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"Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit
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Subject: INTPARSHA -22:
Parashat Vayakhel
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Yeshivat Har Etzion
Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
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Introduction to Parashat HaShavua
Parashat VaYakhel - The Mishkan and the Shabbat - Continued
By Rav Michael Hattin
Introduction
Last week, we started to explore the notion of Shabbat in
the Torah. We began by studying its first introduction in
the
Book of Bereishit where it appears as God's concluding act in
the great tapestry of the six days of creation. We noted at
the time that God's work during those first six days is
without exception referred to by the text as 'melakha'. We
went on to investigate the imperative of Shabbat as it is
presented in the Ten Utterances. Again, we discovered that
the term 'melakha' is employed by the Torah to describe our
mundane pursuits during the work week, as well as the
activities from which we are to cease on Shabbat.
Unfortunately, the Torah provided no concrete working
definition of the concept of 'melakha' in either place.
The description of the preparations for the building of
the Mishkan presented in Parashat Ki Tisa seemed to provide
the greatest promise for unraveling the mystery of melakha,
and we had just completed our survey of Betzalel and his
talents. It will be recalled that Betzalel, due solely to
an
unusual and unique act of Divine inspiration, was gifted in
all manner of craftsmanship and design. Blessed with
intelligence and insight, pedagogic skills and charismatic
character, he possessed a keen spiritual sensitivity,
comprehending the profundity of the work that lay before
him.
Most of all, though, he was an artisan and craftsman,
unusually and uniquely expert in metalwork, woodwork,
stonework, weaving, and design.
Betzalel as a Paradigm
Who is Betzalel as an archetype? What does he represent
in human history? What is the true significance of his
exceptional aptitude? Considering all of his talents,
pondering the range of his skills, deliberating upon the
gravity of his mission, a single, startling conclusion is
inescapable. Betzalel, like God Himself, is a
CREATOR.
Charged with the same sense of purpose, guided by insight and
understanding, and sensitive to a task that will transform raw
materials into things of meaning and beauty, Betzalel
initiates a grand process of design that is a reflection of
God's own work. The act of Creation that brought the cosmos
into being, the supreme exercise of Absolute wisdom and
capacity that rendered chaos into order and shaped
nonexistence into matter, cannot be duplicated by finite
man.
Nevertheless, a simulacrum of that moment, a semblance of its
infinite grandeur, is repeated every time a spark flies from
the anvil and an amorphous natural element is shaped by human
ingenuity. Betzalel creates just as God creates.
Inspired
with wisdom, electrified with fervor, he directs that God-given spark of creativity to transform the world.
"Said Rav Yehuda in the name of Rav: Betzalel knew how to
join the letters by which heaven and earth were created.
Concerning him it says that he was filled with 'a spirit of
God, with wisdom, insight and knowledge,' and concerning God's
act of Creation it says 'God with wisdom founded the earth,
and with insight established the heavens' (Mishlei/Proverbs
3:19). Furthermore, it states: 'with knowledge did He
uncover
the Deep' (Mishlei/Proverbs 3:20)" [Talmud Berakhot
55a]. In
this Midrashic statement of our Sages, Betzalel is presented
as a creator figure employing the very same methods and tools
that God utilized to forge the cosmos. These so-called
'letters' of the Hebrew alphabet, which are often understood
to possess mystical properties, also constitute the basic
building blocks of language. Metaphorically, the letters
represent the elemental atomic particles from which all other
matter derives. Just as God manipulated and arranged these
elemental forms to fashion a world of complexity, order,
beauty and meaning, so too Betzalel takes the 'basic'
materials of metal, stone, wood, and fiber to create an
edifice of splendor and spiritual significance.
Consider for a moment the processes involved in
Betzalel's work. Without exception, they tell the story of
utilizing the awesome, unlimited power of human creativity to
bridge the chasm between the design idea and the finished
product. In metalworking, for instance, one is able to
remarkably convert unimpressive and ineffectual ore into a
useful, lustrous object. When working with stone, one
transforms a rough and ordinary-looking mineral into a
precious gemstone. As a woodworker, one changes a formless
and prosaic block of timber into a beautiful and purposeful
vessel. In the act of spinning thread and weaving, one
miraculously transmutes fibers from animal (wool) or vegetable
(linen) sources into a fine piece of textile. In all of
these
four processes, it is creativity and ingenuity that are the
necessary link between the purposeful conception and its
intelligent result. Along the way, a raw material is
inevitably reshaped by the human intervention and given a new
and wondrous form.
The Definition of Melakha
Let us now consider again the passage from Parashat Ki
Tisa describing Betzalel's election: "God spoke to Moshe
saying: 'Behold, I single out by name Betzalel son of Uri son
of Chur from the tribe of Yehuda. I have filled him with
the
spirit of God, with wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and the
ability to execute all manner of work. To weave designs, to
work with gold, silver and bronze. To cut stones and to fit
them, to carve wood and to do all manner of work. Behold I
have provided as his assistant Oholiav son of Achisamakh of
the tribe of Dan, and in the heart of all of the wise I have
placed wisdom, so that they will do all that I have commanded
you. Namely, the Tent of Meeting and the ark for the
Testimony, as well as the lid that is upon it and all of the
other vessels of the Tent...'" (Shemot 31:1-7). Notice
that the
phrase 'all manner of work' occurs twice. It first occurs
as
the tangible expression of the divine spirit of wisdom,
understanding and knowledge with which he is endowed. It
occurs again as a generic summary of the processes of weaving,
metallurgy, stonework and carpentry.
In other words, 'all manner of work' describes a category
of specific activities that are purposeful, creative, and
transformative. In the original Hebrew text of the passage
'all manner of work' is 'kol MELAKHA.' The operational
definition of 'melakha' for which we were searching is thus
indicated by the paragon of Betzalel. As a gifted artisan
and
craftsman, as a creator whose work is a reflection of God's
own, Betzalel does not do 'avoda' but rather 'melakha.'
To reformulate our equation, Sabbath commemorates God's
cessation from the act of creating the universe. The Torah
enjoins the curtailment of 'melakha' as the expression of that
fact. The example of Betzalel and his building of the
Mishkan
captures the essence of the concept of 'melakha.' We now
understand and appreciate that 'melakha' is not a general and
all-inclusive expression of labor, work and toil. Rather, it
is a specific class of activities that are characterized by
purposefulness, the exercise of intelligence and creativity,
and a process of transformation that reshapes a coarse and
crude material into a useful product. It is indeed
significant that the word 'avoda' never occurs as a
freestanding noun in any passage describing Creation, Shabbat
or the Mishkan. Conversely, the term 'melakha' occurs
approximately sixty times in the Torah. Of those sixty,
approximately half refer to Shabbat and the holidays (on which
cessation from most forms of 'work' is also commanded), while
the vast majority of the other half occur in the context of
the construction of the Mishkan. The conclusion is
therefore
inescapable that when the Torah forbids the execution of
'melakha' on Shabbat, it is specifically ruling out activities
associated and modeled after Betzalel's undertaking, and
recalling God's own act of Creation.
Scriptural Allusions
The Mishna in Tractate Chagiga 1:8 asserts: "Release from
vows hovers in the air and has no Scriptural basis. The
laws
of the Shabbat, Festival offerings, and Temple trespass are
like mountains suspended by a hair because THEIR RESPECTIVE
TEXTS ARE MEAGER AND THEIR LAWS ARE NUMEROUS. Torts, rules
of
the Temple service, laws of Tum'a and Tahara and laws of
forbidden relations have much Scriptural basis for support.
All, however, are essentials of the Torah." The
observation
of the Mishna is the same one that has puzzled many of us.
The laws of Shabbat observance are numerous, detailed and
complex. Very few of these forbidden activities are
explicitly spelled out in the text of the Torah, and vague,
ambiguous references to 'you shall not do any work' do not
seem adequate to explain the overwhelming edifice of Sabbath
practice. Like proverbial mountains hanging by a hair, the
laws of the Sabbath appear to some to be a fanciful and not
terribly convincing invention of the Rabbis! But, suggests
the Mishna, by what a hair those mountains hang! By stating
that 'you shall not do any 'melakha'' but indicating from the
context of Creation on the one hand and Betzalel and the
Mishkan on the other exactly what 'melakha' entails, the text
of the Torah need not state any more. It becomes abundantly
clear to anyone who critically and carefully studies the text,
as our Sages most eminently did, that 'melakha' has little or
nothing to do with physical exertion, and everything to do
with human creativity that shapes and reshapes physical
matter.
The Critical Juxtaposition
"Moshe assembled the entire people of Israel and said to
them: 'these are the things that God has commanded to be
done. For six days you may do work ('melakha') but the
seventh day shall be a holy Shabbat to God, whoever does
work ('melakha') on it shall be put to death. Do not
kindle a fire in your habitations on the Shabbat.' Moshe
said to the entire people of Israel: 'this is the thing
that God has commanded. Collect from among yourselves an
offering to God, all those of generous heart shall bring
the offering to God, of gold, silver and bronze...all those
who are wise-hearted among you shall come forth to make
all the things which God has commanded, namely the
Mishkan...and the ark...' (Shemot 35:1-20).
As in last week's parasha, Parshat VaYakhel also contains
a critical juxtaposition. Shabbat observance and the
building
of the Mishkan are joined in context because they are linked
in concept. According to ancient and well-founded tradition,
there are thirty-nine main categories of activities that
delineate the types of work forbidden on the Shabbat; the
exact conceptual source for these thirty-nine is none other
than the main activities associated with the building of the
Mishkan. As Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi states in the Mekhilta (de
R.
Yishmael Parashat VaYakhel): " 'these are the things' refers
to the thirty-nine main categories of forbidden Shabbat
activities that Moshe told the people orally."
In other
words, Rabbi Yehuda understands that implicit in the
connection between Shabbat and the building of the Mishkan is
the definition of melakha for which we have been searching.
The somewhat different Talmudic formulation states: "The
thirty-nine categories of forbidden labor recorded in the
Mishna relate to the 'work' of the Mishkan...one is only liable
for an activity that was similarly performed in the
Mishkan.
They planted...and harvested (the flora that were used for the
extraction of vegetable dies used in the coloring of some of
the materials - Rashi ad loc), you shall not do so..."
(Tractate
Shabbat 49b).
The Thirty-Nine Categories of Melakha
Let us take a moment to consider these thirty-nine activities
as they are listed in the seventh chapter of Mishna Shabbat:
1. Plowing, 2. Sowing, 3. Harvesting, 4. Sheaf making, 5.
Threshing, 6. Winnowing, 7. Selecting, 8. Sifting, 9.
Grinding, 10. Kneading, 11. Baking;
12. Sheep shearing, 13. Bleaching, 14. Combing raw materials,
15. Dying, 16. Spinning, 17-19 Weaving operations, 20.
Separating into threads, 21. Tying a knot, 22. Untying a knot,
23. Sewing, 24. Tearing;
25. Trapping/hunting, 26. Slaughtering, 27. Skinning, 28.
Tanning, 29. Scraping pelts, 30. Marking out, 31. Cutting to
shape;
