Parashah Insights

by

Rabbi Yaakov Hillel

Rosh Yeshivat Ahavat Shalom

Parashat Vayakhel

The Sanctity of the Whole

Parts of a Whole
Moshe assembled the entire congregation of the children of Israel and said to them, these are the things which Hashem commanded to do. Six days you shall labor and the seventh day will be holy for you, Shabbat Shabbaton, a day of rest for Hashem (Shmot 35:1-2). Moshe saw the entire work, and behold, they had done it as Hashem had commanded, so they did it. And Moshe blessed them (39:43). And it was in the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, that the Tabernacle was erected (40:17). Moshe could not enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested upon it, and Hashems glory filled the Tabernacle (40:35). The parshiot of Terumah, Tetzaveh, and Ki Tissa contain detailed information concerning the construction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) in the desert, its utensils, and the priestly garments. Now, in the parshiot of Vayakhel and Pekude, the Torah repeats the whole listing. The Torah is never repetitious. Why add what would appear to be two entire extra parshiot? This apparent repetition teaches us an important lesson, which we can understand by studying a principle in the method of Scriptural interpretation known as gematriya, or numerical equivalents. Hebrew is unique in that it has no numbers;
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the letters also serve as numbers. Alef, the first letter, is one, bet, the second letter, is two, continuing up to yud, ten. Numbers higher than ten are expressed by a yud with an alef (eleven), yud-bet (twelve), etc. In addition to the meaning of any given word expressed by the characters read as letters, it also has a numerical equivalent (gematriya) composed of the value of its letters in numbers. The meaning of words or phrases which have the same numerical equivalent may be connected on a profound level. In some instances, the tally is off by one. For example, one word may add up to ninety-eight, and the other, to ninety-seven. In such a case, the discrepancy is resolved by adding what is called the kollel, counting the word itself as an additional one.1 This practice is surprising. If the figures do not tally, why introduce what seems to be an artificial device, as if to force the calculation to fit? What is the kollel, and how does it work? In his Kabbalistic work Maor VaShemesh, Rabbi Yehuda Koriat explains the idea behind adding the kollel in gematriyot with an interesting analogy. A visitor to a shipyard will see a whole range of objects: planks and beams, rope and fabric, nails, screws, and bolts of all sizes, and much, much more. The shipwrights can identify each isolated item and explain its use in the construction of a ship. However, if the visitor returns after the ship is completed, they will no longer tell him, Heres a nail and heres a plank. They will tell him, This is a ship. No more a pile of assorted materials, it is an entirely new entity, composed of all those components. On their own, each individual component is of limited importance, and cannot be utilized to the maximum. Only when they are combined in the finished structure are they at their finest and most useful. It is the completed boat that can sail the high seas not the stacks of wood, metal, and cloth. The same is true of a gematriya. Its components, the individual letters, each with its own numerical value, are put together to form a new entity a complete word. The word itself stands on its own as an additional component. According to this analogy, it makes sense to add the kollel to the calculation of a gematriya, because it is an element on its own. The Parshiot of Terumah, Tetzaveh, and Ki Tissa describe the construction of every individual part of the Tabernacle in detail. Each had its own distinct identity.

We find an allusion to the practice of counting the kollel in the Bne Yissachars commentary on the verse Efraim and Menashe, like Reuven and Shimon, they will be [the same] to me (Bereshit 48:5). The Hebrew words Efraim vMenashe have the same numerical equivalent as Reuven vShimon, minus one. Even so, the verse says, they will be [the same] to me, meaning that they will be considered equal. By adding the kollel, an additional one, they become equal.

Put together, they become the Tabernacle, a whole new entity, vastly greater than the mere sum of its parts. It was then that the Divine Presence could come to rest upon it.

Intensified
We find this concept in the Torahs commandment, And they will make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them (Shmot 25:8). Every individual contributed something of his own to the construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels. The Alshich explains that the Al-mighty specifically wanted every Jew to have a share in the building of the Mishkan. And they will make for Me a Sanctuary refers to the share of every Jew in the construction each one was a partner. In this way, the Mishkan became a powerful central point uniting all Jews. The bounty and blessing bestowed by the Divine Presence (Shechinah) resting on the Tabernacle could extend from there to the homes of every individual Jew, so that Hashem would dwell among them (Torat Moshe on Shmot 30:13). The presence of the Shechinah intensifies in keeping with the number of Jews present, as we learn from our Sages discussion of the laws of zimun. When three or more adult males have eaten together, they recite the Grace after Meals as a group, adding the preliminary words Let us bless. Ten or more say, Let us bless our Gd. A hundred or more who have eaten together say, Let us bless Hashem our Gd. A thousand or more say, Let us bless Hashem our G-d, the G-d of Israel. Ten thousand or more say, Let us bless Hashem our G-d, the G-d of Israel, the G-d of Hosts, Who dwells upon the Cherubim, for the food we have eaten (Berachot 7:3). The principle is clear. The importance of a greater number of Jews who unite to recite the Grace after Meals is evident in the corresponding changes made in the zimun. The Divine Presence rests to a greater degree on a proportionately larger group. The verse He will be a King in Yeshurun when the heads of the nations gather, the Tribes of Israel united (Devarim 33:5) alludes to this idea. The presence of the Tribes of Israel and their leaders, large numbers of Jews, increases and intensifies the presence of the Shechinah resting on the assembly. Even though the whole earth is full of His glory (Yeshayahu 6:3), and there is no place that is void of His Presence (Tikune Zohar, Tikun Ayin, p. 122b), the Al-mighty is nonetheless E-l mistater, literally the G-d Who conceals Himself. He only reveals Himself in keeping with the circumstances of the time and the place; the more worthy the setting, the greater the revelation of His Presence. This is why our Sages teach that the Divine Presence dwells among ten (Sanhedrin 39a). The number ten is symbolic of perfection and completion, making it worthy of the

presence of the Shechinah.2 The larger the number present, the greater the revelation of the Divine Presence becomes. As we see, then, the sanctity of the individual cannot compare to the sanctity of the whole congregation. While every individual undoubtedly has his own personal worth, the much greater importance of the community as a whole merits its own vastly higher level of sanctity.

Imbued with Sanctity

The Zohar discusses the sanctity instilled in each of the components and utensils of the Tabernacle. When the women spun the fabrics and the other craftsmen engaged in preparing the sacred vessels for the Tabernacle, they dedicated their work specifically to its designated purpose by saying aloud, This is for the Sanctuary, this is for the Tabernacle, this is for the Partition, and so on. Through this declaration, their labor and the finished product were imbued with sanctity. When all the components were brought together and the Tabernacle was complete, the new entity was imbued with a higher level of sanctity, when the Divine Presence rested on the finished structure. Similarly, the Zohar teaches that when building a house, one should make a verbal declaration that he is building it for the service of Hashem, so that it will merit the presence of the Shechinah. The house becomes a dwelling place for the Divine Presence, and he will be unable to sin there. However, if he does not invite the Divine Presence to his home, he effectively invites the Forces of Evil instead (Zohar, vol. III, p. 50a). The Zohars words teach us the importance of a spoken dedication to a sanctified purpose, such as that of the craftsmen who fashioned the Tabernacle. This Zohar is also the source of the Vilna Gaons teaching concerning a synagogue. If a synagogue is built totally for the sake of Heaven, those who pray there will not be plagued by improper thoughts (cited by the Gaons great-nephew in Bet Avot, p. 80a). This principle is all the more true of the fulfillment of the commandments. When we do a mitzvah, we should dedicate our intentions and thoughts fully to the Almighty, having in mind to rectify the commandments root in the Higher Worlds. We do so by reciting the Lshem yihud prayer prior to fulfilling the commandment. By having the proper intent, we raise our mitzvah to a much higher level.

See Parashah Insights on Lech Lecha for a fuller discussion of this topic. 4

Now we can understand why all the detailed information from Terumah, Tetzaveh, and Ki Tissa is repeated in Vayakhel and Pekude. In the earlier parshiot, the Torah spoke of the construction of the individual components, which had only the initial level of sanctity related to each part on its own. Afterwards, in the later parshiot, the Torah goes on to relate to them on the second, higher level of sanctity, that of the new, all-encompassing entity composed of these many parts, the Mishkan.

Comprehensive Sanctity
With this in mind, we can also understand why the parashah opens with the commandment to keep Shabbat (Shmot 35:1-3). Shabbat, like the Tabernacle, has an all-encompassing sanctity which includes the six days of the week. Just as the Tabernacle was a whole which included many parts and had its own, greater sanctity, Shabbat too includes all the days of the week, with their sanctity and a greater sanctity of its own. The Zohar (vol. II, p. 63b) teaches that the seventh day is called Shabbat (literally rest) because on that day, all six days rest it is the source of the entire weeks rest. In this sense, rest refers to the entirety of the weeks blessings, such as success, happiness, abundance, and much more, which are all derived from the Sabbath. We may say that Shabbat is the weeks kollel. A week is not just a series of seven days in succession. The six weekdays are all branches stemming from a single root; that root is Shabbat. The relationship is interdependent. The more we sanctify the six weekdays by serving Hashem, the greater and more intense the sanctity of our Shabbat will be. At the same time, since Shabbat is the root which includes all its branches the other six days the level of our Shabbat influences the weekdays. Our weekdays can impart holiness, uplifting the spiritual level of our Shabbat, while our Shabbat in turn elevates our weekdays to a higher level (see Nefesh HaHayyim, Shaar Bet, note at the end of Chapter 15). In the same sense, the Mishkan was the root of all the sanctity resting upon the Jewish nation. The theme of individual components coming together as a greater whole is also evident in the opening words of the parashah: Moshe assembled the entire congregation of the children of Israel. In order to teach the nation about the sanctity of Shabbat and the construction of the Mishkan, Moshe assembled the entire congregation. He brought this enormous group of individuals together as one, uniting them as one man with one heart, as they had been at Mt. Sinai (see Rashi on Shmot 19:2, citing Mechilta). This mention in one parashah of the Jewish people, Shabbat and the Mishkan, three prime examples of the greatness of individual units combined into one, is especially appropriate.

