Parshas Vayakhel
1. It has already been discussed many times1 that Rashi's approach in his commentary on the Torah is to explain every difficulty in the plain meaning of Scripture. Where some question arises in the simple understanding of the verses and Rashi does not explain and resolve it, this itself is proof that for Rashi it is no question at all,2 and therefore there is no need to remark on it and explain it — the matter is understood and explains itself.
Accordingly, Rashi's reasoning requires clarification: why does he not remark on resolving the questions — seemingly simple ones — that arise in studying the first verses of our parsha?
At the beginning of the sidra it says, "ויקהל משה גו׳ ויאמר אליהם אלה הדברים אשר צוה ה׳ לעשות אותם ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי גו׳" ("Moshe assembled… and said to them: These are the things that the L‑rd commanded, to do them. Six days work shall be done, and on the seventh day…") — the command to observe Shabbos. Immediately after this the command of the work of the Mishkan is stated, and on that verse3 too it prefaces, "ויאמר משה גו׳ זה הדבר אשר צוה ה׳ לאמר קחו מאתכם תרומה גו׳" ("Moshe said… This is the thing that the L‑rd commanded, saying: Take from yourselves an offering…"). That is, both of them are: a) a saying (amirah), b) to the entire congregation of the Children of Israel.4
This requires clarification:
a) Why did he divide the commands into two separate sayings, and not include them in one saying: "Moshe assembled… and said to them: These are the things… Six days… Take from yourselves…"?
Especially since Rashi explains on the verse5 "Six days": "He preceded the command of the work of the Mishkan with the warning of (the prohibition of work on) Shabbos, to say that it does not override Shabbos" — that is, the command to observe Shabbos here is merely a preface to the (main) command of the work of the Mishkan, a detail in the laws of the work of the Mishkan. Accordingly6 it is even more difficult: why do they come in two separate sayings?7
b) What is the precision of the wording in the command concerning the prohibition of work on Shabbos, "These are the things (that the L‑rd commanded) to do them (Six days…)"? Seemingly the words "to do them" are superfluous, and it should have written "that the L‑rd commanded: Six days…" (or "that the L‑rd commanded, saying: Six days…" — as in most places, and as in the command of the work of the Mishkan that comes immediately8 afterward)?
c) The command to observe Shabbos here is not about a positive action — a command to "arise and do" — but a command to refrain from doing, a negation of doing. If so, (not only are these words superfluous, but) the term "doing" does not suit it at all — especially when it is said right next to the command of the work of the Mishkan, which is a command (for) positive (action) — "Take from yourselves an offering…" — and, the other way around, there "to do" is not written!9
d) According to Rashi (cited above), the main intent of the Shabbos warning here (is not to warn about the general matter of Shabbos observance, but) is to make known a detail — to warn that the work of the Mishkan does not override the prohibition of work on Shabbos. If so, he should first10 have commanded them about the work of the Mishkan, and afterward11 added the detail, commanding about Shabbos "to say that it does not override Shabbos"?
e) Furthermore: this is the opposite of the order in which Moshe heard these commands from the Holy One, blessed be He. First came the command about the work of the Mishkan,12 and following that the warning that the prohibition of work on Shabbos is not set aside for the work of the Mishkan, as it says,13 "אך את שבתותי תשמרו גו׳" ("However, you shall keep My Shabbosos…"), and as Rashi explains: "Let it not be light in your eyes to set aside Shabbos for the sake of that work" (— the work of the Mishkan), and "Even though you will be eager and zealous in the alacrity of the work, do not set aside Shabbos for it" ((for) every "ach" and "rak" is a limiting term14 — to exclude Shabbos from the work of the Mishkan).
2. The explanation of this: At the time of the command of the work of the Mishkan, when Moshe repeated and commanded the warning of Shabbos "to say that it does not override Shabbos" — although a special command about this had now been said to him (in Parshas Tisa), nevertheless, when he conveyed the warning to the Jewish people, he told them the first and principal command on this matter — the warning of Shabbos in the Ten Commandments.15 He was careful to emphasize that it is a command that had been said to them in the Ten Commandments, in order to give the reason why the prohibition of work on Shabbos is not set aside for the work of the Mishkan.
The commands said in the Ten Commandments have a special importance: a) Regarding the Ten Commandments it is written,16 "וידבר אלקים את כל הדברים האלה" ("G‑d spoke all these words"), and Rashi explains that the Holy One, blessed be He, said the Ten Commandments in one utterance. Accordingly, it emerges that the Jewish people heard all Ten Commandments (and not only the first two) from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He.17 b) Even when "He went back and explained… each utterance on its own,"18 although at that point "they heard from the mouth of the Almighty only 'I am' and 'You shall have no,'" and for the rest of the commandments "Moshe would speak and convey… to Israel,"19 nevertheless this repetition too (by Moshe) has a special virtue and importance compared to the other commands of the Torah which they heard from Moshe (including the commands of Parshas Tisa), since it is the explanation of the utterance that they had heard from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He (in one utterance20). c) The Ten Commandments were said with a great voice, and they saw the sounds.21 d) On each utterance they answered "yes," etc.22 e) The Ten Commandments were said in the presence of all Israel together — which shows that there is something special in these commands, and therefore they were said to all Israel, men and women23 etc. (including Moshe, Aharon and the elders), together.24
[There is another point in this: the command to observe Shabbos in the Ten Commandments also includes (and repeats) the command given at Marah, as it says (in the Ten Commandments in Parshas Va'eschanan25), "כאשר צוך ה׳ אלקיך" ("as the L‑rd your G‑d commanded you"), and Rashi explains: "As He commanded you before the giving of the Torah, at Marah."]
Therefore Moshe repeated the command from the Ten Commandments, since (in addition to the inherent importance of this command) through it he told them the explanation (in the plain meaning of Scripture26) of why the work of the Mishkan does not override Shabbos:
Although the work of the Mishkan is a principal matter, as the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם" ("They shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell among them"),27 meaning that through the Mishkan the Shechinah would rest among Israel — nevertheless it is understood that it is impossible for this command, which they were now commanded from the mouth of Moshe, to override the mitzvah of Shabbos, which is one of the Ten Commandments that every single Jew heard from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself.
3. This point (that the warning about the prohibition of work on Shabbos is a command they themselves heard from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the Ten Commandments) is brought out by the precise wording "that the L‑rd commanded, to do":28 in the Ten Commandments they were commanded (not only about the prohibition (and negation) of work on Shabbos, but also) "זכור את יום השבת לקדשו" ("Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it"), which is a positive command, as Rashi explains, "Pay attention to remember the Shabbos day always, etc." Regarding this command, the term "to do" — actual doing — fits well.
Therefore the commands concerning the warning of Shabbos and concerning the work of the Mishkan were divided into two separate sayings (— twice "Moshe said…"), since these two commands are of two entirely separate categories: the command concerning the warning of Shabbos is Moshe's repetition of an utterance that they had all heard together from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He; whereas the command concerning the work of the Mishkan is what Moshe alone heard from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, Who commanded him [to convey it] to the Jewish people. And therefore, since they are of two categories, he divided them into two sayings.
According to the above, it is understood why Moshe placed the command and warning of Shabbos before the command of the work of the Mishkan (even though the command concerning Shabbos is a detail in the manner of the work of the Mishkan): because —
[in addition to this being the order in which they heard the commands from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He (for this is the command concerning Shabbos which they had already heard in the Ten Commandments, as mentioned above)]
— through this he alluded to the special virtue and importance of Shabbos, that it precedes (in rank) the command of the work of the Mishkan,29 and because of its superior importance it is not set aside for the work of the Mishkan.
4. The lesson from all this in a person's service of G‑d:
Although the command and warning of the prohibition of work on Shabbos here is only a detail in the command of the work of the Mishkan ("to say that it does not override Shabbos"), Moshe nevertheless made it a principal matter in its own right and warned them about it in a special saying of its own. For this reason he repeated the warning from the Ten Commandments, in which they were commanded from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, about the very matter of Shabbos observance (unlike the command in Parshas Tisa, in which the command was said only in connection with the work of the Mishkan).
Moreover: the wording of the verse — "Moshe assembled… Six days…" and only afterward "Moshe said… Take from yourselves…" — implies30 that the gathering of the entire congregation of the Children of Israel was mainly for the sake of the warning of Shabbos. Only afterward did he also tell them the command of the work of the Mishkan, through which there would be "I will dwell among them" — that the Shechinah would rest among them.
