• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

SHABBAT PARSHAT VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI 25 ADAR 5780 MARCH 21 , 2020 VOL. 27 No.. 19 PARSHA INSIGHTS by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair Upgrading Shabbat “But the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for G-d.” (35:2) o one ever complained about the hotel that lets you check in to your room at eight in the morning and lets you Nstay there until nine at night on the day you leave. No one ever complained about the tailwind that reduced the four-and-a-half hour flight from London to Tel Aviv by half-an-hour. Or what about the audience with the Queen of England that starts ten minutes before schedule and goes on half-an- hour longer than you were told? No one ever said, “Excuse me your Majesty, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to run out and do a little shopping. See you!” When something is special and important, we want it to go on forever. And when it’s a burden, it can never be too brief. There are two places where the Torah lists the Ten Commandments: in the Torah portion of Yitro and in the Torah portion of Vaetchanan. In Parshat Yitro the Torah says, “Remember the Shabbat day to make it holy…” whereas in Parshat Va’etchanan it says, “Guard the Shabbat day to keep it holy…” The Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, Yitro 295) explains, “Remember it beforehand, and guard it afterwards…” — meaning that Shabbat is so special and important that we should begin it early and finish it late. We find the same idea in this week’s Torah portion. “But the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for G--d.” In this verse, the word “holy,” kodesh, precedes the word Shabbat; however in Parshat Beshalach (16:23), in a virtually identical expression, the word Shabbat precedes kodesh. In other words, in our parsha the Torah says the kodesh should come before the Shabbat — the holiness of Shabbat should begin early, whereas in Parshat Beshalach the kodesh comes after the Shabbat, meaning that we should extend our Shabbat well into Saturday night. It all depends on how you look at Shabbat. Is your Shabbat a 25-hour airline flight in Economy, or is it an uninterrupted audience with the Shabbat Queen? ww.ohr.edu TALMUD TIPS by Rabbi Moshe Newman Vayakhel-Pekudei – Shabbat 9-15 Judgment in Focus A Full-Tilt Shabbat And the Sage said, “From the time the judges covered Rabbi Yishmael said, “How great are the words of the their heads (with taleiseim).” Sages, who said that it is forbidden to read by the light of a lamp!” e are taught in a mishna that when we near the time of mincha — even during the week — it is e learn in our beraita that despite a Rabbinical Wforbidden to do certain activities before decree to forbid reading a sefer on Shabbat by praying, lest the activity continue and the person Wthe light of a lamp, Rabbi Yishmael thought he forget to pray. However, continues the mishna, was allowed to do so since he was certain he this is true only if the activity wasn’t yet begun, would not tilt the lamp to improve the flame and but if the activity was started, it may continue. would therefore not desecrate Shabbat. According The halacha regarding this topic is codified in to one opinion in the beraita he almost tilted the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 232. lamp, and according to another he actually did so b’shogeg. Based on this experience he proclaimed, One such activity is “entering into din” — opening “How great are the words of the Sages, who said a session in a court. The gemara discusses the exact that it is forbidden to read by the light of a lamp!” definition of the beginning of the session, and two opinions are recorded: “When the litigants Commentaries note that although the reason for begin” and “When the judges cover their heads.” the prohibition to read by a lamp — lest one tilt One definition was said by Rav Yirmiya and the it — is explained in the beraita, the Tana of the other by Rabbi Yonah. Although these sound like mishna omits its mention. Why? They answer this different definitions, the gemara clarifies that these question with an important Torah principle. two opinions do not really disagree. If the court was not in session earlier, then the judges would The reasons for the mitzvahs and prohibitions in need to don their teleisim before starting, but if the Torah were not revealed in the Torah so that the court is continuing after a morning hearing, a person shouldn’t think that if the reason for a the new case begins with the claims of the particular mitzvah or prohibition doesn’t apply to litigants. him, that mitzvah or prohibition also doesn’t apply to him. In a similar way, the decrees of our A “Talmud Tip” may be learned here from the Sages were enacted to apply to each person, fact that the dayanim would cover their heads with regardless of any reason that might be associated teleisim when sitting in judgment. Their kippas with the decree. Rabbi Yishmael proclaimed that and hats were not sufficient, it would seem. I once the words of our Sages in the mishna — which did heard an explanation for this practice from Rav not state a reason for the decree — were “great” in Moshe Carlebach, who said it with a big smile, yet conveying the message that the decree was with total seriousness. A tallis over the dayan’s independent of any particular reason. (Maharitz head served as a type of “blinder.” Not in the Chiyus in the name of the Gaon from Vilna) Rav sense of “blind justice,” but to help each dayan Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg mentioned to me this stay totally focused on the case from beginning to teaching of the Gaon in a different context (mayim end, without any peripheral distraction. achronim), and added, in the name of the Gaon, that for each reason that our Sages may have . Shabbat 10a revealed as being a basis for a decree, there are actually seventy reasons. Shabbat 11a, 12b www.ohr.edu 2 ASK! Your Jewish Information Resource by the Ohr.edu team – www.ohr.edu The Bedtime Shema Name and the phrase "King of the universe," out of concern that they will converse afterwards. R. Berzack wrote: If one says the bedtime Shema and then has difficulty Dear Rabbi, sleeping, he should keep repeating the first paragraph of the Shema or other verses of supplication until sleep I'd like to know the details of the bedtime Shema regarding a overtakes him. Thinking Torah thoughts is also woman's obligation. I've heard that you are not allowed to permitted — so reading a sefer, a book of Torah talk after you have said it. Is this true? And what about thoughts, is okay. reading a book afterwards? It is known that Rav Yehuda Segal, the late Rosh Dear R. Berzack, Yeshiva in Manchester, used to actually fall asleep while reciting the bedtime Shema, and he would wake from Women should recite Shema and the Hamapil blessing time to time and carry on exactly from the place he left immediately before retiring at night. Married women off! customarily say the blessing with their hair covered. Sources: Shulchan Aruch 239:1 Mishna Berurah, ibid. One shouldn't interrupt between the Hamapil blessing 4,7 Halichos Bas Yisrael 2:40, Rabbi Y. Y. Fuchs and sleeping. Therefore, one should not eat, drink, or talk after saying Hamapil. Some even have the custom to omit Hampil altogether, or they say it but omit G-d's PARSHA OVERVIEW Vayakhel Pekudei oshe Rabbeinu exhorts Bnei Yisrael to keep he Book of Shemot concludes with this parsha. Shabbat, and requests donations for the After finishing all the different parts, vessels and Mmaterials for making the Mishkan. He collects Tgarments used in the Mishkan, Moshe gives a gold, silver, precious stones, skins and yarn, as complete accounting and enumeration of all the well as incense and olive oil for the menorah and for contributions and of the various clothing and vessels anointing. The princes of each tribe bring the precious which had been fashioned. Bnei Yisrael bring everything to stones for the Kohen Gadol's breastplate and ephod. G-d Moshe. He inspects the handiwork and notes that appoints Betzalel and Oholiav as the master craftsmen. everything was made according to G-d’s specifications. Bnei Yisrael contribute so much that Moshe begins to Moshe blesses the people. G-d speaks to Moshe and tells refuse donations. Special curtains with two different him that the Mishkan should be set up on the first day of covers were designed for the Mishkan's roof and door. the first month, i.e., Nissan. He also tells Moshe the order Gold-covered boards in silver bases were connected, of assembly for the Mishkan and its vessels. Moshe does forming the Mishkan's walls. Betzalel made the Holy Ark everything in the prescribed manner. When the Mishkan (which contained the Tablets) from wood covered with is finally complete with every vessel in its place, a cloud gold. On the Ark's cover there were two figures facing descends upon it, indicating that G-d's glory was resting each other. The menorah and the table with the there. Whenever the cloud moved away from the showbreads were also of gold. Two altars were made: a Mishkan, Bnei Yisrael would follow it.

Load more

  8

Copy Link