Today we began studying the portion of Vayakhel-Pekudei. The purpose of this gathering was that Moshe Rabbeinu assembled the Jewish people and spoke to them about the construction of the Mishkan. According to our tradition, Moshe gathered the people the day after Yom Kippur, when Hashem had forgiven the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf. He gathered them all together in order to begin the work of building a dwelling place for Hashem.
But something very interesting happens in the Torah. Before Moshe tells them about the Mishkan, he first speaks about the laws of Shabbos.
There is also something remarkable about the gathering itself. Bringing all the Jewish people together in unity is almost a miracle. As the saying goes, if you have two Jews, you have three opinions. So the fact that Moshe gathered everyone together and they were united in purpose is something very special.
Not only that, but many disputes between people usually revolve around money and finances. Financial matters often create disagreements, arguments, and conflicts. Yet here, the entire nation gathered together and was united in the idea of giving contributions for the Mishkan.
Still, before discussing the Mishkan, the Torah begins with Shabbos.
Keeping Shabbos has always involved a challenge, particularly in matters of livelihood. In earlier generations, especially when Jews first came to America, many religious Jews faced a real struggle. Jobs required working on Shabbos, and if someone refused to work on Shabbos, he might lose his job. It was a tremendous test of faith.
Today, in many places, it is much easier to observe Shabbos. Weekends are generally days off, and people are less likely to lose employment for not working on Shabbos. But in earlier times it was an enormous sacrifice.
What does it really mean when a person works six days and refrains from working on Shabbos?
It means that a person is declaring something very fundamental:
“Yes, I work during the week and I earn a living through natural means. But ultimately, the money I earn is not something I produce by myself. It is the blessing of Hashem.”
When a person stops working one day of the week and says, “On this day I will not work and I will not earn,” he is affirming that livelihood does not come solely from his efforts. It comes from the blessing that Hashem gives.
And once a person accepts that idea through Shabbos, it changes how he looks at everything else in life. He realizes that Hashem created the world, Hashem runs the world, and all success ultimately comes from Him.
Of course, this is not always easy to believe. In everyday life it looks as though things operate purely according to natural rules. It appears that our efforts alone produce results. That is the challenge — the nisayon, the test of faith.
I once heard a story that the Rebbe related in a somewhat humorous way, something he remembered hearing when he was a child in cheder.
Imagine a butcher who slaughters an animal and then brings the animal to the rabbi to determine whether it is kosher. The difference between kosher and non-kosher can mean a large financial loss. A kosher animal can be sold to Jewish customers for a good price. If it is treif, the butcher loses much of that value.
So the butcher asks the rabbi to examine the animal and rule according to halacha. The rabbi checks and says: “Unfortunately the animal is not kosher. There is a puncture in the lung; it is treif.”
The butcher accepts the ruling. He may lose hundreds of dollars, but he says, “If this is Hashem’s will, then this is Hashem’s money. Hashem gives livelihood and Hashem decided that this time I should lose.”
But imagine another situation. The same butcher has a financial dispute with another person. He claims the other person owes him several hundred dollars. The other person says the debt was already paid. They come before the rabbi for judgment.
The rabbi rules that the butcher cannot prove the claim, and therefore the other person does not have to pay.
Now the butcher leaves the rabbi furious. He is angry at the rabbi and upset about the decision.
But the question is obvious. In the first case he also lost money, yet he accepted it calmly. Why does he become angry in the second case?
The explanation is that a person can accept his own loss more easily than he can accept someone else’s gain. When the butcher lost money because the animal was treif, no one else gained from it. But when the rabbi rules in favor of the other person, the butcher feels that someone else is benefiting at his expense, and that is much harder to accept.
This is precisely why the Torah begins with Shabbos. Shabbos teaches us that everything that happens in the world ultimately comes from Hashem. When a person truly internalizes that idea, he realizes that what belongs to him will reach him, and what does not belong to him will not.
When a person lives with that awareness, disputes become easier to resolve. There is less jealousy, less anger, and more peace between people.
And that is why the Torah begins the discussion of the Mishkan with Shabbos. Only when a person understands that Hashem is the true source of blessing can he build a Mishkan — a dwelling place for Hashem — in his life.
Sometimes we do not immediately see the blessings. When we face struggles and tests, it can be difficult to maintain that faith. But when a person remains strong, continues to do what is right, and trusts in Hashem, eventually the blessings become visible.
When we keep Shabbos, build a Mishkan in our lives, and remain faithful to Hashem’s ways, we will ultimately see the success and blessing that Hashem provides for us, our families, and everything we do. And with Hashem’s help, we will see those blessings revealed openly.