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Home -> Vayakhel -> 5786

ששת ימים תעשה מלאכה וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש שבת שבתון לד'

Sruly Schnair
In 5786, Vayakhel

On six days, work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem. (35:2)

Noticeably, Hashem first issued the command to build the Mishkan in Parshios Terumah and Tetzaveh. In Parashas Ki Sissa, He reiterated the laws of Shabbos.  Moshe Rabbeinu, on the other hand, begins Parshas Vayakhel with the laws of Shabbos. Afterwards, he gives a recounting of the construction of the Mishkan.  Why did Moshe alter from Hashem’s derech, way?  Gur Aryeh explains that Moshe did not relate all the laws of the Mishkan at one time, but rather, over a few days.  He feared that, if he did not complete delivering the laws before Shabbos, they – not knowing that the…

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Home -> Bamidbar -> 5780

ואלה תולדות אהרן ומשה... נדב ואביהו אלעזר ואיתמר

Sruly Schnair
In 5780, Bamidbar

These are the offspring of Aharon and Moshe… Nadav and Avihu, Elazar and Isamar. (3:1,2)

Rashi notes that the pasuk begins by informing us who the offspring of Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon HaKohen were, but, in the end, only states the names of Aharon’s sons. What happened to Moshe’s sons? Rashi quotes the Talmud Sanhedrin 19a, asserting that the Torah is teaching us that Aharon’s sons were considered Moshe’s sons, because Moshe was their Rebbe: “Whoever teaches his friend’s son Torah, it is considered as if he caused his birth.” In other words, the individual who catalyzes a person’s spiritual development is likewise a partner in his physical life. Simply, we might say that a…

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Home -> 5778 -> Shelach

ויהיו בני ישראל במדבר וימצאו איש מקשש עצים ביום השבת

Moshe Marcovich
In Shelach, 5778

The Bnei Yisrael were in the wilderness and they found a man gathering wood on the Shabbos day. (15:32)

The Maharal m’Prague (Gur Aryeh), notes that the mekoshesh eitzim, one who gathered wood on Shabbos, carried out his act of contempt during the second Shabbos of the Jews in the wilderness. Apparently, they observed the first Shabbos. Chazal teach (Shabbos 118b) that had they observed two Shabbosos, they would not have experienced the bitter exile. Shabbos is the great panacea which would have protected them. Why did the mekoshesh desecrate the second Shabbos? He acted for the sake of Heaven (or so he believed), in order that people would realize that Shabbos observance was serious business. When they would…

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