32. Writing, 33. Erasing;
34. Building, 35. Demolishing;
36. Kindling fire, 37. Extinguishing fire;
38. Finishing touches of a product;
39. Carrying from public to private domain.
While it is difficult to fully comprehend the parameters of
some of these activities based on this concise list, it is
nonetheless possible to organize the thirty-nine things into a
series of broader groupings. The first category consists of
numbers one through eleven (1-11), and clearly relates to the
practice of AGRICULTURE, spelling out all of the activities
necessary to wring forth 'bread from the earth.' Category
two, numbers twelve through twenty-four (12-24), describes the
process of fashioning TEXTILES. The third group, consisting
of numbers twenty-five through thirty-one (25-31), describes
the control and judicious use of ANIMALS. The fourth group,
thirty-two and thirty-three (32-33), concern WRITING, and the
fifth group of thirty-four and thirty-five (34-35), concern
BUILDING. The sixth group of activities thirty-six and
thirty-seven (36-37) relate to FIRE, and the final two groups
of thirty-eight (38) and thirty-nine (39) are the unrelated
actions of COMPLETION and CARRYING.
Revolutionary Developments in Human History
Evaluating these categories from an anthropological and
social historical perspective reveals a remarkable common
denominator. Each one of them represents a revolution in
human development! Agriculture ushered in the age of
independence from a nomadic way of life, and freed early man
from the time-consuming and wearisome task of gathering food
for survival. The making of textiles, the remarkable
conversion of coarse fibers into materials, represented the
possibility of making clothing and all manner of helpful
products. The use of animals to provide food for sustenance
and hides for survival was another important break with more
primitive living, and introduced a relationship with other
species from which we still benefit.
Writing was one of humanity's greatest inventions and
allowed knowledge and information to be transmitted around the
world and across the generations. The dawn of recorded history
is a function of writing. Human buildings are unlike any
shelter constructed by other species, for they are complex
manipulations of materials and forms. The construction of a
free-standing shelter was a development that allowed humanity
to leave the darkness of the cave. Fire was perhaps
mankind's
greatest invention for so many other human activities depend
upon our ability to harness this force. Through the use of
fire, we have transformed our lives and the state of the
world.
The act of completion represents the various processes
that human beings employ in the production of objects. The
specialization of work that is a hallmark of civilization is
based upon this category. Finally, the act of carrying from
the private to the public domain and visa versa is essentially
the basis of commerce. Commerce is about the transfer of
goods and materials, and is a direct function of their
transportation between the private and public domain.
Complex
societies are founded upon elaborate networks of commercial
traffic that are fundamentally expressions of 'carrying.'
Humanity and the Rest of Creation
It is now apparent that the creative enterprise contained
in the Torah's description of Betzalel's 'work' is echoed and
amplified in the traditional list of thirty nine 'avot
melakhot' or 'major categories of forbidden labors.'
Precisely those acts necessary to build the Mishkan are the
expressions of the human creative spark that can alter nature
and reshape it to fit an anthropomorphic mold. Let us
proceed
one step further. The thirty-nine categories not only trace
the story of human progress and the ongoing ability of
humanity to modify their surroundings, but also encapsulate
the essential distinction between humanity and the rest of
creation. No other species on this planet engages in the
vast
majority of these thirty-nine pursuits. Those that do
activities resembling planting, cutting or building do so at a
level of complexity that is limited, and tend to perform
within a circumscribed scope that is a direct function of
their particular instinctive capabilities. The leaf-cutter
ant may do 'farming,' but is incapable of growing anything
other than mushrooms. The colloquial spider may spin an orb
of astounding relative strength and ethereal beauty, but is
not capable of building anything else. Only the human being
has the ability and the versatility to develop complex and
broad solutions that address such an astoundingly wide array
of situations.
The forbidden melakhot therefore speak of what makes us
uniquely human, the aspects of our constitution that separate
us from the other species. The melakhot address the
creative
spark in man, which is part and parcel of what we variously
refer to as 'intelligence,' 'consciousness,' 'freedom of
choice,' 'awareness of God' or 'the soul.' All of these
intangible spiritual qualities describe facets of the human
personality that at its core is an expression of 'the Divine
Image' in which we were created. In other words, melakha
does
not describe those aspects of our lives in which we are
similar to our furred or feathered friends. All of the
animate creatures on this planet engage at sundry times in
activities requiring physical exertion, or involving toil and
drudgery, in the interests of physical survival. But in so
doing they are not performing 'melakha.' To phrase the
matter
in Halakhic terms, if one wishes one may lift heavy furniture
all day long to the point of physical exhaustion and not be in
direct violation of Shabbat, but to effortlessly strike a
match or nonchalantly pick a flower is to brazenly abrogate
'you shall not do any work.'
