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Why does Parshas Vayakhel introduce new Shabbos (שבת) prohibitions when Shabbos was already commanded multiple times? Following the Chet HaEgel, Shabbos is revealed in a fundamentally new way: not as resting in "our world" to attest that Hashem (ה׳) created it, but as entering "His world" — existing within Ein Od Milvado itself, like Olam Haba. This transforms the Mishkan from a place we serve Hashem into a space where His presence fills the world.
Rabbi Zweig begins by addressing several fundamental questions about Parshas Vayakhel. The Midrash states that this is the only parasha in the entire Torah (תורה) that begins with "Vayakhel" — gathering the entire community together — and this teaches that on Shabbos (שבת) we must gather the Jewish people to learn Torah publicly. But what is the connection between Shabbos and communal gathering? Furthermore, why does the Torah repeat the prohibition against building the Mishkan on Shabbos when Rashi (רש"י) already explained this in last week's parasha (Ki Sisa)? Why are new prohibitions introduced here — lighting fire and executing criminals on Shabbos — that were apparently not part of Shabbos observance until this point? And what does the Zohar mean by opening this parasha with a discussion of the war against Amalek? The Maharal asks a fundamental question: if Shabbos attests to the fact that Hashem (ה׳) created the world in six days, the mitzvah (מצוה) should logically be to work six days rather than to rest on the seventh. The Maharal answers that resting on Shabbos demonstrates that Hashem created a complete world — a world that doesn't require constant maintenance. Completion means Hashem could step aside from the world. Rabbi Zweig develops this concept to explain what this "perfection" actually means.
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Parshas Vayakhel (Shemos/Exodus)
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