Parshat Vayakhel

Dear STOCS Friend:

As many are aware I do not grow up observant. I was in my mid-teens, living in West Hempstead, Long Island on Redmont Road with many families who were Orthodox. I received countless invitations for Shabbas meals and always refused. Finally, I accepted, and my life changed.

Looking back over fifty years, I wonder what exactly attracted me to the beauty of Shabbos. For me, it was a matter of faith in God. Before that fateful Shabbos meal, I am not sure I truly understood what it meant to believe in Him. However, sitting at the Shabbas table reciting kiddush, washing for Hamotzi etc., a door opened, and I was exposed to a new reality.

In Judaism everything begins and ends with Hashem. I had an experience that brought me closer to God. Whether I fully grasped the depth of that moment, I cannot say. However, from that point on, my life underwent a profound transformation.

However, the major takeaway from that Shabbas and I still feel it today is the concept of Kehilla--community.  Eating that Shabbas meal, though I did not understand the discussion on that particular Parsha, I realized I was now part of something bigger and better.

In this week’s Parsha we read:

וַיַּקְהֵ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֶֽת־כׇּל־עֲדַ֛ת בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֑ם אֵ֚לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ת אֹתָֽם׃

שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ…

Moshe assembled the entire congregation of Israel and said to them, These are the things that Hashem commanded to do. Six days work shall be done, and the seventh day shall be holy for you…

Moshe gathered the Jewish people together as one large, united and cohesive community and again reminds the Jews about the Holy Shabbas. In other words, it is Shabbas that truly binds the Jewish people together. Hesh Luber in the Jewish Link, writes: “With so much that can divide our community, we need to focus on what unites us. From hectic preparations on Friday to the Shabbas meals, the rhythms of Shabbat unite the Jewish community.”

This Shabbat, Parshat Vayakhel—the Shabbat of gathering and community—light the Shabbat candles and recite Kiddush. On Shabbat morning, go to shul and see if doors open for you, just as they did for me.

If Shabbat is already part of your life, try to make it even more meaningful by sharing it with others. You might invite guests or have different family members prepare Divrei Torah to share at one of the Shabbat meals. Who knows? Perhaps new doors will open for you as well.

I wish all of you an amazing Shabbas coupled with a new experience that goes along with this, the greatest of all days!

Rabbi Evan Shore