The Essence of Shabbat
What then is the purpose of Shabbat? Why does God demand
of his people that one day in seven they cease from
purposeful, deliberate, creative pursuits that effect a
physical change in the world? For a generation living at
the
cusp of the twenty-first century the answer is perhaps more
clear than ever before. God has endowed us with abilities
and
talents that allow us to occupy a most exalted position in the
scheme of things. As creators, we alone can bend the world
to
our suit our purposes. As creators, we alone can transform
nature to our meet our goals. But precisely because we are
blessed with superlative and unrivalled potential, we are in
great danger of succumbing to the erroneous and destructive
belief that we are gods in our own right. When our
creativity
knows no limits, when it is allowed to freely act without
constraint, when we refuse to acknowledge the God who demands
responsible conduct, the result is not constructive creation
but rather the atomic bomb. As perhaps no previous
generation
has ever understood, we are beginning to realize with
frightening urgency that human creativity can very easily
destroy the world and turn existence into a living hell.
The
institution of the Shabbat, when correctly understood and
sincerely appreciated, represents the hope and the dream that
a better world can yet be fashioned by human hands. The key
to that possibility remains the acknowledgement that,
notwithstanding our unrivalled accomplishments in extending
our reach to the very edges of the solar system, we are still
the work of a Creator who not only fashioned the cosmos but
also gave us the precious gift of self-mastery.
Shabbat Shalom
For further study:
1) It is significant indeed that during the entire experience
of slavery and bondage in Egypt, Bnei Yisrael are never
described as performing 'melakha' but rather as being
oppressed with 'avoda': "The Egyptians enslaved ('vayAViDu')
Bnei Yisrael with back-breaking labor. They embittered
their lives with hard work ('AVoDa'), with clay and brick
and all manner of work ('AvoDa') in the field. All of their
work ('AvoDatam') was imposed with harsh rigor" (Shemot
1:13-14). Avoda is the work of the slave, but melakha is
the creative spark of the free human personality. Avoda is
performed by the 'eved' (slave), but melakha is related to
'malakh' (angel or messenger). The great injustice of
slavery is that it dehumanizes people and reduces them to
beasts of burden, for the animal does 'avoda' but never
'melakha.'
2) In Hebrew, there is no verb conjugation for the root 'MLKh'
as there is for 'AVD.' Rather we say 'la'asot melakha'
which means 'to do' or 'to make' or 'to fashion' melakha,
and is an indication that 'melakha' is a higher and more
refined pursuit.
3) When electricity first became widely available at the turn
of the 20th century, there was a lively discussion and
debate among the Halakhic decisors as to whether use of this
new dynamic force was a violation of Shabbat law or not.
Differences of opinion existed concerning the 'melakha,' if
any, that was performed by utilizing electricity. Was it a
form of completion (the closing of the electric circuit), a
variation of fire (the electric spark or the incandescent
filament), or the idea of bringing something new into
existence? In the end, the weight of opinion ruled that its
use on Shabbat was forbidden. From a conceptual standpoint,
this decision was undoubtedly the right one, for no other
force in the modern world transforms our lives as much.
Electricity is the engine that drives every industry, powers
every transformative process, and continues to shape and
reshape nature like no other. The harnessing of the
electric spark was as significant for the modern age as was
the discovery of fire for the ancients. How senseless to
imagine that simply because turning on a light switch is
effortless it therefore cannot be characterized as 'work'!
In fact, as our earlier discussion indicates, it is the
essence of what 'melakha' is about.
YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433
Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved
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