The holiness of being whole

The parsha starts with “Vayakheil”. The plain, simple meaning of that word here, is that Moshe brought the entire Jewish People together. From the context, it seems abundantly clear that the reason Moshe assembled the people was to tell them about building the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. But then — seemingly out of nowhere — Moshe transmits HaShem’s command that we observe Shabbos. What is the connection between the “bringing together” and the seemingly irrelevant command about Shabbos? The Sfas Emes answers, telling us that “coming together” or “bringing together “is what Shabbos is all about … For on Shabbos, all of a person’s powers and desires can come together to cling tightly to their Source — ultimately, HaShem. Adapted From Nosson Chayim Leff, Sfas Emes Study List

Many people have told me the difficulty they have with the restrictions of Shabbos. For sure, its not easy to unplug from the matrix in a Shabbos sort of way. One solution is to focus our energy instead on the positive mitzvah of making Shabbos holy, sacred time. Through Torah study, prayer-meditation, lovemaking, and fine meals, we elevate Shabbos into the realm of holy.

And why do we need this holy time? What we do during the week is usually not on such an exalted level. We need the holiness of Shabbos to get us through the week in one spiritual piece. We need the holiness of Shabbos to keep our families and our relationships whole. We need the holiness of Shabbos to keep the Jewish people together. Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom.