The Sacred Work of Creation: Vayak’hel.22

 The Sacred Work of Creation: Vayak’hel

By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman

February 23, 2022

With this week’s portion, Vayak’hel (“[Moses] assembled the people,” Exodus 35:1-38:20), the work of constructing the Tabernacle is nearly completed. Every part has been cast, carved, molded and woven; everything is ready for the final act of putting it all together. Yet the careful attention to detail in this portion is only part of a larger vision. Vayak’hel isn’t only about the intricacies of this magnificent edifice—it’s also about the greater purpose and meaning of the Tabernacle.

Ostensibly, the Tabernacle is meant to be the focus of God’s Presence among us. It is here that prayers and sacrifices will be offered; here that God will communicate with Moses and ultimately with the People. But in its own subtle—and not so subtle—ways, the Torah also places this story in context of a much larger framework.

The first few verses of Vayak’hel repeat the commandment to observe the Sabbath and refrain from any work, any m’lakha. It’s in the use of this word that we find our first clue. For m’lakha is the word that the Torah uses for God’s work of Creation. In Vayak’hel this word is used no less than eighteen times! (In the first seven verses of chapter 36 alone the word appears no fewer than seven times.) While this may seem overly repetitious, the reference needs to be made clear. The work of constructing the Mishkan—the desert Tabernacle—parallels God’s work of Creation and can even be seen as its extension. In other words, the construction of the Tabernacle is a down-to-earth model of the Creation of the universe. And it is we, the people, who continue the sacred work that God had begun.

The Torah continues the story by listing the contributions that the people are asked to bring for this project—not commanded, but asked—"each man according to the uplift of his spirit and heart.” The response is overwhelming. Everyone brings what they can, or else participates in the work (m’lakha)—to the point where the overseers ask Moses to tell the people to stop! The donations far exceed the need!

If this seems somewhat fantastical (and far beyond the dreams of every fundraiser) that’s because the portion teaches us an important lesson: What we are tasked with is not merely the building of a sanctuary, but far beyond that—continuing the sacred work of Creation. The Sabbath, and the commandment that appears at the beginning of Vayak’hel, represents not only the cessation of God’s work, but also as a reminder that now it is up to us to carry it forward. 

It will take the effort and contribution of each one of us. It will take perseverance and dedication. And—we know too well—there will be failures. But nonetheless, as we follow the paradigm that Vayak’hel offers, we move forward. As the Rabbis will later teach, the work is great, and we may not see its conclusion. But we are not free to desist from it. It is sacred work, m’lakha, a labor of love that we took upon ourselves and, despite all obstacles, continue to this day.

© 2022 by Boaz D. Heilman