Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei

The parasha primarily deals with the instructions for building the Mishkan, the portable Tabernacle. But the first three verses open this way:

שמות ל״ה:א׳-ג׳

(א) וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת כָּל עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יקוק לַעֲשֹׂת אֹתָם. (ב) שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תֵּעָשֶׂה מְלָאכָה וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי יִהְיֶה לָכֶם קֹדֶשׁ שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן לַיקוק כָּל הָעֹשֶׂה בוֹ מְלָאכָה יוּמָת. (ג) לֹא תְבַעֲרוּ אֵשׁ בְּכֹל מֹשְׁבֹתֵיכֶם בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת.

Exodus 35:1-3

(1) And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said unto them: ‘These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should do them. (2) Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of solemn rest to the LORD; whosoever doeth any work therein shall be put to death. (3) Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.’

Remez: Looking at the word "אֵשׁ/fire"

שמות ג׳:ב׳

(ב) וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃

Exodus 3:2

(2) An angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed.

שמות י״ג:כ״א

(כא) וַֽיהוָ֡ה הֹלֵךְ֩ לִפְנֵיהֶ֨ם יוֹמָ֜ם בְּעַמּ֤וּד עָנָן֙ לַנְחֹתָ֣ם הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְלַ֛יְלָה בְּעַמּ֥וּד אֵ֖שׁ לְהָאִ֣יר לָהֶ֑ם לָלֶ֖כֶת יוֹמָ֥ם וָלָֽיְלָה׃

Exodus 13:21

(21) The LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, to guide them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, that they might travel day and night.

ויקרא י׳:א׳

(א) וַיִּקְח֣וּ בְנֵֽי־אַ֠הֲרֹן נָדָ֨ב וַאֲבִיה֜וּא אִ֣ישׁ מַחְתָּת֗וֹ וַיִּתְּנ֤וּ בָהֵן֙ אֵ֔שׁ וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ עָלֶ֖יהָ קְטֹ֑רֶת וַיַּקְרִ֜בוּ לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֵ֣שׁ זָרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹ֦א צִוָּ֖ה אֹתָֽם׃

Leviticus 10:1

(1) Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered before the LORD alien fire, which He had not enjoined upon them.

דברים ד׳:כ״ד

(כד) כִּ֚י יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֵ֥שׁ אֹכְלָ֖ה ה֑וּא אֵ֖ל קַנָּֽא׃

Deuteronomy 4:24

(24) For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, an impassioned God.

תהילים כ״ט:ז׳

(ז) קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ׃

Psalms 29:7

(7) The voice of the LORD kindles flames of fire;

Drash: Why do we begin with the commandment about Shabbat?

רש"י על שמות ל״ה:ב׳:א׳

(א) "ששת ימים" - הקדים להם אזהרת שבת לציווי מלאכת המשכן לומר שאינו דוחה את השבת

Rashi on Exodus 35:2:1

(1) "Six Days" - He (Moses) prefaced (the discussion of the details of) the work of the Mishkan with the warning to keep the Sabbath, denoting that it (i.e. the work of building the Tabernacle) does not supersede the Sabbath laws.

שבת קי״ח ב:ג׳-ד׳

(ג) אמר ר' חייא בר אבא א"ר יוחנן כל המשמר שבת כהלכתו אפי' עובד ע"ז [כדור] אנוש מוחלין לו ... אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי אלמלי משמרין ישראל שתי שבתות כהלכתן מיד נגאלים שנא'....

Shabbat 118b:3-4

(3) Whoever keeps Shabbat with all its laws, even if they worship idols like the generation of Enosh, they will be forgiven...If the Jews were to keep 2 Shabbatot they would be immediately redeemed...

According to the Sfas Emes (Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter, 1847-1905, the 2nd Gerrer Rebbe), the Torah makes a point of telling us that Moshe Rabbeinu gathered the entire nation together before commanding them to keep Shabbat, “וַיַּקְהֵל מֹשֶׁה אֶת־כָּל־עֲדַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל .../Moshe gathered the entire community of the children of Israel …” (Shmot 35:1). Regarding no other mitzvah does the Torah tell us that we were gathered together. Why here, before the mitzvah of Shabbot and building the Mishkan does the Torah mention that we were gathered together? The reason is that “וַיַּקְהֵל/He assembled” connotes a unification. The noun associated with this verb is “קְהִילָה/community” which signifies a group of people having common interests. The purpose of Shabbat is to help us recognize that there is a Oneness that underlies and permeates everything. On Shabbat it is easier to experience this. The realization that the power behind everything, even our own actions, is God, leads us to dedicate all our desires and actions to their Source. In fact, God sent us into this world to do this. By using every action to serve God we reveal the holiness inherent in all our actions.