From this there is a lesson about the manner and the great importance of "לאפרושי מאיסורא" ("separating [a person] from a prohibition"):31
Even when a person is occupied with the loftiest matters — even with the most principal matter of the resting of the Shechinah (which is what the building of the Mishkan is) — at the time of the deed, and even before it, he must know and be careful to the very utmost to keep away from a forbidden act, even if through that act (were it not for the prohibition involved) the resting of the Shechinah in him might come sooner.
(From the sichos of Shabbos Parshas Vayakhel, 5733)
Notes
1) See Likutei Sichos vol. 10, p. 13 ff., and the sources cited in note 1 there.
2) For when there is no answer according to the plain meaning, Rashi writes, "I do not know" (Toldos 28:5, and in several other places — listed in Likutei Sichos vol. 5, p. 1, in the first marginal gloss to note 2).
3) 35:4 ff.
4) Unlike in Parshas Tisa, where the first is speech (dibbur) to Moshe (31:1), and the second is a saying to Moshe in order that he speak to the Jewish people (ibid. 12–13).
5) Our parsha, 35:2.
6) Especially since, in the plain meaning of the verses, it is reasonable to say that "These are the things" refers also (and mainly*) to the command of the work of the Mishkan — see Likutei Sichos vol. 6, p. 222, and the sources cited in note 7 there. See also Kli Yakar on the verse.
*) See Ibn Ezra here.
7) Even according to what is explained in Likutei Sichos there — that the command concerning the Mishkan differs from the command concerning Shabbos, and therefore it is emphasized and stated, "This is the thing that the L‑rd commanded, saying": that there is a special aspect to this command of the work of the Mishkan, which the L‑rd commanded Moshe (only) "saying — [He commanded] me to tell you" (Rashi), meaning that He commanded him only to convey it to Israel, but he himself was not included in the command; unlike the warning of Shabbos, in which Moshe too was included — it is still difficult why "Moshe said" is written twice, as two separate addresses; seemingly it should have said, "And this is the thing…".
8) In Likutei Sichos there it is explained that according to what Rashi writes, "[He commanded] me to tell you" (meaning that this command was only to be told to Israel — as in the previous note), it is resolved that the word "saying" is not stated in the Shabbos command so that the precision of "saying" regarding the work of the Mishkan should be more emphasized. Nevertheless, the difficulty raised in the text remains (that the words "to do them" are seemingly superfluous).
9) Although one could explain "to do" as meaning "to fulfill," it is nevertheless understood in the plain sense that this does not fit so well, especially in our case, as in the text.
10) As in Parshas Tisa there.
11) The Re'em, Devek Tov and others wrote that this is Rashi's reason in writing, "He preceded the command of the work of the Mishkan with the warning of Shabbos, to say that it does not override Shabbos" — so that one should not say that the reason for the juxtaposition is to say (the opposite), that the work of the Mishkan overrides Shabbos: "since the section of Shabbos is written first and afterward the section of the work of the Mishkan, certainly what is written first is primary and the second is set aside for it." But it is difficult to explain it this way (see Gur Aryeh here; and in Devek Tov: "and there is much to question in this"), for since it is already explicit in Parshas Tisa, "However, My Shabbosos…," and Rashi explains, "to exclude Shabbos from the work of the Mishkan" (as below in the text), one must necessarily say that the juxtaposition comes to say that the work of the Mishkan does not override Shabbos. As for Rashi's words "He preceded, etc." — see the Re'em in the name of some commentators: "'Preceded' is not meant precisely; he simply stated the fact of the matter." See also below, note 29.
12) As in the wording of the verse itself (in Parshas Tisa), "However…," and as in the text (see also Rashi there: "Even though I have appointed you, etc.").
13) Tisa 31:12.
14) The Ramban there raises a difficulty on Rashi's explanation. See the commentators on Rashi for the resolution of his question.
15) Yisro 20:8 ff.
16) Ibid., 1.
17) See Tzeidah LaDerech (on Rashi there), that according to Rashi, although they were all said in one utterance, Israel nevertheless heard and understood the commandments.
