(א) וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כָּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽם׃
(1) Moses then assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:
(א) וַיַּ֣רְא הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה לָרֶ֣דֶת מִן־הָהָ֑ר וַיִּקָּהֵ֨ל הָעָ֜ם עַֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיֹּאמְר֤וּ אֵלָיו֙ ק֣וּם ׀ עֲשֵׂה־לָ֣נוּ אֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר יֵֽלְכוּ֙ לְפָנֵ֔ינוּ כִּי־זֶ֣ה ׀ מֹשֶׁ֣ה הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הֶֽעֱלָ֙נוּ֙ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם לֹ֥א יָדַ֖עְנוּ מֶה־הָ֥יָה לֽוֹ׃
(1) When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people assembled against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that man Moses, who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him.”
Root = K-H-L ק-ה-ל
Kehal - an assembly
Kehilla - a congregation
קק Kehilat Kodesh - a Holy Congregation
Why does the Torah use the same word to describe the group of people who asked for the Golden Calf, with the description of what Moshe did, after the episode of the calf? Why K-H-L?
To teach us that the only way Moses was able to start to fix the damage done, would be to treat the Israelites as a Kehilla - a gathering of people, a congregation.
Lord Sacks writes that when Moses came down from the mountain, he saw a wild, rabble of people who were out of control. People who had lost their moral compass and were worshipping a golden calf.
He dealt with the situation - destroyed the calf, punished the perpetrators (through the actions of the Levites, the plague and drinking the ashes of the calf) and then what?
(1) Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the LORD has commanded you to do:
(ב) שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיהוָ֑ה....
(2) On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD;
Moses had to rebuild the community. He had to restore order. He had to "turn the Israelites into a Kehilla, a community. What brings a community together? Shabbat! Even Shabbat UK!
What did he get them to do next?
He told them to build the Mishkan, the Tabernacle - in other words, the very first Shul!
Lord Sacks:
"Why these two commands rather than others? Because Shabbat and the Mishkan are the two most powerful ways of building a community. The best way of turning a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together, hence the Mishkan.....
....Shabbat and the Mishkan were the two great community-building experiences of the Israelites in the desert"
(י) וַיְצַ֥ו מֹשֶׁ֖ה אוֹתָ֣ם לֵאמֹ֑ר מִקֵּ֣ץ ׀ שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֗ים בְּמֹעֵ֛ד שְׁנַ֥ת הַשְּׁמִטָּ֖ה בְּחַ֥ג הַסֻּכּֽוֹת׃ (יא) בְּב֣וֹא כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֵרָאוֹת֙ אֶת־פְּנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בַּמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְחָ֑ר תִּקְרָ֞א אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את נֶ֥גֶד כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶֽם׃ (יב) הַקְהֵ֣ל אֶת־הָעָ֗ם הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְהַנָּשִׁים֙ וְהַטַּ֔ף וְגֵרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֨עַן יִשְׁמְע֜וּ וּלְמַ֣עַן יִלְמְד֗וּ וְיָֽרְאוּ֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְשָֽׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
(10) And Moses instructed them as follows: Every seventh year, the year set for remission, at the Feast of Booths, (11) when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God in the place that He will choose, you shall read this Teaching aloud in the presence of all Israel. (12) Assemble the people—men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities—that they may hear and so learn to revere the LORD your God and to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching.
Describe the Hakhel ceremony in Jerusalem in 1994 - how special it was - how different communities came together and celebrated, each in their own way
(14) Everyone who is entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, shall give the LORD’s offering: (15) the rich shall not pay more and the poor shall not pay less than half a shekel when giving the LORD’s offering as expiation for your persons.
In Gd's eyes, each Jew is equal. It doesn't matter what your bank balance is. To Gd, when you enter His holy house, you are welcome, irrespective of how often you come. You are part of a Kehilla, an assembly, a congregation, a community.
Shabbat UK is here to remind us of how, each and every one of us is a
valued,
respected,
loved and appreciated member of this wonderful community.
Let us enjoy today together as a united Kehilla.
A kehillat kodesh - a holy congregation.
Kehillat Kodesh, Staines upon Thames.
Shabbat Shalom!