Moshes Blessing
After Moshe saw that the Jewish people had built the Tabernacle and its vessels exactly as Hashem had commanded, he blessed them (Shmot 39:43). Our Sages tell us that his blessing was that it be Hashems Will to rest the Divine Presence upon their handiwork, as we learn from the verse (Tehillim 90:17), May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us. And may the work of our hands be established for us, and the work of our hands, establish it (Pesikta DRav Cahana, end of Nispah Alef). Moshes blessing was directly related to the ultimate purpose of the peoples labors. The Tabernacle was built to serve as the place where Hashem would rest His Divine Presence, as we learn from the verses, And they will make for Me a Sanctuary and I will dwell among them (Shmot 25:8), and I will dwell among the children of Israel and I will be their G-d (29:45). Just as they had sanctified the Tabernacles individual vessels with their oral declaration in order to imbue them with the presence of the Shechinah, he now prayed that the Shechinah also rest upon the completed entity of the Tabernacle, fulfilling its purpose as a dwelling place for the Al-mighty. His blessing concluded by quoting King Davids prayer, May the pleasantness of Hashem our G-d be upon us. And may the work of our hands be established for us, and the work of our hands, establish it. The pleasantness of Hashem refers to the resting of the Shechinah in the lower world. Moshe prayed that the Divine Presence would rest upon Israel, both as individuals and as a congregation. He continued, And may the work of our hands be established for us, and the work of our hands, establish it. This refers to all the infinite details of the work of the Tabernacle. Because the work was specifically dedicated to the Al-mighty, it was established and completed. The construction of the Tabernacle was founded in sanctity and completed in sanctity. The literal translation of alenu, for us, is upon us. The sanctification of the Mishkan came about due to our efforts to do the work of the Tabernacle with the proper intent. Since we were the cause of the sanctity, it follows that that same sanctity was instilled in us as well. The Zohar (vol. II, p. 93b) explains the profound significance of this prayer, known as Vyehi noam. Doing a mitzvah brings about rectification (tikun) and perfection in the Higher Worlds. The extent of that rectification depends on the way the mitzvah was done. Fulfilling a mitzvah with the proper Kabbalistic intents (kavanot) is a very great source of merit. Fulfilling that same mitzvah according to the requirements of
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halachah, even without Kabbalistic intents, is also a great merit. However, without the intents, it lacks the element that raises it to the highest level and effects the greatest rectification. The highest level of intent is the desire (ratzon) to realize the greatness of the Almighty through the fulfillment of the mitzvah. Doing a mitzvah without this lofty intent is akin to learning without being able to explain what we have learned; the quality of the learning is lacking. A perfect mitzvah, performed with the loftiest intents, effects a very great rectification in the Higher Worlds. In the same way, our physical deeds in this world bring perfection to our G-dly soul. The Zohar writes that the Holy One, blessed be He, wants mans heart and intent (ratzon). The heart is related to mans physical element, and ratzon to his spiritual aspect. Perfect fulfillment of a mitzvah calls for both. However, if profound intents are essential to the fulfillment of mitzvot, we have a problem: most of us know nothing about these esoteric matters. King Davids prayer, Vyehi noam, addresses this problem. He said, And may the work of our hands be established upon us. This means that even if we personally do not know the deep intents behind the commandments, we ask the Al-mighty Himself to complete the mitzvah for us, granting it the necessary esoteric intents in our place and perfecting it so that it brings about complete rectification in the Higher Worlds. With this prayer, we ask that Hashem consider our mitzvah perfect, even if we lack the esoteric knowledge to make it so and can only fulfill it on the physical level. The prayer continues, and the work of our hands, establish it. We ask that our mitzvah should be established by ascending to its root in the Higher Worlds. King David was the fourth Leg of the Divine Chariot. The other three Legs are our Forefathers, Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov. David prayed that his merits, together with those of the saintly Forefathers, would elevate the mitzvot of the Jewish people to the greatest spiritual heights.3

The Ben Ish Hai cites this teaching of the Zohar and explains that in Vyehi noam, David prayed that no mitzvah or prayer should be deficient due to our lack of knowledge of its esoteric intents. Instead, it should bring about the maximum rectification, as if the doer had had the proper intents in mind. This is why the early Torah Sages instituted recitation of Vyehi noam before any mitzvah, prayer, or Torah study. Reciting this verse recalls King Davids prayer, and will help our own deed be accepted as perfect, even if it lacks the essential intents (see Torah Lishmah 11, where the Ben Ish Hai also brings halachic backing for this principle.).

This was the meaning of Moshes blessing to the people upon the completion of the Tabernacle. Perhaps the women who did the spinning and the craftsmen who fashioned the vessels for the Tabernacle were not aware of all the profound intents appropriate to their sacred task. Even so, the Al-mighty Himself brought their handiwork to spiritual perfection, in keeping with the profound knowledge of their more scholarly brethren, so that it would bring about the most perfect of rectifications in the Higher Worlds. In the Lshem yihud prayer recited before fulfilling a mitzvah, we declare that we do our mitzvah in the name of all Israel. Functioning in unity uplifts our people to a vastly higher spiritual level, which no individual can hope to achieve on his own. It is our spiritual strength as a people united that makes us worthy of having the Divine Presence rest upon us and bring blessing to our endeavors, on a scale otherwise unattainable.

This essay contains divre Torah. Please treat it with proper respect.