d’var torah
Holy Time, Holy Space,
Holy Community
Rabbi Shelly Barnathan
F Parshat Vayakhel/Pekudei
or several weeks now, the Torah
has discussed the Mishkan —
the portable sanctuary that the
Israelites were instructed to create for
their journey through the midbar, the
wilderness. Back in Parshat Terumah, Exodus
25:8, we discovered the purpose of the
Mishkan. “V’asu Li Mikdash v’shachanti
B’tocham,” "They shall make me a holy
place, and I will dwell amidst them.”
The sanctuary was about holy space,
and its primary purpose was for G-d to
dwell among the people.

With so much discussion of the
sanctuary and the details of its
construction, what is the chidush, the
new teaching, in Vayakhel/Pekudei?
The Torah begins, “Vayakhel Moshe
Et Kol Adat B’nei Yisrael,” "And Moshe
gathered all of the community of the
children of Israel."
The chidush begins with the opening
word, Vayakhel, which comes from
the same root as the word for kehillah
— or “community.” And adat refers to
“community” as well.

What an appropriate time for Moshe
to be calling the Israelites together
as a kehillah. Having only recently
been freed from slavery, the identity of
the Israelites was still unformed. How
could the Israelites become a kehillah,
a holy community?
To live a life of holiness, Moshe
reminds the Israelites to observe
Shabbat as a day of rest. In her book
“Torah Journeys,” Rabbi Shefa Gold
refl ects, “When Moses calls the people
together for their fi nal instructions
for building the Mishkan, we are fi rst
warned that there must be a holy
rhythm to our lives ... Without the
practice of Shabbat, this work of build-
ing the Mishkan, even though it is
holy work, will kill us ... Work becomes
life-giving and wholesome only when it
is balanced with the Shabbat.”
Moshe is telling the Israelites that
to become a people, not only do
they need to create holy space — the
Mishkan — but they must also create
holy time — Shabbat — time to enter
into the holy space that they are creat-
ing as a community.

As the Torah reading continues,
another chidush, based on repeated
words and expressions, reveals itself.

What are these expressions?
1. “Lev — heart or mind,” as in, “Take
from among you gifts to Adonai —
everyone whose heart so moves him.”
(Exodus 35:5)
2. “Ruach — spirit,” as in, “And every-
one whose spirit moved him should
bring his off ering to G-d.”(Exodus 35:21)
3. “Chochmah — wisdom,” as in
the expression “Chochmat Ha-Lev”
— wisdom of heart/mind. Chochmat
ha-lev is used repeatedly to refer to
the special talents and skills that each
person would off er in the creation of
the Mishkan.

4. And fi nally, “Nashim v’Anashim,
Kol Ish v’Ishah,” referring to “each
man and each woman,” indicating that
the skills and talents of every man
and every woman were critical to the
creation of the Mishkan.

Taking these repeated expressions
together, what central message is
created? The message is that when each one
of us off ers the authentic gift of our
uniqueness, from the wisdom of our
hearts and spirits, then, and only then,
can we create holy community.

And what better message could
Moshe deliver to bolster the self-es-
teem of a people who were searching
for their own identity and self-defi ni-
tion? Moshe, the talented leader and
community organizer that he was,
recognized and honored the talents
of each person and invited each man
and woman to add these talents to the
creation of the holy Mishkan.

Vayakhel/Pekudei provides us with
a model for creating holy time, holy
space and, perhaps most impor-
tantly, holy community — all through
the central endeavor of building the
Mishkan. What is your unique gift? How
can you off er it to others and to the
communities to which you belong?
How can you make your life and your
community holy?
May we take to heart the messages
of Vayakhel/Pekudei, using our authen-
tic talents and gifts to create holy time,
space and community. May we each
be a Mishkan, a traveling vessel of
holiness. And as we complete the
book of Exodus, let us say Chazak,
Chazak, V’nitchazek — be strong, be
strong and let us strengthen each
other! Shabbat Shalom. 1
Rabbi Shelly Barnathan is the rabbi
and founder of Or Zarua, a congre-
gation for baby boomers and empty
nesters located in the Main Line
suburbs. Barnathan serves on the
executive committee of the Board
of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia.

The Board of Rabbis is proud to
provide diverse perspectives on Torah
commentary for the Jewish Exponent.

The opinions expressed in this column
are the author’s own and do not
necessarily refl ect the view of the
Board of Rabbis.

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