A Taste of Shabbos – Parashat Pekudei

This week we complete the eleven portions in the book of Exodus. This Shabbat is also the last of the four special portions before Pesach, called ‘Parashat Ha’chodesh, the portion of the reading of the new moon which is actually the third sidra- another name for portion- in Exodus. In fact, the sages tell us that the entire Torah should have begun with the law of declaring the new moon, since it was the first mitzvah given to the Jewish nation. It is such an important mitzvah that all the Jewish holidays depend on when the new moon-Rosh Chodesh- is declared. At first the sighting happened through witnesses, who were grilled carefully about the accuracy of their sighting. Later when the dates were calculated in advance, the witnesses were still used, but if their calculations didn’t match the sages astronomics, the witnesses were not accepted.

On the other hand, in the days when the declaration was made before the astronomical calculations, even if it turned out the testimony of the witnesses was inaccurate, heaven declared the ‘earthly’ calculation to be valid. The bottom line was that not only did heaven take earthly perspectives into account, it frequently let earth override heaven.

This is very similar to what happens on Shabbat. Even though the seventh day is fixed from the first days of creation, how Shabbos is brought down into the world and manifested in a revealed way both collectively and individually, depends on human preparation and behavior. In this way it is also like the building of the Mishkan. The required materials were very exacting, but the preparations and intentions played a critical part in the accomplishment. The sanctuary in time is similar to the sanctuary in space in these ways.

Thus we see in general that though there seems to be a clear distinction between divine intervention and human effort, there is a symbiosis between the two and sometimes the lines even get blurred. This is true in particular with the construction of the Mishkan and perhaps our own life’s endeavors.

Here is a quote from the Zohar on this parasha that refers to this symbiosis: (Zohar p. 222) “ Now observe that once the artisans had begun the work of the Tabernacle, it actually completed itself of its own accord. This we learn from the words, ‘Thus was finished all the work of the Tabernacle of the tent of meeting.’ (Exodus 34;32) The same thing happened in the creation of the world, of which it is likewise written: ‘And the heavens and the earth were finished’ This it is true seems to conflict with the statement that, ‘on the seventh day G-d finished his work which He had made.’ But the truth is that although several parts of the world completed themselves one by one, yet the world in its entirety was completed and firmly established only when the seventh day came. For then did the holy Blessed One knit the world together into a complete whole. It was the same with the building of the Temple. The artisans began their work, and it showed them what was to be done before their eyes; it was traced out in their sight, and it completed itself of its own accord.”

I cited this quote at such length because I feel it is a very essential concept with many other Torah examples. In fact, the sages like to connect the beginning of a book of Torah with its conclusion, so I’d like to point out the pattern by reminding the readers here about one way the

Exodus actually began. When Pharaoh thought he was destroying the Israelites by casting them into the sea, his own daughter was the one who rescued baby Moshe. She did that by ‘extending her arm’ toward the basket. The oral Torah explains that she could not have reached him by physical means since he was too far away. However, she stretched out her arm as far as it could go and somehow her arm continued to expand until she got to the basket. This picture can be a paradigm for everything we attempt to do for a good cause. It may seem impossible to complete in a natural way but when the Holy Blessed One sees our intention and our efforts, we are given help from above. The Talmud puts it this way: ‘Open for me an opening like the eye of a needle and I will make an opening that large wagons can go through.’ With regard to Shabbos, so many of us were not raised in a loving, wrap around, actual Shabbos environment when we grew up. We may therefore get easily discouraged from attempts to create such an environment on our own. The above Zohar teaches us that not only will we receive assistance from above, but our efforts themselves will merge with the divine manifestation of the heaven on earth that Shabbos can bring.