shmuli gold and jason klein on rabbi goldin

Parsha: Pekuday

Shiur Reviewed: Rabbi Shmuel Goldin

Reviewed by: Shmuli Gold and Jason Klein

We start the process of the commandment and actual construction of the Mishkan starting in Parshat Vayakhel. Moshe gathers bnei yisroel and tells them the command of Hashem to construct the Mishkan. The purpose of Moshe gathering the people is to clearly to tell them about building the Mishkan, so why does he suddenly switch to talking about Shabbos? Why mention such an important mitzvah just on a whim and all of a sudden, pushed in to a speech about something else? 

We see that this paring of the building of the mishkan and shabbos is not as crazy as we may think. Previously in parshat ki sisa we see that Hashem while talking to moshe, He also combines the construction and shabbos, and we also see this happening throughout the rest of Vayikra where Hashem tells us to keep shabbos and “revere my sanctuary.” 

Rashi explains this connection by saying that these two mitzvot go hand in hand. Hashem is telling us to build Him a house for Him to rest, and a place in which we can worship Him, but the mentions shabbos to teach us, that although i want you to worship me and that is very imporatnt, but not important enough that the malacha and avodah are not more imporatnt and supreme than keeping shabbos. Another reason given as to why these two things are connected because the whole essence of the esur to do melacha on shabbos, is based on the avodah done in the mishkan. The torah tells us to refrain from doing melacha on shabbos but it doesn’t go into any form of specifics, which has lead to this interpretation by the chachamim and the essence of muktzah on shabbos as we know it today. 

From what we heard in the dvar Torah, we felt that the main point of his discussion is about the connection between shabbos and the building of the mishkan. we found the connection discussed throughout this dvar torah to be rather interesting and eye opening.The connection made between the two was to teach us the whole essence and basis for the esur of melacha on shabbos, stems from the avodah done in the mishkan. It also points out the important role that shabbos played in that time, and in the way we lead our lives today.