Shabbos Parashas Vayakhel-Pekudei - 5755

Shabbos Parashas Vayakhel-Pekudei - 5755

Rabbi Hal Miller

You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day. [Shemos 35:3]

Moshe returns to the people after discussions with G-d. He needs to put on a mask

because his face is radiating light to a degree that people cannot tolerate being near

him. Then, most of our parsha discusses donations and the construction of the Mishkan.

Why do we have two verses in the middle dedicated to Shabbos?

The Gemora (Shabbos [70a]) derives through gematria from our verse that there are a

total of 39 primary prohibited melachos on Shabbos. The Gemora asks that these

activities were already prohibited in the Ten Commandments, and wonders why it is

repeated here. One answer it gives is, "So why was it singled out? To compare to it and

tell that as kindling, which is a primary melacha, where one is liable for it on its own, so

also all the primary melachas, one is liable for it on its own." But Shmuel disagrees and

holds in the name of R'Yose that kindling is separated out to be a prohibition, meaning

the punishment is lashes instead of kares as is the case with the rest of the Shabbos

violations. Rashi seems ambivalent, saying, "There are those among our Rabbis who

say kindling went out (of its category) to teach a negative commandment, and there are

those who say that it went out to divide."

Interesting perhaps, but it doesn't really answer our question of why here?

Sforno and Rav Hirsch take the position that the upcoming description of the building of

the Mishkan is the key. We know that the prohibited melachos on Shabbos are those that

were instrumental in the construction of the Sanctuary. Sforno says, "Even though lighting

a fire is not a productive but a destructive activity, nevertheless it is an indispensable

ingredient in most activities, the Torah prohibited it as unsuitable for the Shabbos."

Rav Hirsch expands on this. "On the one hand, kindling fire in itself is not a productive

or creative act, but primarily rather a destructive activity. But on the other hand, the

ability to produce fire artificially is just that which first gave man his true mastery over

the materials of the world." Thus although we might think that a destructive activity would

be allowed on Shabbos, the Torah is here telling us otherwise. Sforno and Rav Hirsch say

that our verse is inclusive: it includes destructive acts under Shabbos restrictions.

Ramban and Rashbam see this verse as a separator between Shabbos and the

holidays. We know from elsewhere that the Shabbos prohibitions apply on yom tov as

well, but our verse specifies only Shabbos when it speaks of not allowing a kindling

of fire. The specification excludes yom tov, thus allowing us to cook on holidays.

Ramban compares it to specific rules about Pesach where it also says, "you shall

not do work", yet allows the preparation of food. Ramban and Rashbam say that our

verse is exclusive: it excludes food preparation from the restrictions of Yom Tov.

But why here? Because the Torah is about to delineate all the labors of the building of

the Mishkan, labors prohibited on Shabbos and yom tov. Our verse tells us first that,

one way or the other, there is an exception in what we are about to read.