18) Rashi, Yisro there.
19) Rashi, ibid. 19:19. See Chizkuni (ibid. 20:1): "Rashi explained, 'This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, said all the commandments…' — that is, at first the Holy One, blessed be He, said them all at once… 'This teaches that He went back and explained each utterance…' — 'I am' and 'You shall have no' the Holy One, blessed be He, went back and explained, and they did not have the ability to bear it… and Moshe came and went back and explained each utterance from there onward… And what Rashi explained, 'This teaches that He went back and explained,' refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, and refers to Moshe — each one went back and explained his portion of the commandments."
20) Especially according to the explanation (of Rabbeinu Baruch, cited in Rabbeinu Baal HaTurim, the Re'em, Maskil LeDavid, Tzeidah LaDerech (— in Rashi's view), and others) that in the repetition of the commandments the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself also went back and explained (for them) each utterance (except that Israel did not hear (at the time of this repetition) all of the Ten Commandments (apart from "I am" and "You shall have no") from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, but from the mouth of Moshe). It is worth noting that Tzeidah LaDerech on Rashi (ibid. 19:19) writes that even what Moshe spoke was with the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He. On the various views regarding the manner in which the Ten Commandments were said and heard, see Torah Shleimah on Yisro (20:1), §8, and in the Miluim there (mentioned above, p. 94, note 35).
21) Va'eschanan 5:19. Yisro 20:15.
22) Rashi, Yisro ibid., 1. Mechilta on the verse.
23) And in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer ch. 41: also to the souls of all the generations.
24) Unlike the rest of the mitzvos, which were said to Moshe, and he conveyed them first to Aharon, then to the elders, and only afterward to all Israel (Rashi, Tisa 34:32 — from Eruvin 54b).
25) 5:12.
26) See Sforno (Tisa 31:14): "It is fitting that Shabbos not be set aside for the work of the Mishkan, for 'it is holy to you' — a positive commandment; 'those who desecrate it shall surely be put to death' — a negative commandment; and it is not fitting to set aside a positive and a negative commandment… in order to fulfill the positive commandment of the work of the Mishkan." See also the Re'em, Gur Aryeh and Kli Yakar here (and see also Torah Shleimah here, §8).
27) Terumah 25:8.
28) It can be said that this is also emphasized in what Moshe said when he conveyed the command of the work of the Mishkan: "This is the thing that the L‑rd commanded, saying." For seemingly it is obvious that the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him in order that he convey it to the Jewish people ("saying"); rather, this emphasizes that it is distinct from the command that preceded it: the Jewish people did not hear the command of the work of the Mishkan from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He (but rather "saying — [He commanded] me to tell you"), unlike the command of Shabbos, as in the text. But this is not sufficient, for it is known (and understood) that the Jewish people heard the command of the work of the Mishkan not from the Holy One, blessed be He, but from Moshe, and there is no need to add the word "saying" (which is superfluous) for this alone. Furthermore, and most importantly: this still does not resolve what is written, "This is the thing that the L‑rd commanded, saying," which implies that only this command was one "that the L‑rd commanded, saying" (and it is forced to explain that it comes to exclude only the Shabbos command stated just before it). We must therefore say, as explained in Likutei Sichos vol. 6 there, that the (main) intent is that the command of the Mishkan was said to Moshe only in order to "tell you" (as above, notes 7 and 8).
29) It can be said that this is the precision in Rashi's wording, "He preceded, etc." — to indicate and emphasize precedence in rank, as in the text. See also above, note 11.
30) Note the wording of the Yalkut Shimoni (beginning of our parsha): "From the beginning of the Torah to its end there is no section that opens with 'Vayakhel' except this one alone. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Make for yourself large assemblies and expound before them publicly the laws of Shabbos."
31) As our Sages said (Shabbos 40b), "Separating [a person] from a prohibition is different." See also the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, Orach Chaim, end of section 85: "such as to separate."
Key Lesson
Moshe gathered the whole people first of all to warn them about Shabbos, and only then spoke of building the Mishkan, the dwelling place of the Shechinah. This Sicha teaches that even in the loftiest holy work, one must first make sure to keep far from anything forbidden — even when that act might seem to bring holiness sooner.