(א) וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יהוה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽם׃ (ב) שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּת֖וֹן לַיהוה כׇּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה ב֛וֹ מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ (ג) לֹא־תְבַעֲר֣וּ אֵ֔שׁ בְּכֹ֖ל מֹשְׁבֹֽתֵיכֶ֑ם בְּי֖וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃ {פ}
(1) Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that יהוה has commanded you to do: (2) On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to יהוה; whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. (3) You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the sabbath day.
Moshe assembles the people, and then teaches them about Shabbat before commencing with the work for the Mishkan. This terminology, "assembling the people," is unique to this particular situation. What makes this different?
רשב׳׳ם:
לקחת מכל אחד בקע לגלגלת, וגם להזהירם על מלאכת המשכן.
Rashbam:
"Moshe assembled all the community of Israel" to collect the half-shekel from each male, and to direct the nation in the construction of the Tabernacle.
ר׳ יוסף בכור שור:
כדי שלא יוכלו להתרעם לאמר: הקב׳׳ה צוה לעשות לו משכן, ולא הודיענו שנביא תרומת המשכן, ולא ידענו אד שהביאו אותם שידעו הכל, ולא זכינו להתנדב כמו האחרים. לכך הקהילם והודיע לכולם כאחד.
Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor:
Moshe made a public announcement ordering the people to donate funds for the building of the Tabernacle, to preclude subsequent complaints. For Moshe knew that unless they were invited to supply silver for the project, the Israelites might attack him later saying: The Holy One, Blessed be God, commanded that we build Him a Tabernacle, but nobody told us that we could supply materials for that enterprise. We only became aware of that possibility once we saw those select individuals who always seem to know what's going on, bringing their valuables forward! Why weren't we given the chance to also contribute to this holy endeavor like they were? Thus Moshe assembled the entire congregation, to provide an equal opportunity to everybody to participate in the commandment.
אור החיים:
ונראה כי לצד שראו כי קרן עור פניו וייראו מגשת אליו, לזה הוצרך להקהיל את כולן ימנעו קצת מהמורא.
Or HaChayim:
It seems that once the people saw that Moshe's face shone and were afraid to approach him, Moshe assembled the entire nation lest some individuals avoid their leader altogether out of fear.
Questions to consider:
- Two of the commentaries suggest that Moshe gathered the people to teach them about building the Mishkan, and not to teach them about Shabbat - even though that is what he did immediately after gathering them. What can you learn from that about the appearance of Shabbat here?
- How does verse 20 affect our understanding of the purpose of Moshe's gathering of the people?
- Both Rashbam and Or HaChayim suggest a context for this gathering, but they suggest very different contexts. What context does each suggest? What is the advantage of each of those contexts?
- It seems that Bekhor Shor does not offer a context at all, but the context for his explanation might come from later in the text rather than earlier. Find the context for Bekhor Shor.
To note:
There is a deep connection between the Mishkan and Shabbat. First, the 39 categories of activities prohibited on Shabbat are derived from the construction of the Mishkan. Also, the Mishkan and Shabbat are paradoxically intertwined: on the one hand, it was forbidden to build the Mishkan on Shabbat, but certain sacrifices, such as the tamid and the musaf, are brought on Shabbat, involving activities that are otherwise prohibited. The Mishkan is the headquarters of God's presence amid Bnei Yisrael. The outer manifestation of that, the building itself, is suspended on Shabbat, but the sacrifices that reflect the inner hidden world do operate on Shabbat.