Paganism, Hellenism, false messianism, Marxism,
secularism, nationalism, humanism and unbridled hedonism—to name but a few—have
all exacted a terrible toll over our history. But Shabbat, its holiness and its
withdrawal from the mundane and impious world have always stood as a refuge, a
bulwark against these Golden Calves. Shabbat is our first and strongest line of
defense against the wave of falsehood and evil that constantly threatens to
engulf us.
Without Shabbat we are lost. With Shabbat we are ever strong.
Few things in history are that simple to discern, but the saving grace of Shabbat
for Jewish society is plainly obvious. This is why, in parshat Vayakhel, the
admonition regarding the laws of Shabbat is repeated in conjunction with a
further review of the construction of the Mishkan. The Torah wishes to
emphasize, that short of human life itself, no cause—no matter how seemingly
noble—takes precedence over the sanctity of Shabbat which, in its eternity and
God-given holiness, is likened to the World to Come. How often, when we rush to
build, do we destroy and, in our desire to accomplish great things, trample on
nobility and moral righteousness.
In the Talmud the great sage Baba ben Buta warned King Herod
not to destroy the old until the new has already been erected. The world often
believes that the destruction of the old is somehow a necessary prerequisite to
constructing the new. The Torah however comes to teach us that the old Shbabat
already observed by the People of Israel, even before it was given at Mount
Sinai, will outlive and outperform any shiny new Golden Calf that is worshipped
so avidly. Golden Calves come and calves may go but Shabbat and Torah remain
valid for all times and circumstances. This reflection is buttressed in the
Torah by its repetition. The message: our Mishkan is built only with Shabbat
and never in contravention of it.
Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein
