to a referendum (Berachot 55). He based this ruling on the verse quoted above (31,2). If the leader has found G–d's approval, why would he also need the people's approval? The Talmud describes there that G–d asked Moses if Betzalel was acceptable to him to which Moses replied "If he is acceptable to You how can he not be acceptable to me?" G–d explained that Betzalel must also have his approval. When Moses subsequently asked the Israelites if Betzalel was acceptable to them they answered that if he was the choice of both G–d and Moses he must certainly be their choice also. Israel's response seemed to lack logic, especially the statement that if a leader was acceptable to G–d he must be even more acceptable to them!

לא תבערו אש בכל מושבותיכם ביום השבת. The word "fire" here is an allusion to the destructive fire engendered by strife and anger. One needs to be careful not to allow oneself to become angry so that the fire of that hatred should not consume one. The "fire" is an allusion to the fire of purgatory that one would suffer from as a result..

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל. Why are all the members of the nation included here, whereas when the donations are discussed in chapter 25 Moses was content to receive gifts from כל איש, every man? The Zohar Sullam edition Vayakhel page 3 asks and adds a further question. Why did Moses describe the donations for the building of the Tabernacle (35,5) as קחו מאתכם, "take from you," whereas when Moses was commanded about this in Exodus 25,2 G–d described the donations ויקחו לי תרומה, as "a donation for Me?" The answer given is that Moses first received this commandment prior to the sin of the golden calf. At that time G–d included the mixed multitude in the list of people from whom He would accept these donations, hence the emphasis on מאת כל איש, from everybody. Moses relayed this instruction to the Jewish people on the morrow of the Day of Atonement, after the episode of the golden calf. That whole episode was caused by the mixed multitude. This is why the Torah emphasised that Moses assembled "the whole congregation of the Children of Israel," thereby excluding those converts who were not descended from Jacob. In order to emphasise this further, Moses instructed: "take from you, not from the mixed multitude."

ויקהל משה את כל עדת בני ישראל. Why are all the members of the nation included here, whereas when the donations are discussed in chapter 25 Moses was content to receive gifts from כל איש, every man? The Zohar Sullam edition Vayakhel page 3 asks and adds a further question. Why did Moses describe the donations for the building of the Tabernacle (35,5) as קחו מאתכם, "take from you," whereas when Moses was commanded about this in Exodus 25,2 G–d described the donations ויקחו לי תרומה, as "a donation for Me?" The answer given is that Moses first received this commandment prior to the sin of the golden calf. At that time G–d included the mixed multitude in the list of people from whom He would accept these donations, hence the emphasis on מאת כל איש, from everybody. Moses relayed this instruction to the Jewish people on the morrow of the Day of Atonement, after the episode of the golden calf. That whole episode was caused by the mixed multitude. This is why the Torah emphasised that Moses assembled "the whole congregation of the Children of Israel," thereby excluding those converts who were not descended from Jacob. In order to emphasise this further, Moses instructed: "take from you, not from the mixed multitude."

Although we are all familiar with the comments of our sages who designated all those categories of work which had to be performed in the construction of the Tabernacle as the basic list of forbidden activities on the Sabbath, we must find a better reason why these activities are forbidden on pain of death. Why did they have to draw a parallel with the construction of the Tabernacle? Would it not have sufficed for the Torah to say: "Six days you shall perform work and on the seventh day you must rest?" The Mechilta on 35,2 claims that if we observe the Sabbath legislation the various items on the list are apt to be performed for us by Gentiles. This is the reason the word "you will perform" is expressed in this verse passively, i.e. "will be performed." We may find historical evidence for the truth of this interpretation in the statement in Berachot that the pious people of earlier generations were able to pursue their Torah study without interruption because others attended to their mundane needs. The sages wanted to point out that even in our time such a state of affairs was possible, i.e. that the work to be performed during the six days could be performed by others for those who devoted themselves to Torah in the proper manner. Another difficulty in the wording of our text is that we would have expected the Torah to use the indefinite article U-veyom hashvii instead of Uvayom hashvii when referring to the seventh day.

We find that Moses was most insistent that G–d personally proclaim who would look after Israel's temporal needs; the Torah quotes Moses as using strong language in this regard in Numbers 27,15. Moses' request is introduced with the most unusual wording: וידבר משה אל ה' לאמור, Both the word וידבר, and the word לאמור are unusual. To whom did Moses expect G–d to relay his words? The Ari zal suggests that Moses was adamant that all the various layers of the heavens be informed who Israel's פרנס, economic leader would be.

זה הדבר אשר צוה ה' לאמר. This is the word G–d commanded to say." Why does Moses here more than anywhere else have to stress that it was G–d who commanded what he was about to tell the people? It is understandable that, when Moses appointed his brother Aaron as High Priest, he made a point of stating that the appointment was made at the behest of G–d so that he would not be accused of showing special favour to members of his family, but here there seems no apparent reason for Moses' concern?

Rabbenu Bachyah comments on the repeated use of the word משכן in 38,21, that this is a hint that the Tabernacle in our world stood "opposite" the Sanctuary in the Celestial Regions. We know this also from Exodus 15,17: מכון לשבתך פעלת ה', "You have made a place for You to dwell in." The word מכון should be read as מכוון, "corresponding" to the Sanctuary in Heaven. This places the importance of the Tabernacle on earth on a par with the creation of the universe. In connection with the universe, Isaiah 40,22, speaks about G–d "who spread out the skies like gauze, stretched them out like a tent to dwell in," whereas in connection with the Tabernacle on earth the Torah says: "You shall make cloths of goats' hair for a tent over the Tabernacle." In connection with the creation of the universe the Psalmist (Psalms 104,2) speaks about נוטה שמים כיריעה, "He stretches the heavens like a tent-doth." During the process of creation we read (Genesis 1,9) "Let the waters concentrate in one place," whereas in connection with the construction of the Tabernacle the Torah instructs the making of a copper basin to contain all the water used in the Tabernacle by the priests. During the creation the Torah speaks about the creation of luminaries, whereas during the construction of the Tabernacle the making of a candlestick is commanded. The winged creatures mentioned during the process of creation are matched in the Tabernacle by the cherubs spreading their wings over the Holy Ark. Whereas the creation of Adam represented the highlight of the act of creation, the highlight of the construction of the Tabernacle was reached when G–d told Moses to appoint Aaron as High Priest (Exodus 28,1). The completion of the work of creation was announced by the words: ויכלו השמים והארץ, whereas the completion of the work on the Tabernacle was described by the Torah as ותכל כל עבודת משכן (39,32). Whereas the Torah reported that G–d blessed the seventh day (Genesis 2,3), Moses blessed the Tabernacle and sanctified it and all its utensils (39,43). The Torah reported G–d as resting on the seventh day, (Genesis 2,3), whereas in connection with the Tabernacle the Torah stated: "You shall perform your work during six days and the seventh day shall be holy" (35,2). After all this the Torah said: "Take from yourselves a donation" Thus far the comment of Rabbenu Bachyah.

When G–d began the work of Creation, He said: "Let there be light," the foundation of fire. There is both visible and hidden fire. This is the mystical dimension of the Torah's commandment in Exodus 35,3: לא תבערו אש בכל מושבותיכם ביום השבת. "Do not light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath day." The Torah singled out this prohibition of work (whereas none of the other 38 basic prohibitions of work is named).

When we look at the Sabbath from this vantage point, we can understand the phrase ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קודש שבת שבתון. If the meaning of this verse had been that the seventh day should serve as Sabbath, the Torah should have written: ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה ויום השביעי וגו', "Six days work shall be performed and the seventh day shall be holy, etc.," instead of "and on the seventh day, etc." As it is the Torah wishes to tell us that "on the seventh day everything, including unfinished tasks from the sixth day should be considered as completed." The repetition of the words שבת שבתון together with the emphasis on the word יום also suggests that even if work is being performed the holy character of the Sabbath day itself does not cease. It is clear that this occurred immediately after the Day of Atonement, which is also known as שבת שבתון (Leviticus 23,32). The element of קדושה on the Sabbath comes from above יהיה לכם קודש (35,2), i.e. you receive the נשמה יתירה.

To get back to our main subject, that of "they shall take for Me," i.e. for My Name, which we described earlier as being a reference to G–d in His capacity as His Essence. This holds true for the instructions given by G–d to Moses. When Moses relayed these instructions to the Jewish people in Exodus 35,1 where he assembled the whole nation, he used somewhat different language. The words כל עדת בני ישראל, were an allusion to the concept of כנסת ישראל. Since G–d had told Moses that He wanted the contributions to be dedicated to His Ineffable Name, and that in that capacity He remains concealed, the only way a union between the people's gifts and G–d in His capacity as His Essence could be achieved was by interposing the כנסת ישראל. This concept was represented by the word ויקהל, alluding as it does to the verse from Psalms 68,27 the meaning of which we have discussed earlier.

We must appreciate that when G–d created different worlds, He named, i.e. formed and defined them by means of a combination of the letters of the alphabet. Our sages say that Betzalel understood the mystery of the combinations of all of these letters which make up the names [definitions] of all things found in this world (Berachot 55 based on the word שם in Exodus 35,30). Early man, who was still בצלם אלוקים, was still able to understand the significance of the names of G–d, and used these names to serve Him in holiness and love in order to cleave to Him. This condition came to an end with the generation of Enosh, as we have explained earlier based on Bereshit Rabbah. When we read in Genesis 4,26 that during the lifetime of Enosh אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה', "then one began to profane the name of the Lord," the meaning is that people no longer used His Name in holiness but desecrated it. The expression הוחל indicates something that is profane, חולין. This situation continued until the advent of the deluge. When the Torah speaks about המה הגבורים אשר היו מעולם אנשי השם, "they were the heroes of old, men of the "Name" (Genesis 6,4), this means that these people used the name of G–d to manipulate the universe, as described in the Zohar, Sullam edition page 209. The expression אנשי השם in Genesis, and the expression ויקוב את השם in Leviticus 24,11, where the Torah refers to the blasphemer, suggests a similar misuse of the Holy Name of G–d in both instances. It was the ability of these people to use G–d's name in order to manipulate it that made them disregard the warnings of an impending deluge. All this is described at greater length in the Zohar. We find that the people of Jerusalem are described by the prophet Ezekiel 12,19 as also having displayed misplaced optimism concerning the prophecies of doom by Jeremiah. The people's very knowledge of G–d's name was what misled them. This is the justification for the reference in Ezekiel to these people as "dwellers in ruins" when in fact they were still dwelling in Jerusalem.